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Nabendu Bhattacharyya launches Milestone Brandcom
The entrepreneurial OOH agency also has Imtiyaz Vilatra, Hanoz Patel, Pramit Mehta and Debashis Banerjee as founding members
As reported by afaqs! earlier this year, Nabendu Bhattacharyya, former president at OgilvyAction who spent a decade at the agency, has now launched his entrepreneurial OOH (out of home) agency – just as he had announced in June.
The new OOH venture, called Milestone Brandcom, has been set up with the help of private equity investors. It will be headquartered in Mumbai and have a pan India presence.
"They have also moved on looking at the exciting opportunity we can bring to the table for brands and create a differentiator. The key founding members are some of the finest OOH professionals in India and have worked for a plethora of brands in their past stints. We can safely say that each has created a difference in the OOH space. I would also like to groom new talents for the organisation to add fresh perspective to this space," says Bhattacharyya.
He adds that certain long pending issues in the OOH industry frustrate him. These issues include the area of transparency, accountability, return on investment, creative and content, re-investment in the business and a short term approach to making money. Staying with corporates and changing these was a distant dream due to various reasons.
Team Milestone, he states, will use their past learning and knowledge to develop unique tools and value offerings to address these questions and help bring about better understanding and deliveries in the OOH space.
Milestone will be fully functional and simultaneously operational across India from October 15. Along with the OOH arm, Milestone's further plans include launching a retail solution arm in a few months. Thereafter, the company plans to add on other verticals such as brand activation and sports within the next six months.
He adds, "Milestone Brandcom is equipped to be at the forefront of the market to capitalise on the drivers of change and opportunities for innovation on behalf of its potential clients. The OOH industry in India is well on its way to maturity with the launch of IOS (Industry Syndicated Study on Outdoor), and the opportunities before us are endless."
He further adds, "Dominance and control are giving way to mutually beneficial fair partnerships, collaborations and the willingness and ability to deliver value and achieve growth to create great work for brands which finally deliver ROI. We would like to work with fewer clients and offer unique OOH solutions to brands, along with personalised attention, with utmost sincerity and passion."