MAM
Youthbeat bags Philips India’s youth marketing mandate
Mumbai: Youthbeat, the youth marketing wing of Sociowash, one of India’s leading advertising agencies has been awarded the youth marketing mandate of Phillips. The agency will be responsible for building a community of young individuals who can make Philips more relevant and popular among young consumers. The Delhi office of Youthbeat will handle this account.
As per the mandate, the key objective of Youthbeat would be to create a dynamic pool of young people who will bring together like-minded individuals, creating a platform for them to engage with the brand and each other. Youthbeat intends to shift perceptions of Philips among its target audience through strategic collaborations with youth ambassadors and implementing micro-influencer programs. Youthbeat’s influencer marketing vertical will leverage its expertise to navigate the brand toward its intended audience.
Youthbeat is well-equipped to assist Philips in working with youth ambassadors and developing campaigns tailored to their tastes. The spotlight will be on promoting Philips OneBlade with its move fearlessly campaign, and Philips Hair Straightener with nourishcare technology with its No Heat Damage campaign, elevating them to hero status among the target audience.
Speaking on the association, Philips Indian subcontinent business head, personal health Deepali Agarwal said, “Our offerings, Philips OneBlade and Philips hair straightener with NourishCare Technology, are strategically crafted to resonate with the discerning and bold Gen Z demographic. We recognize the importance of fostering a lasting connection with our consumers, ensuring that their unique preferences are comprehensively understood. The collaboration with Youthbeat positions Philips to adeptly comprehend and exceed the expectations of this emerging generation, solidifying our brand’s relevance and resonance in the evolving market landscape.”
Commenting on the collaboration, Youthbeat co-founder Raghav Bagai said, “We are committed to leveraging our experience to help Philips navigate the evolving landscape of youth marketing. Our commitment is to not only build a vibrant community around Philips but also to redefine how the brand connects with its audience. Together, we look forward to creating a narrative that paves the way for a future where innovation and engagement seamlessly intersect.”
AD Agencies
Abhay Duggal joins JioStar as director of Hindi GEC ad sales
The streaming giant brings in a seasoned revenue hand as the battle for Hindi television advertising heats up
MUMBAI: Abhay Duggal has a new desk, and JioStar has a new weapon. The media and entertainment veteran has joined JioStar as director of entertainment ad sales for Hindi general entertainment channels, adding 17 years of hard-won revenue experience to one of India’s most powerful broadcasting operations.
Duggal is no stranger to big portfolios or bruising markets. Before joining JioStar, he spent a brief stint at Republic World as deputy general manager and north regional head for ad sales. Before that, he put in three years at Enterr10 Television, where he ran the north region for Dangal TV and Dangal 2, two of India’s leading free-to-air Hindi channels. The north alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of total channel revenue on his watch, a number that tends to get attention in any sales meeting.
His longest stint was at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he spent over six years rising to associate director of sales. There he commanded the Hindi movies cluster across seven channels, owned more than half of north India’s revenue across flagship properties including Zee TV and &TV, and closed marquee sponsorships across the Indian Premier League, Zee Rishtey Awards and Dance India Dance. He also handled monetisation for the English movies and entertainment cluster and the global news channel WION, a portfolio that would stretch most sales teams twice his size.
Earlier in his career Duggal closed what was then a Rs 3 crore single deal at Reliance Broadcast Network, one of the largest in Indian radio at the time, before that he helped launch and monetise JAINHITS, India’s first HITS-based cable and satellite platform.
His edge, by his own account, lies in marrying data and instinct: translating audience trends, inventory signals and client demands into long-term partnerships built on cost-per-rating-point discipline rather than short-term deal chasing. In a media landscape being reshaped by streaming, fragmented attention and AI-driven advertising, that kind of rigour is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
JioStar, which blends the scale of Reliance’s Jio platform with the content firepower of Star, is doubling down on its advertising business at precisely the moment the Hindi GEC market is getting more competitive. Bringing in someone who has spent nearly two decades doing exactly this, across some of India’s most watched channels, is a pointed statement of intent. Duggal has spent his career turning audiences into revenue. JioStar is clearly betting he can do it again, and bigger.
