Month: February 2023

CXO Moves: YouTube’s gets a new CEO; Riot Games, KidZania India, Cheil get senior executives

Get the full picture on people and their moves on the corporate jungle gym in CXO Moves. (From left to right: Neal Mohan, chief executive officer, YouTube; Rahul Dhamdhere, chief marketing officer, KidZania India, Neeraj Bassi, chief growth officer, Cheil India; and Arun Rajappa, country manager - India and South Asia, Riot Games)

Executive moves in the world of brands and agencies. Find out who’s moved up, in and out.

IKEA India calls for creative pitch

Independent shops and agencies from global network companies participated in IKEA'S pitch process in two rounds. (Representative Image: Zheka Kapusta via Unsplash)

IKEA India’s pitch process is underway in Bengaluru. Independent shops and agencies from global network companies are participating in two rounds.

Biz Moves: OMG Media Group, Publicis Business, Dentsu Creative, Sociowash, Kinnect Outreach, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi

The review was led by Spotify's US office, its primary market, which gave the mandate to Publicis Groupe. India was not part of the pitch and as a result the account has landed in Publicis Groupe's India kitty from IPG Mediabrands-owned Lodestar UM. UM was Spotify’s media agency for the last seven years. Spotify also has an in-house agency. (Representative Image: Marc A via Unsplash)

Keep up with all the key business wins and the account movements.

Simply Speaking: Why brands need to be woke by design

Free choice and free enterprise are at the heart of the market system of economics. Brands are its lighthouses. Marketing is its language. The great challenges that face the world require brands and businesses to come together, with complementary goals, convergent plans and pool their resources. (Representative image by Rod Long via Unsplash)

Great brands are a force for positive social change. They design their businesses and products to address social issues. This brand-as-business approach to bettering the world is a profound leap forward in supporting the case for capitalism as a practical way to a better world.

Dentsu Creative India’s Ajay Gahlaut calls it quits

The Indian unit of Dentsu Group Inc has been rocked by a series of senior-level exits since August 2021, potentially causing more departures and deepening turmoil at the advertising company.

Ajay Gahlaut was not reachable for comment at the time of filing this story. He joined the Japanese ad network in September 2021.

Bookstrapping: India’s pathways to success by Ganesh Natarajan and Ejaz Ghani

The book is a placeholder for a period in time, for those seeking to make sense of India’s somewhat dawdling, often chaotic but determined journey post independence.

The simplicity and foundational nature of the arguments in the book are akin to your grandmother reminding you of truths too inconvenient to implement. Bookstrapping rating: 3.5 stars.

Twitter layoffs continue; shuts offices in Mumbai and Delhi

As per a CNBC-TV18 report, since the $44 billion buyout, Twitter has failed to pay millions of dollars in rent for its San Francisco headquarters and London offices. Further, the company has been sued by multiple contractors over unpaid services, and to raise money has auctioned off everything, which includes bird statues, espresso machines etc. (Representative Image: Souvik Banerjee via Unsplash)

This move is an extension of the mass layoff that began in 2022 since the time Elon Musk took up the mandate of the platform through a $44 bn buyout as the chief executive officer.

10 things to know about YouTube’a new CEO, Neal Mohan

Neal Mohan previously served as YouTube's chief product officer, responsible for the platform's products, user experience, and trust and safety initiatives. (Image source via Twitter @ShaktiJha_)

Neal Mohan is the new addition to the global Indian origin CXO list. He takes over from Susan Wojcicki whose retirement marks and end of an era.

Zupee hires Salman Khan as brand ambassador to go deeper into Real Money Gaming

When an audience member sees a brand ambassador whose values align with those of the game, they are more likely to give it a try. Salman's value sets and popularity will encourage more people to try out these games, especially when they realize that they offer the same values.

Chief marketing officer Gaurav Mehta discusses collaboration and growth in the RMG industry in an exclusive interview with Storyboard18.