AD Agencies
White Rivers Media retains grooming brand Gatsby’s digital account
MUMBAI: Mandom Group’s grooming brand in Asia – Gatsby has associated with White Rivers Media for the third time in row.
As part of the mandate, White Rivers Media, the digital agency, will continue to manage their digital and social media presence across India.
Gatsby India’s branding ideas have successfully managed to resonate with their target audience. Since the first year of the brand’s association with White Rivers Media, this digital agency has studied their target audience well and accommodated these insights into content. Engaging content on the page is exclusively targeted towards young urban men, which has resulted in an impressive engagement rate.
To put their best foot forward in the future, this collaboration aspires to explore different permutation and combinations of engaging content, media spends, ad models to optimise their reach. The agency also plans to strike conversations in the community and sense the sentiment for various messages. These insights will help them to enhance brand management, evolve in their own space and stay ahead of their competition.
White Rivers Digital Media chief executive officer and founder Shrenik Gandhi says, “We have been working closely with team Gatsby since past 2 years and I am looking forward to a great next year with the brand. While a good portion of our time this year shall be invested in building the brand in the ‘traditional digital’ manner, special efforts are being taken to capture the new age digital audience via innovative and category first digital activations. I take this opportunity to thank team Gatsby India on the continued trust they have on us.”
Gardenia Cosmocare (exclusive agent for Gatsby n India) director Puneet Motiani adds, “A good sense of product market as well as a keen ear to the ground greatly assists in selecting the right target audience and engaging them in a fun and constructive manner allowing for meaningful brand interactions which in turn results in positive and improved consumer experiences.”
For the past ten years, male grooming products have cut out a strong niche for themselves in the global market. In addition to the initial connection of beard to masculinity, being well-groomed is now an essential part of a young man’s routine. To buy these grooming products or gain more information about them, they turn to the web world. Hence, accurate branding of these grooming products in the digital space is extremely important.
AD Agencies
Microsoft shifts global media account from Dentsu to Publicis Groupe: Reports
Closed review ends decade-long tie-up; Xbox remit may remain with Dentsu
MUMBAI: Microsoft has reassigned its global media planning and buying business to Publicis Groupe, according to media reports, ending Dentsu’s long-standing stewardship of one of the advertising industry’s biggest accounts.
The move follows a closed review and marks a notable shake-up in the global media landscape. Dentsu, which managed the account through Carat, had held the mandate since 2014 and successfully defended it in a 2018 review.
While the broader business is shifting, Dentsu is expected to retain media responsibilities for Xbox, according to media reports, though the exact contours of that arrangement remain unclear. None of the parties involved have publicly outlined the transition timeline or the full structure of the handover.
The scale of the account underscores the significance of the change. Estimates from COMvergence, cited by Ad Age, peg Microsoft’s global media spend at roughly $700 million last year.
For Publicis Groupe, the win deepens an already expanding relationship with the tech giant. Earlier this year, Microsoft Advertising partnered with Publicis Media Exchange and Epsilon to integrate Epsilon’s data into its platform, aiming to sharpen targeting across search, native and display formats.
The decision reflects a broader industry shift, as large advertisers increasingly favour agency partners with strong first-party data capabilities, AI integration and platform-led solutions. Publicis Groupe has been leaning into this model, positioning its data assets and technology stack as a central differentiator.
For Dentsu, the loss is significant. Media remains a core pillar of its global business, and the development comes close on the heels of leadership changes, including the appointment of Takeshi Sano as global chief executive officer.
The shift also carries a touch of irony. Microsoft and Dentsu have worked closely beyond the client-agency relationship, including collaborations around AI tools such as Copilot to support media and creative workflows.
As the dust settles, the message is clear: in today’s data-driven, AI-powered media world, relationships may be long, but they are rarely permanent.
