Euro RSCG's Nishith Bhandarkar joins Primetime International

Bhandarkar has worked with Hakuhodo Percept, Padmalaya Telefilms and the Navbharat Group of Publications in the past, apart from a stint at Euro

Nishith Bhandarkar, director, client services, Euro RSCG, has decided to step away from advertising for the present. He has joined Primetime International as its national head. He will report to the company's managing director, Ratnakar Rai. Essentially, Primetime has three verticals - radio (consultancy services to radio stations), out-of-home or OOH media solutions (supply of sites and drafting innovative outdoor plans for clients), and television (selling airtime and other related activities).

Commenting on his move out of advertising, Bhandarkar tells agencyfaqs!, "My work experience so far has been a mix of things, from hardcore client servicing in ad agencies to marketing publications."

Nishith Bhandarkar

"However, I haven't worked in radio and out-of-home, two emerging media, and I wished to dabble in them," he adds. Bhandarkar's mandate at Primetime will be to steer its three verticals, along with spotting new business opportunities in India and in international markets.

Speaking of Bhandarkar’s mandate at Primetime, Rai remarks, “Nishith has worked effectively in the client servicing space, which will come in handy while servicing our big ticket clients in particular. Further, he will help in providing inter-media value wherever possible, and steer our value addition function.”

Primetime exclusively represents Sony Entertainment Television (SET), Asia, for its international markets. Major operations encompass the UK, the US and West Asia. As far as OOH is concerned, Bhandarkar will work on developing an audience measurement tool, which the company plans to roll out in the next two years.

Bhandarkar started his career in 1992 as an account executive in Market Missionaries, an ad agency in Nagpur. He then shifted to marketing at the Navbharat Group of Publications in 1995, where he was looking after West India.

Four years later, Bhandarkar moved on to a production house, Padmalaya Telefilms, in Delhi. He joined Hakuhodo Percept in 2001 before moving on to Euro RSCG. In his 15-year career, he has worked on brands such as SET Max, 'Dainik Bhaskar', Air France, Golden Tobacco Corporation (GTC), Bharat Petroleum, Vichy Laboratories (a part of L'Oreal), Voltas air-conditioners, Sharp Corporation (the durables brand), Hero Honda and Konica Minolta.

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