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WondrLab Network acquires Polish agency Webtalk, Launches European Hub
Mumbai: Wondrlab digital network, announces the acquisition of WebTalk. This strategic milestone marks Wondrlab’s fifth acquisition and its first international venture since its inception in 2020. The company has also announced the appointment of Jarek Ziebinski as chairman of the Supervisory Board of its European Hub in Poland.
Founded in 2010, WebTalk, led by Michal Dunin, is a results-driven B2C digital marketing agency known for delivering outstanding outcomes in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region. With a decade of experience, WebTalk, comprising 100 specialists, serves 40 clients including Kia Motors, BNP Paribas, Heinz, Bosch, Volkswagen, Total, and Siemens among others, in Poland, CEE, and central Asia. It offers a comprehensive suite of services including digital strategy, social media management, content creation, paid media oversight, and innovative e-commerce support. Going forward Michal Dunin will be responsible for managing the newly created Wondrlab’s European Hub in Poland.
Jarek Zielinski, a renowned figure in the global advertising market comes with over three decades of experience in marketing, media, and advertising. His illustrious career includes significant roles at Leo Burnett, where he managed the agency’s network in Central and Eastern Europe and served as CEO and chairman of Leo Burnett Asia-Pacific. Jarek’s role as Global CEO of Publicis One at Publicis Groupe further underscores his proficiency in change management and large-scale business transformation.
With the launch of Wondrlab’s European hub, clients gain immediate access to services, products, and platforms across key pillars: Digital Video, Content & Community, Digital Media & Data, and Digital Business Transformation. This strategic move aligns with Wondrlab’s commitment to holistic solutions and global brand offshoring, integrating e-commerce, production, and content management, paving the way for expansion into hubs like Vietnam and the Middle East.
On the acquisition and Jarek’s appointment, Wondrlab Network founder & CEO Saurabh Varma said, “Historically, we have witnessed global companies acquiring Indian companies. The moment has arrived for Indian companies to acquire global companies. This is our time. Today signifies a crucial milestone in our journey towards establishing a world-class network that sets global standards from India. This is our fifth acquisition and in 36-48 months we’ll be looking at 21 more acquisitions. Our journey in Europe is just beginning. This is one of the many acquisitions we’ll be making in Poland. The way we are thinking about our global network is a function of not just products and services but also building strategic hubs based out of India, Poland, the Middle East, and Vietnam. Warsaw is one of the critical pillars toward building our global organization, and we couldn’t have found a better partner in Jarek and Michal to drive our global ambition. The WebTalk team will be deploying a lot of the tech created in India to create magic for clients in Poland, CEE, and across the world. It is an absolute pleasure that Jarek has chosen to be a part of Wondrlab’s growth journey. Jarek has been my mentor, boss, and friend for more than 15
years and I possibly could not find a better guru to supercharge our global ambition. He’s played a key role in helping us kick-start our European hub, based in Warsaw with the acquisition of WebTalk. And we will aggressively follow this with acquisitions across our key verticals – Digital Video Content & Community, Digital Media & Data and Digital Business Transformation.”
Sharing his thoughts on joining Wondrlab, Jarek Ziebinski, said, “I am genuinely thrilled by the dynamic synergy between Poland and India, two innovation hubs that perfectly align with our vision. I am particularly eager to contribute to Saurabh’s ambitious plan of building full-funnel agencies across our pillars. What this synergy offers our clients in Europe is immediate access to an abundance of exceptional talent and readily available technology – a resource that can be utilized instantaneously. This partnership provides us with a strategic advantage, offering our clients ready-made tech solutions that would have otherwise taken us years to develop. With our new partner in India, we have access to scalable resources and expertise in crucial areas of marketing technology. We now possess ready-made products that can be swiftly deployed across our European clients, marking a significant leap forward. I look forward to being an integral part of Wondrlab’s growth story and contributing to its transformative journey in redefining the digital marketing landscape.”
WebTalk founder & managing director Michal Dunin said, “Becoming part of Wondrlab is an exhilarating new chapter for WebTalk. Wondrlab’s focus on platforms, product innovation, and leveraging tech provided by Wondrlab will greatly benefit our clients in the broader CEE region. Our focus remains on delivering exceptional value to our clients ensuring that they have immediate access to the fantastic platforms built by Wondrlab such as Wisr, Hector (a performance marketing tool to win on Amazon), and the Salesforce talent in Cymetrix, from the get-go. My immediate priority is enabling our clients to leverage innovative solutions right from the start, propelling their success in the dynamic digital landscape. I look forward to working with Jarek to identify and acquire companies in Poland which can help us become a compelling hub out of Warsaw.”
MAM
Madison World to launch AI platform M BrAIn for media planning
Agency group invests about $1 million as it shifts to AI driven growth planning.
MUMBAI: If media planning once ran on spreadsheets and gut instinct, the next chapter may run on algorithms and curiosity. Madison World is preparing to roll out the first version of its proprietary artificial intelligence platform Madison M BrAIn in early April, as the independent agency group accelerates its transition toward AI driven planning and product led media services.
The platform, expected to involve an investment of around $1 million, is designed to reshape how the agency approaches strategy by combining internal knowledge, external data sources and advanced AI models into a single intelligence ecosystem.
According to Madison Media, OOH and Hiveminds partner and group CEO Ajit Varghese the initiative forms part of a larger structural rethink within the organisation. “Traditionally agencies built frameworks around media planning and allocation. We are redesigning that structure into what we call a Growth Planning System (GPS),” Varghese said.
The shift reflects a growing belief that effective media strategy must begin earlier in the decision making process. Instead of jumping directly to channel allocation, planners must first decode the market itself identifying consumer barriers, purchase triggers and the core challenges facing a brand.
Once those insights are mapped, agencies can build clearer growth agendas for clients and design media strategies that connect more closely with business outcomes.
To support that approach, Madison has built Madison M BrAIn as what it describes as a human AI cognitive ecosystem. Acting as a central intelligence hub, the platform aggregates proprietary insights alongside external data sources and large language models, enabling planners to access deeper market intelligence before building campaign strategies.
Varghese said one of the core objectives is to democratise knowledge across the organisation. “In the past, this level of understanding was largely available to senior leaders or experienced strategists. With Madison M BrAIn, even a junior planner should be able to access the same intelligence and approach clients with a far more informed perspective,” he said.
The agency has already implemented the new planning philosophy internally and completed three months of testing for the AI platform, with early trials showing encouraging results in terms of learning capability and system performance.
While the first version relied on global large language models, Madison is now developing its own proprietary Small Language Model (SLM) to serve as the core of the M BrAIn ecosystem.
“The SLM will be able to read global LLMs, but the LLMs cannot read the SLM,” Varghese explained. “That ensures all the intelligence we build remains within the Madison ecosystem and strengthens our proprietary knowledge base.”
The first version of Madison M BrAIn is expected to go live in early April, with a more refined version targeted by the end of June. Over time, the platform will integrate additional external data streams and APIs including consumer insight platforms, social listening tools and client datasets.
These integrations are expected to enhance the system’s learning capability and enable it to generate increasingly sophisticated strategic recommendations.
Although the platform is currently being deployed for internal use, Madison sees potential for it to evolve into a licensable product in the future.
“At the moment, our focus is to stabilise and strengthen M BrAIn internally. But over time there is potential for this to become a product that could be licensed externally,” Varghese said.
The AI platform is also part of a wider technology transformation underway at the agency group. Alongside M BrAIn, Madison is building a broader digital infrastructure called the Catalyst operating system, which aims to integrate operational processes, data and product platforms into a unified ecosystem.
This broader technology stack could require an additional $1 million to $1.5 million investment over time, though spending will be phased and reviewed regularly.
“We are evaluating progress every three months and prioritising the most critical capabilities first,” Varghese said.
Madison expects the full AI and operating ecosystem to be fully functional within 12 to 18 months, positioning the agency to combine human strategy with machine intelligence as the advertising industry enters its next data driven phase.
