MAM
WPP launches digital media buying unit
MUMBAI: WPP, the world’s largest marketing group by sales, has created a unit for buying digital media to combine its data and technology resources with the trading leverage of its GroupM agencies.
Xaxis will directly compete with products by Google and Microsoft and aims to aggregate consumer data from on- and offline sources to deliver audience profiles to clients for more targeted advertising. It comprises GroupM and WPP Digital companies B3, targ.ad, GoldNetwork, GroupM DSP, GroupM Marketplace and MEC.
Xaxis will be led by CEO Brian Lesser, who previously served as global general manager of the Media Innovation Group (MIG), WPP’s digital marketing technology company.
Advertising giants are endeavouring to capture a larger share in the ever growing market of Internet advertising and simplifying it. Simultaneously, some of the world’s biggest advertisers are also looking to consolidate their marketing mandate with fewer, bigger agencies.
WPP’s rivals, Publicis and Omnicom, already have their own digital media initiatives.
While Publicis created Vivaki in 2008, Omnicom has partnered with companies such as Google, AOL, Microsoft and Yahoo, to offer digital media tools.
Lesser said Xaxis is different because it operates a proprietary technology platform without bias to any media company, and hence can better provide objective and comprehensive insight.
GroupM Interaction CEO Rob Norman added, “As a proprietary platform, Xaxis is able to better protect client data, more effectively integrate real-time bidding with search and more seamlessly execute campaigns across multiple media owners and digital platforms.”
WPP’s introduction of Xaxis indicates the rapidly growing importance of audience buying and the demand for solutions that allow advertisers to target specific audiences directly, independent of website, app or media platform.
Brands
Hiili names Sanjay Hemady as country manager India
Media veteran to drive digital decarbonisation push
MUMBAI: Climate tech firm Hiili has announced its entry into India, appointing industry veteran Sanjay Hemady as India country manager to steer its growth in one of the world’s fastest-expanding digital markets.
Hemady, a familiar name across India’s media and consulting circles, will lead Hiili’s India operations from Mumbai. His mandate is clear: help Indian companies measure, manage and reduce the carbon emissions generated by their digital services.
Hiili offers a scientifically validated platform, certified by the UC3M-Santander Big Data Institute, that enables businesses to improve the efficiency of their digital infrastructure while cutting emissions. As organisations race to meet ESG targets, the company positions itself as a practical bridge between climate pledges and measurable action.
“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as country manager, India at Hiili,” Hemady said in a LinkedIn post, adding that the company aims to move beyond broad sustainability promises towards precise, science-based decarbonisation.
Hemady brings more than three decades of experience spanning print, television, radio and digital media. He has previously served as chief executive officer at HIT 95 FM, assistant general manager at CNBC TV18, and held leadership roles at MTV India and The Indian Express, among others. Most recently, he worked as an independent business consultant advising firms across media and technology.
With India’s digital economy expanding at pace, the environmental cost of data, streaming and online services is climbing quietly in the background. Hiili’s bet is that carbon efficiency will soon sit alongside cost efficiency in boardroom conversations.
For Hemady, the move marks a shift from selling airtime and ad inventory to championing climate accountability. If successful, Hiili’s India play could make digital growth not just faster, but cleaner too.
