MAM
WPP hires former Accenture executive Prashant Mehta to lead its India GDC
MUMBAI: WPP is betting big on India. The creative transformation company early on 12 December announced that it was pumping more bucks into India by scaling up its global delivery centre (GDC) operation in the country. It has brought on board former Accenture executive Prashant Mehta as managing director to lead it with the responsibility of accelerating its growth globally, with the highest concentration of talent based in India.
The specialist capability hub, which is accessible to all WPP agency teams around the world, will be headquartered in India. This further commitment to the market follows the November 2024 announcement of a new campus in Chennai, WPP’s third after Mumbai and Gurugram.
India’s is among its top 10 growing markets and a major source of tech innovation and creativity, and the company has been strategically scaling up its GDC team in the country.. Building on the company’s 11,000-strong workforce in the country, the GDC takes advantage of the significant resources and strong foundation of specialist expertise already in place to further accelerate WPP’s presence in the market.
The GDC currently employs 10,000 people around the world and plays a critical role in WPP’s business transformation and simplification strategy. It unlocks WPP’s best-in-class specialist capabilities such as cloud modernisation, hyper-personalisation, composable commerce, VR and XR experiences, generative AI and product engineering to offer fully integrated and innovative solutions for clients. These services will complement existing agency expertise across media, content, customer experience (CX), commerce, technology, data and design.
Prashant is an experienced digital transformation expert and joins WPP from Accenture, where he was global managing director of global assets at Accenture Song, responsible for its generative AI-led asset strategy, delivery and adoption. Prior to Accenture, he was the global chief product and delivery officer for Dentsu Creative & Experience, and group VP at Publicis Sapient.
“Our GDC enables agency teams and their clients to tap into specialist expertise and new capabilities, “ said WPP CEO Mark Read. “It is underpinned by WPP Open, our AI-driven operating system for marketing transformation, fuelling growth and connecting the dots across our business. I welcome Prashant to WPP and look forward to working with him to develop our offering.”
WPP country manager for India CVL Srinivas, added: “As we look to drive further growth and transformation in and from India, we are excited to welcome Prashant Mehta onboard. The expertise of our team in India makes it the prime location to power our clients’ needs with a scaled world-class GDC.”
Prashant Mehta pointed out: “It is an honour to be leading the WPP GDC, which has been built to evolve with the changing demands of our clients while delivering the highest standards of excellence. I look forward to working with our integrated teams as we harness AI and creativity to transform how we deliver growth for our clients.”
Brands
DeVANS sparks buzz with self-chilling beer can April Fools campaign
Godfather stunt racks up 7 million impressions, blending humour with hype
NEW DELHI: DeVANS Modern Breweries has stirred up the marketing pot with a playful yet high-impact campaign teasing a futuristic “self-chilling beer can” under its flagship Godfather label.
What began as a seemingly bold product innovation quickly turned into one of the most talked-about brand moments online, before being revealed as an April Fools’ Day prank. The reveal, however, did little to cool the buzz.
The campaign clocked over 7 million organic impressions across platforms including LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and X, with users debating whether the concept was a genuine breakthrough or clever marketing theatre. Thousands of shares and comments turned the idea into a full-blown conversation, drawing in both consumers and industry insiders.
The hook was simple but effective. A self-chilling can positioned as an on-the-go convenience product tapped into the imagination of younger, urban audiences. Add the timing around April Fools’ Day, and the campaign struck the perfect balance between curiosity and scepticism, keeping audiences guessing.
Marketing experts have pointed to the campaign as a case study in leveraging cultural moments. By leaving just enough ambiguity, the brand invited audiences to participate rather than simply observe, turning passive viewers into active contributors to the narrative.
“Godfather has always been an iconic brand, but iconicity must evolve to stay meaningful,” said DeVANS Modern Breweries chairman and managing director Prem Dewan. “The ‘Self-Chilling Can’ was our way of showing up in a cultural moment with confidence and a sense of humour.”
Beyond the numbers, the campaign signals a broader repositioning for Godfather. Long seen as a legacy beer brand, it is now leaning into youth culture, digital-first storytelling and topical engagement to stay relevant in a crowded alcobev market.
In a space where attention is fleeting, DeVANS has shown that sometimes the coolest idea is the one that keeps people guessing.
