Essence takes on integrated media duties for Airtel, GroupM’s Team Airtel joins Essence as part of the move

Essence, a global data and measurement-driven media agency and part of GroupM, today announced that it will take on integrated media agency of record duties for Airtel, a leading telecommunications services provider in India, effective 1 January 2019. The agency’s scope of work will include both offline and digital media strategy, planning and buying.

Airtel's media mandate is currently managed by Team Airtel, a bespoke client solution created by GroupM three years ago. The 30-member team will transition to Essence and continue to service the account. The Airtel business will be led by Yoginder Jain, Vice President, Client Servicing, India at Essence, supported by key practice leads across communications strategy, data strategy, client analytics, integrated media planning and media activation. The move will leverage the agency’s data, digital and integrated media capabilities as well as full-service offering to deliver the next level of evolution for Airtel’s media strategy.

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Sam Singh, CEO, South Asia at GroupM, said, “We are happy to further consolidate our relationship with an inspiring brand like Airtel. As Airtel moves forward in this ever-evolving industry, Essence is an excellent match to lead the relationship and help the brand find even more success. I am confident that Essence, with its strength of data, measurement and technology at the core of its integrated media offering, will deliver creative and innovative business, marketing and communications solutions to take Airtel to the next level.”

Anand Chakravarthy, Managing Director, India at Essence, said, “We are delighted to partner with Airtel. Airtel is one of India’s most valuable brands and the opportunity to help shape its future success is truly exciting. The addition of talent into Essence is also a huge win for us, as we continue to strengthen our team, product and full-service offerings in the market. Airtel is a force to be reckoned with in the telecommunications sector, and we look forward to further support it in earning even more meaningful, effective and relevant connections with its customers.”

Airtel joins Essence’s portfolio of clients in India which includes Flipkart, Google, Honda two-wheelers and Zee Entertainment. This development marks an important milestone for Essence in India as well as in Asia Pacific, as the agency continues its rapid growth across the region. It further demonstrates the success of Essence’s approach to working with clients who want to drive transformational change in marketing and support the agency’s mission to make advertising more valuable to the world.