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2 weeks ago | 
manifest-media.in | Raahil Chopra
A disclosure before one reads this – I’m not sure of some of the reported elements in this opinion piece.
Social media has always been seen as a platform where ‘fake news’ can be spread, so while it was flooded with updates, in an attempt to find credible updates about the situation between India and Pakistan, many turned to television news channels last night.
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1 month ago | 
manifest-media.in | Raahil Chopra
In our April issue, Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and executive chairperson, S4 Capital, spoke to us about the Indian market and the goals set for Ketan Desai, whether cricket is overpriced, acquisitions, and more...
Talking about India's growth potential, Sorrell said, “Rural India continues to show strong growth, but urban areas are definitely facing some pressure.
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1 month ago | 
manifest-media.in | Raahil Chopra
In our April issue, we had a conversation with Yannick Bolloré, CEO, Havas, about the early days of the ‘Village’ model, why consolidation is important, plans for 2025, and what he thinks about Sir Martin Sorrell’s suggestion that it should merge with Dentsu.
During the course of our chat, Bolloré shared the origin story behind the Havas Village approach, a structural and strategic overhaul of the network that physically brought together different agency disciplines under one roof.
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1 month ago | 
manifest-media.in | Raahil Chopra
Fernando Machado, operation partner, GSP USA, has won over 200 Lions during his career. He was at the helm at Burger King when it won ‘Creative Marketer of the Year’ at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2017, and was global brand development vice-president, Dove, when ‘Dove Real Beauty Sketches’ was rolled out.
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1 month ago | 
manifest-media.in | Raahil Chopra
R Balakrishnan (popularly known as Balki) engaged in a no-holds-barred, freewheeling conversation with us in our April issue, about the current state of advertising, why he doesn’t continue as a consultant in any capacity with MullenLowe Lintas, how cricket should be used more creatively, the impact of shorter client-agency partnerships on the industry, why AI will drive a boom in the pharma industry, and a lot more… Although Balki left MullenLowe Lintas in 2016, his spirit hasn’t detached...
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1 month ago | 
manifest-media.in | Raahil Chopra
Manifest turns one.
And what a spectacular year it’s been. Plenty of highs, and plenty of lows, but thankfully the former are more than the latter.
It seems like just yesterday that I was writing my first opinion column about us ‘being the new kid on the block’ in the space of publications covering advertising, media and marketing.
Our differentiator in the cluttered space was content with integrity. I think we are on the right path.
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2 months ago | 
manifest-media.in | Raahil Chopra
Since its India launch in 2019, Spotify has transformed from the eighth player in the market to a category leader in audio streaming.
In our March issue, Neha Ahuja, director, head - marketing, Spotify India, attributes this success to the brand’s focus on elevating music’s role in people’s lives and forging strong industry partnerships.
“We didn’t look for a differentiator to get people to start using Spotify. We played to the category and tried to own music,” she explained.
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2 months ago | 
manifest-media.in | Raahil Chopra
In our March issue, Kainaz Karmakar, chief creative officer, Ogilvy India, provided a candid perspective on the current state of advertising, the agency’s creative leadership, and the industry’s challenges in fostering diversity and retaining talent.
Ogilvy India had recently reclaimed its ‘Agency of the Year’ title at the Effies.
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Feb 10, 2025 | 
manifest-media.in | Raahil Chopra
The Leela Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Polo Cup was held in Jaipur between 4-9 February. The tournament, which was won by team Jaipur, was captained by Sawai Padmanabh Singh, a member of the royal family of the city.
Alongside being seen as the face of the sport in India, Singh is also the face of brands like The Leela Group and US Polo Association.
We caught up with him soon after the victory.
Edited excerpts:
What’s the current scenario of the game of polo in India?
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Jan 19, 2025 | 
manifest-media.in | Raahil Chopra
Ashish Khazanchi, managing partner, Enormous, believes that the agency has already shot one of the best films of 2025, referring to a piece of work which will be released shortly for Jaquar.
In a chat with Manifest (full interview available in our January issue), he stated that the agency is entering 2025 full of confidence. This confidence stems from a philosophy change Enormous embraced in 2021.
He explained, "We took a call that if we want to do good work, we need to bring time to the table.