Mudra Mumbai adds media, becomes full service agency

In a significant structural change, the media division is being brought back into Mudra's Mumbai branch. The Mudra Group comprises Mudra Advertising, Mudra Marketing Services and Mudra Media and Content. Optimum Media Solutions (OMS) is the agency's media division.

By integrating creativity and media, Mudra Mumbai turns into a full service agency. OMS will continue to operate as a separate entity, providing specialised media expertise to its clients.

In fact, through this move, Mudra is acknowledging the fact that in a fragmented media environment, brands will be better served if creative strategy and media thinking come together early in the campaign development process. The conversion of Mudra Mumbai into a full service agency is an experiment which will soon be implemented in its other branches as well. Ahmedabad will be the next branch to offer media services.

From now on, Mudra Mumbai will offer clients seeking creative strategy and media thinking early in the campaign development process, a mix of both. A separate team of media professionals will be added as a part of Mudra Mumbai. Some of the accounts on which Mudra Mumbai will offer full service are LIC, Union Bank, MTDC, the Future Group and Godrej.

Jude Fernandes, branch head, Mudra Mumbai, says, "I think clients were losing out because media thinking wasn't being brought in early enough in the campaign development process. Our clients are valuing our new approach to marketing their brands. It is a more holistic way of looking at brand communication and clients are experiencing the power of integrated planning."

In other words, the idea is to strengthen both the strategic thinking and the creative product by giving media experts their rightful place at the brand strategy table.

Excited at the prospect of a deeper partnership with media strategists Ashish Mishra, executive vice-president, strategic planning, says, "We think we must have the benefit of the knowledge of how our audiences are consuming media when we're developing communication for our brands. Media strategy and creative strategy must go hand in hand. This is an illustration of our philosophy of co-creativity and it's a richer experience for everyone involved, including, most importantly, our clients."

Kamath feels a lot of other agencies will begin offering a mix of both creative and media.