Essence bags integrated media duties for beauty brand Plum in India

Essence, a global data and measurement-driven media agency that is part of WPP’s GroupM, today announced that it has been selected as the integrated media agency of record by beauty brand Plum in India. Led out of its Mumbai office, Essence will manage strategy, media planning and media activation for Plum’s brand marketing activities. The agency will help scale the brand across categories and drive enhanced return on investment.

Born in 2013, a brainchild of Shankar Prasad, an IIT-ISB alumnus, Plum is a leading 100% vegan, cruelty-free and non-toxic beauty brand, with a strong portfolio in skincare, haircare, personal care and makeup. With over 180 SKUs, Plum has steadily built its customer base on both online and offline platforms. In addition to being among the top new-age beauty brands online, Plum now reaches over 250 towns and cities in India, through more than 1,000 assisted outlets and over 10,000 unassisted outlets - growing month-on-month. It is also one of the fastest-growing beauty and personal care brands on key online marketplaces.

“Consumer behaviour is ever-evolving, and reaching out to the new-age digital consumer is a process that involves constant learning and feedback. With this context, it is imperative to keep a keen eye on data, and expand our reach to newer audiences and cater to the ever-changing demands of our existing ones. Hence, collaborating with Essence to leverage their expertise in technology, media and marketing was a logical next step. We are looking forward to this association and we hope it helps us in achieving the business vision we have chalked out for ourselves,” said Shivani Behl, chief marketing officer at Plum.

“Plum is an exciting, fast-growing and purpose-driven beauty brand, which shares Essence’s commitment to data-driven growth and marketing that adds value to people’s lives. Leveraging our cutting-edge use of analytics and technology, we are looking forward to collaborating with the team at Plum as its strategic partner, to help create new growth opportunities for the brand and the business,” said Sonali Malaviya, Managing Director, India, at Essence.

Plum joins Essence’s diverse portfolio of clients across its Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai offices, covering a mix of high-growth, technology-driven startups as well as established local and global companies. Since Essence’s entry into India in 2016, the agency has seen an increasing demand by companies for its transformational data-driven approach to marketing, unified use of media and creativity to deepen relationships with consumers, and expertise in accelerating brand and business growth.