INDIAS POWER MEDIA PEOPLE & AGENCIES

The 7th Edition of the e4m Media ACE Awards initiative honoured Indian Media Agencies and their Employees for their exceptional work, efforts and outstanding contributions to the Advertising Industry. It will feature award-winning work from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, as well as leadership and direction that has helped shape India’s media scene.

The 7th edition of the awards was powered by ABP News, the Gold Partners are Dangle Ads and Shemaroo Network while the Knowledge Partner was COMvergence.

Over the last decade, the Indian media industry has risen tremendously. And, while there hasn’t been much written about it, the agencies and professionals engaged have been the sole driving force behind organising the media space and its numerous elements in an ever-changing context. These firms employ and teach thousands of experts as well as young, energised brains to develop and contribute to the nation’s communication business.

Clients and media owners require so much attention these days that foreign peers want to engage with Indian thinkers for leadership and direction. As a result, it is critical to recognise and reward Indian media agencies and professionals for their work. There is also a need to encourage the expansion of these agencies, and hence the sector as a whole. To honour today’s accomplishments and build better leaders for tomorrow, Media ACE will recognise agencies and professional heads for their most remarkable work.

The Media Ace Awards 2023 recognised and honoured the excellent work of Indian media firms and their professionals for their contributions to the advertising business. Their pioneering work in leveraging the potential of numerous platforms had transformed the way companies communicate with their customers. The awards recognised personalities and entities that have demonstrated leadership and direction in shaping the country’s media environment. The driving force behind shaping the media environment and its numerous elements is agencies and experts.

Two special honours were presented to two legendary advertising veterans. The first is Sam Balsara, Chairman of Madison World, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to the media and advertising industries.

Balsara who dosen’t believe in retiremnt, said during his acceptance speech at the e4m Media Ace Awards 2023, “When I moved from my marketing role in Cadbury to advertising, I read somewhere that some advertising great from Manhattan said, ‘advertising is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.’ I think after 50 years of working life, I tend to agree with him. On top of that, you get paid for it. So, why would I want to retire?”

The second honoree was Shashi Sinha, CEO of IPG Mediabrands India, who was named Network Head of the Year. This award is granted to the Head (CEO or COO) of a parent network who has made a significant contribution to offering premium service, promoting organisational growth, and improving the industry as a whole.

Other notable winners on the night included Navin Khemka, CEO, South Asia, Essence Mediacom, who was named ‘Media Agency Head of The Year’; Harshil Karia, Founder, Schbang, who was named ‘Digital Marketing Agency Head of The Year’; and Vinita Jain, Director, Prachar Communications, who was named ‘Independent Agency Lead of The Year’.

GroupM, which earned the ‘Network of the Year’ award, was one of the big winners. Wavemaker was named ‘Media Agency of the Year,’ with EssenceMediacom and Mindshare coming in second and third, respectively. Pivotroots – A Havas Company, on the other hand, was named ‘Network Digital Marketing Agency of the Year,’ with FCB Kinnect and Wavemaker coming in second and third, respectively. Madison OOH won the ‘Out of Home Agency of the Year’ award, with Laqshya Media Group coming in second.

The award for ‘Influencer Marketing Agency of the Year’ went to OML; the Goat Agency and One Digital were the runners-up in this category. Meanwhile, Mindshare was named ‘Content Marketing Agency of the Year,’ with Havas Play and Supari Studios coming in second and third, respectively.

Brandcare was named ‘Health and Wellness Marketing Agency of the Year,’ with Pentacle and Mindwave Media finishing as runners-up. Xaxis was selected ‘Programmatic Advertising Agency of the Year,’ with Lemma coming in second. GroupM ESP received the ‘Sports & Entertainment Agency of the Year’ award, with Havas Play coming in second. Shobiz Havas was named ‘Experiential Agency of the Year,’ with Madison Turnt and George P. Johnson finishing as runners-up.

Trupti Mali of Interactive Avenues received the award for ‘Client Lead of the Year.’ The runners-up were Danish Khan of Starcom and Priya Chauhan of Interactive Avenues. Sonam Upadhyay of GroupM earned the ‘Rising Star of the Year’ award, which she shared with Chirag Chandiramani of Starcom and Interactive Avenues’ Sheetal Seth finished second.

Wavemaker was named ‘Media Agency of the Year,’ with Essence Mediacom and Mindshare coming in second and third, respectively. The stunning awards ceremony was attended by advertising and marketing industry executives and specialists. A dazzling assemblage of media luminaries came to honour media agencies and their employees for their outstanding work, excellence, innovation, and originality.

The media agencies and their employees were recognised for their outstanding work, excellence, innovation, and originality. A prestigious panel picked the prizes in three categories: Agencies, Specialist Agencies, and People, with the panel led by Amit Jain, Chairman, Loreal India. Amit Jain, Chairman of L’Oréal India takes the helm as the Jury Chair. “At Media Ace Awards, we celebrate the brilliance of Indian Media Agencies and the incredible individuals shaping the Advertising Industry.”