MAM
White Rivers Media gears up for the New Year by clocking 25 business accounts in Q4 2023
Mumbai: The last quarter of 2023 saw White Rivers Media do campaigns for Frooti, Dettol, Tata NourishCo, Astral, Crunchyroll India, boat, Pass Pass Pulse, Chingles, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Zoomcar, Radico Khaitan amongst others. The agency has seen its business grow on the back of generative AI activations, trend-setting influencer-brand integrations, and evocative digital films, delivering a diverse set of strategic and tactical campaigns for brands across categories.
This year also saw White Rivers Media launch WRM Digital Studios, an agile digital-first production arm. The studio brought to life Astral Foundation’s initiative to support Rajasthan’s eco-feminist Piplantri village, a drought-proof oasis that celebrates the birth of its daughters by planting saplings.
Another original production, the #DettolProtectsTomorrow digital film, encouraged the nurturing of childhood curiosity and learning, empowering today’s parents to let their children explore without fear of germs, with the protection of Dettol.
Swiggy Dineout captured hearts in the cluttered Indian festive season with the #TogetherWaliDiwali film. Reliance Jewels adorned their new collections with films that rekindled India’s love for traditional art. All were conceptualised and produced by WRM.WRM in collaboration with the curativity platform created from scratch the identity of ‘Say Never’, the brand-new caffeine-based energy drink from Tata NourishCo.
The agency is also entrusted with expanding Frooti’s online presence, while tailoring a bespoke short-video content strategy for Zoomcar. In addition, the agency landed big hits in the AI and CGI arena with compelling content envisioned and engineered for DS Group’s Pulse Candy, Zee5 Global, and Universal Pictures India amongst many others.
WRM also carved an all-new niche in the localisation of international internet sensations for India. They brought the multicultural international dance group The Quick Style to the country on multiple occasions, with their most viral piece of content coming from the boAt collaboration.
The agency also collaborated with boAt to bring global YouTube superstar IShowSpeed to India, who thoroughly enjoyed getting caught up in World Cup fever.
White Rivers Media co-founder & chief creative officer Mitesh Kothari said, “2023 has been a transformative year for us and for advertising as a whole. We made our aspiration of making WRM a nationwide tech-first creative powerhouse a reality. Given that generative AI is fundamentally altering global creative business models, I am grateful to all our clients who recognise our ability to ensure their brands set pace.”
Reinforcing their leadership status in the entertainment marketing ecosystem, WRM splashed a larger than life Gadar 2 mural on Mumbai’s tapestry for Zee Studios, crafted a unique Oppenheimer experience on WeTransfer for Universal Pictures India, and spearheaded digital promotions for some marquee shows from Sony LIV and Amazon miniTV.
Brands
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen to step down after 18 years in role
Board begins CEO search as Narayen prepares to move to chair role
SAN JOSE: After nearly two decades at the helm, Adobe’s long-serving chief executive Shantanu Narayen is preparing to pass the baton.
The company announced that Narayen will transition from his role as chief executive officer once a successor is appointed, ending an 18-year run that reshaped Adobe from a boxed software seller into a global cloud and AI powerhouse. He will remain chair of the board following the leadership transition.
Adobe’s board has formed a special committee to oversee the succession process, led by lead independent director Frank Calderoni. The committee will evaluate both internal and external candidates.
“Shantanu’s leadership has been instrumental in Adobe’s transformation and in positioning the company for the AI-driven era,” Calderoni said in a statement. “As we begin the next phase of succession planning, our focus is on identifying the right leader for the company’s next chapter while ensuring a smooth transition.”
In a note to employees, Narayen described the moment not as a farewell but as a pause for reflection after a long journey with the company.
“I love Adobe and the privilege of leading it has been the greatest honour of my career,” he wrote, adding that he will continue to work closely with the board over the coming months to ensure a seamless leadership change.
Tributes from the technology industry quickly followed the announcement. Microsoft chairman and chief executive officer Satya Nadella congratulated Narayen on what he described as a “legendary run” at Adobe.
“Congrats Shantanu, on a legendary run at Adobe! You’ve built one of the most important software companies in the world, and expanded what’s possible for creators, entrepreneurs, and brands everywhere,” Nadella wrote on LinkedIn.
“What has always stood out to me is the empathy you’ve brought to the creative process and the example you’ve set as a leader. Grateful for your friendship, mentorship, and for all you’ve done for Adobe and for our industry.”
Narayen’s career at Adobe spans nearly three decades. He joined the company in 1998 as vice president and rose steadily through the ranks before becoming chief executive officer in December 2007.
During that time, he orchestrated one of the most significant reinventions in the software industry. In 2013, Adobe made the bold decision to abandon traditional boxed software sales and move its flagship creative tools such as Photoshop to a subscription-based Creative Cloud model. The shift initially rattled investors but ultimately transformed Adobe into a predictable recurring revenue business and a case study in digital reinvention.
Narayen also pushed Adobe beyond creative tools into the world of marketing technology and data-driven customer experience, spearheading acquisitions such as Omniture and Marketo. Those moves helped build Adobe’s digital experience division and broaden its reach far beyond designers and photographers.
The numbers tell the story of that transformation. When Narayen took over in 2007, Adobe generated roughly $3 billion in annual revenue. Today the company reports more than $25 billion. Over the same period, its workforce expanded from around 3,000 employees to more than 30,000.
In recent years, Narayen has steered Adobe into the generative AI era with the launch of Adobe Firefly, aiming to keep the company ahead in a rapidly evolving creative technology landscape.
Born in Hyderabad in 1963, Narayen studied electronics and communication engineering at Osmania University before moving to the United States for a master’s degree in computer science from Bowling Green State University. He later earned an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Widely regarded as one of Silicon Valley’s most steady and effective leaders, Narayen has earned multiple honours during his career, including India’s Padma Shri in 2019.
For Adobe, the upcoming leadership change marks the end of a defining chapter. For Narayen, however, the story is far from finished. As he told employees, the company’s next era of creativity, powered by AI and new digital workflows, is only just beginning.
