MAM
WPP acquires remaining stake in MediaCom India from Sam Balsara & Lara Balsara Vajifdar
Mumbai: WPP announced that it has purchased the remaining 26 per cent stake in MediaCom Communications in India from Sam Balsara and Lara Balsara Vajifdar.
According to the deal signed, Sam Balsara and Lara Balsara Vajifdar entered into a discussion with the network agreeing to exit MediaCom in the interest of its clients to enable the merger.
Sam Balsara and his family first entered into a contract with WPP in 2008 under which the Balsara family held 51 per cent. The Madison promoters sold 25 per cent of the business in 2017.
Speaking on the agreement, Sam Balsara said, “This innovative partnership we invested in nearly 15 years ago has been a great success for all parties. It has established MediaCom in India as a fast-growing and highly respected agency by advertisers.”
MediaCom Global CEO Nick Lawson commented, “It has been a pleasure working with Sam Balsara and Lara Balsara as we grew this successful business in India. We will build on that legacy to deliver the agency model our clients want for the future – founded on brilliant strategy and brand-building capabilities, with pioneering digital expertise running throughout.”
This acquisition is a part of WPP’s strategy of investing in fast growth markets, new media and digital. On 26 April 2022, WPP announced that global agencies MediaCom and Essence would merge to form EssenceMedia.com.
MAM
Instamart and Go Zero bring LED fridge ad to print
Hindustan Times readers see light-up fridge page in interactive first
MUMBAI: The morning paper just got a little cooler quite literally. In a twist on traditional print, Instamart and Go Zero have introduced what they describe as a first-of-its-kind newspaper execution, turning a routine page flip into a sensory experience. Readers of Hindustan Times were greeted with a spread designed like a refrigerator. As the page opened, an embedded LED light flicked on mimicking the familiar fridge-door moment revealing an Instamart delivery partner holding a tub of Go Zero ice cream.
Developed in partnership with Havas India, the campaign moves beyond conventional print innovations such as scent strips or foldouts. Here, the LED is not a gimmick layered on top but a core part of the storytelling, recreating a behaviour most readers instinctively recognise.
The creative ties together the central promises of both brands: Instamart’s instant delivery and Go Zero’s “guilt-free” indulgence. The act of opening a fridge becomes a metaphor for spontaneous craving and immediate fulfilment.
Swiggy head of brand Mayur Hola said the idea was to make print participative rather than passive. By tapping into muscle memory like reaching into a fridge, the campaign aims to bridge everyday behaviour with brand recall.
Go Zero founder Kiran Shah highlighted the spontaneity of ice cream consumption, noting that the concept captures the exact moment of impulse discovery. Meanwhile, Havas Media India and Havas Play COO Uday Mohan described the effort as an attempt to blur the lines between media and experience.
The execution reflects a broader push by Instamart to reimagine traditional formats, making even legacy media like print interactive in an age dominated by digital engagement.
In a medium often accused of losing relevance, this campaign flips the script, one illuminated page at a time.
