Dipti Rode Senior Creative Director, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi
To help reinforce the creative team, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi has hired Dipti Rode as Senior Creative Director. To be based in Mumbai, she will report to Rohit Malkani, Joint National Creative Director, who said: “We’ve waited patiently for Dipti to join us. She is an amazing talent with a wealth of experience and solid work behind her. She brings on board a load full of new thinking and we can’t wait to have her on board.” Commenting on her new role, Rode said: “Truly excited to embark on this wonderful new journey. I look forward to collaborating with my team and helping our clients with effective, efficient and relevant creative solutions.” Rode brings over 14 years of professional experience to the table. Prior to joining L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, Rode worked at What’s Your Problem agency (WYP) where she was instrumental in driving creative engagement and strategy for brands like Arrow, Tanishq, Future Generali, and Johnnie Walker among others. Her earlier stints include those with Publicis Ambience, DDB Mudra, and Think Why Not where she played a key role in managing brands across sectors such as FMCG, Finance, Fashion & Lifestyle, and Retail among others. Some of the brands she managed include Lakmé, Elle18, Enamor, Zee5, Havmor, Healthspring, Vicks, Oral-B, Henko, Park Avenue, Big Bazaar, LIC, Emami, Diageo, etc.
Shemaroo investing Rs. 45 crore on new initiatives during 9M FY21
Shemaroo Entertainment, content aggregator and distributor, has invested Rs. 45 crore on new initiatives including the two new TV channels, Shemaroo TV and Shemaroo MarathiBana, during the 9M FY21 period. Speaking about the investments, Shemaroo Entertainment CEO Hiren Gada told analysts during the Q3 FY21 earnings conference call: “The company has been in an investment mode in various initiatives which are now started contributing revenues. Hence it is important to note that the expenses made on these new initiatives net of revenue for the period under review. So for the Q3 FY21, it was Rs. 16 crores and for the nine months ended December it was Rs. 45 crores. If you were to exclude these investments and new initiatives the EBITDA from the operations was the positive Rs. 23.5 crores for the quarter for Q3 and which indicates an EBITDA margin of 27% and overall EBITDA for nine months was positive at Rs. 46.4 crores indicating an EBITDA margin of 20% for nine months ended FY21.” He further added: “Both have now started at least in terms of advertising revenue while this is just a beginning. So once these revenues stabilise and reach a certain level to that extent the investment required on this particular project would come down in that proportion.” In Q3 FY21, the company’s operational income stood at Rs. 88 crore. The company reported an EBITDA of Rs. 7 crore and a net loss of Rs. 1.5 crore for the quarter. For the nine months ended December 2021, the operational income, EBITDA, and net loss stood at Rs. 234 crore, Rs. 1.5 crore, and Rs. 23 crore respectively.
Havas Group acquires BLKJ
Singapore-based BLKJ announced its collaboration with Vivendi-owned Havas Group through an acquisition carried out by the latter. The new entity, BLKJ Havas, will continue to operate out of Singapore and work with regional and global brands. Speaking about the acquisition, Yannick Bolloré, Chairman & CEO, Havas Group, said: “South East Asia is home to more than 650 million people and is an increasingly important growth region. Singapore is set to become the center for driving excellence across SEA in various disciplines including the creative industry. Welcoming such an influential and well-known agency in the region to the Havas Family is an exciting move for the Group. With the BLKJ team, we share the belief that advertising is a very powerful force in making the world a better place by helping brands create meaningful work that improves people’s lives. We look forward to BLKJ reinforcing our creative profile and our Village offering in Singapore.” Commenting on this collaboration, Rowena Bhagchandani, CEO, BLKJ, said: “What we have in common with Havas Group is not just a vision of what advertising should be like, but also what makes for a contemporary organization. The independent creative powerhouses like BETC, Host, and Buzzman that are now a part of Havas continue to retain their DNA and culture.”
Mark Tutssel is the Jury Chairman for Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards 2021
The pioneer award show globally that honours ‘creative and effective brands with purpose’, the Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards 2021 has named Mark Tutssel former Executive Chairman and Global Chief Creative Officer at Leo Burnett Worldwide as the overall Jury Chairman. As overall jury chairman, Tutssel will head the overall executive jury, tasked to choose the winners of the top awards, including grand prix winners and the platinum, for the show. Talking about the APAC Tambuli Awards, Tutssel said: “This award shines a light on creativity as a force for good in the world. It galvanises the broader industry to take action. Highlighting work that can make a better tomorrow. Gen Z are the most socially conscious generation we’ve seen. They demand transparency from brands and actively seek out those who share their values and positively contribute to a better world. Purpose can align seamlessly with current trends — both in the world of advertising and human behaviour — giving them strength and momentum. When used effectively, purpose leads to dynamic business change.”
Tutssel is one of the most recognised and awarded creative directors in the industry. He has in his career won nine Cannes Grand Prix, over 600 Cannes Lions, the first-ever D&AD White Pencil, two D&AD Black Pencils, seven One Show Best of Show Pencils and two Emmy Awards. Campaign Magazine named Mark the ‘No.1 Worldwide Creative Director’. He has had the honour of chairing the world’s greatest award shows and is one of the only creative directors in the world to serve as Cannes Lions Jury President five times. Author of the book HumanKind, Mark sits on the D&AD Global Advisory Board, the Facebook Creative Council, the One Show Board of Directors, and is a member of the Royal Society of Arts.
