MAM
WPP Media loses Rs 750 crore media account to Publics Groupe’s Starcom
MUMBAI: Starcom India has bagged itself a rather handsome prize: Walmart-owned Flipkart’s Rs 750 crore integrated media mandate, one of the plumpest account wins in Indian advertising this year.
The victory gives Publicis Groupe’s media arm control over the entire Flipkart empire—fashion platform Myntra, bargain bazaar Shopsy, travel site Cleartrip and fintech upstart Super.money. EssenceMediacom, part of WPP Media, has been shown the door.
Starcom will now juggle both traditional and digital media duties, crafting what the industry likes to call a “full-funnel strategy”—essentially making sure Flipkart’s ads pop up everywhere consumers look, shop and scroll.
The pitch was a proper scrap. Omnicom Media Group, WPP Media and Madison World all threw their hats in the ring, but Starcom emerged victorious after what insiders describe as a bruising multi-agency evaluation.
For Publicis Groupe, this is a serious coup in India’s cutthroat media market, particularly as big-spending advertisers hunt for partners with serious digital, data and commerce chops.
Flipkart, locked in an e-commerce death match with Amazon and Reliance Retail, remains one of India’s most prolific advertisers. It splashes cash across television, digital, social and emerging platforms—especially during festive shopping frenzies.
In advertising, as in e-commerce, fortune favours the fleet of foot. And right now, Starcom is sprinting.
MAM
Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia deepens philanthropic push in India ahead of retirement
Entrepreneur backs gurdwara project and education for slum children as he expands charitable footprint in the country
LONDON: Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia is ramping up his philanthropic footprint in India. On a recent visit to the country, the UK-based entrepreneur stepped up support for religious and educational causes, signalling a deeper long-term commitment as he prepares to spend more time in India ahead of retirement.
Ahluwalia reaffirmed support for key social initiatives, including a donation to Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara Kalgidhar Sahib in Gurugram and continued backing for a school in Faridabad for which he had earlier purchased the land.
The donation will fund the construction of the gurdwara, expected to be completed by mid-2028. Run largely by volunteers, the site will serve as a community hub and continue the Sikh tradition of langar — a community kitchen that provides free meals to all, regardless of faith.
Parallelly, the Faridabad school continues to deliver free, multi-year education to children living in extreme poverty in surrounding slums. The institution is part of the 12 educational facilities run by the Jagriti Sewa Trust, where Ahluwalia serves as chairman. The trust provides underprivileged students with free education as well as skill-development opportunities.
The latest support adds to Ahluwalia’s long record of charitable giving in India. In recent years, it included a £100,000 donation to the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation’s Justice for Every Child campaign, which provides legal and psychological support to vulnerable children and their families.
Through the Ahluwalia Foundation, the businessman regularly backs charities and non-profits in both India and the United Kingdom. The foundation focuses on projects linked to education, migration and the rights of children and women.
Ahluwalia’s philanthropic drive is rooted in personal history. Having fled to the UK as a refugee at the age of 13, he has long supported migrant-focused organisations, including the London-based Migration Museum, while also funding educational initiatives in India such as free schooling programmes in Hyderabad.
Now, as he gradually shifts more of his time to India, Ahluwalia’s charitable ambitions are expanding. Future plans include launching a classic car rally across the country to raise funds for causes he supports.
“Education and faith are very close to my heart,” Ahluwalia said. “For so many Indians, whether they live in India or abroad, a gurdwara or any place of worship is more than somewhere to practise faith. They are places of community and identity.”
Reflecting on the Faridabad visit, Ahluwalia added: “It was very special seeing the work of the Jagriti Sewa Trust firsthand. Knowing that disadvantaged children are receiving a free education — and that I had a small part to play in that — is deeply meaningful. Social status and economic background should not determine a person’s chances of success.”
