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MediaVest launches Indian operations

The agency has started its operations in India under the banner of Starcom MediaVest

MediaVest Worldwide has been officially launched in India, with a three office setup to begin with – one each in Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru. Offices in Delhi and Ahmedabad are next on the cards.

It has flagged off its operations with a list of clients, some of which are inherited from Starcom MediaVest. The agency will service five clients including Cadila, Color Plus, Essar Retail, J Hampstead and the Richemont Group.

MediaVest launches Indian operations
MediaVest launches Indian operations
MediaVest is the third full fledged media agency from the Publicis Groupe in India, Starcom MediaVest and ZenithOptimedia being the other two.

Dinesh Singh Rathore, general manager, FutureWorks, has been named general manager, West India, MediaVest Worldwide. Rathore will report to Ravi Kiran, chief executive officer, South Asia, Starcom MediaVest Group. Heads for the other two offices will be appointed in time.

Kiran says in an official communiqué, “MediaVest has all the ingredients to make it successful in India - the scale and goodwill of India Media Exchange; all the powerful tools of the group such as TARDIIS, M*Orchestra, StarScape and Abacus; all specialist disciplines such as entertainment, sports, digital, OOH, retail branding and small town marketing; and a robust talent pool to draw from. The timing was right.”

Explaining how Starcom MediaVest and MediaVest are different, Rathore tells afaqs!, “We share the heritage and belief of Starcom MediaVest but are different in our culture and approach at MediaVest.”

MediaVest Worldwide, a unit of the Starcom MediaVest Group, brings with itself the popular Truth & Design approach to communication planning, contrasted with the traditional media planning process. Fuelling Truth & Design are proprietary tools, techniques and processes that help deliver captivating consumer connections for brands, say company executives.

“MediaVest Worldwide is one of the two powerhouse global brands in the SMG corporate constellation,” says Andrew Swinand, president, global operations, Starcom MediaVest Group, in a press statement. “It offers strategic client-centric solutions and a blended arsenal of clout and intelligence through SMG and VivaKi that positions it well to compete and grow in India, and more broadly, the world stage.”

Some key MediaVest clients around the world are Avon, Coca-Cola, Comcast, Kraft, Mars/Masterfoods and Wal-Mart.

With the addition of India, the MediaVest network now operates in 29 countries around the world, including seven in Asia.

The Starcom MediaVest Group was created when Starcom Worldwide and MediaVest Worldwide joined focus in 2000. The joint media operation was cited as one of the key assets when the Publicis Groupe purchased SMG's holding company in 2002.

For the record, MediaVest spun out of the US advertising agency Benton & Bowles in 1959, as a consolidated media and programming unit.

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