Indiantelevision.com Team

(12 September 2006 2:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Starcom MediaVest Group Asia Pacific has created a new role of CEO - Diversified Services for the Asian region as it renews focus on specialist communication sevices. Stepping into this new postion is current SMG South Asia CEO Ravi Kiran.

Speaking about his new role which will come into effect from 1 January 2007, Kiran says, "In addition to our eight specialist units, I will be primarily responsible for setting up similar services relevant to the given market. These markets would span across the Indian sub-continent to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Korea."

Kiran will, however, continue to serve the South Asian management responsibilities for the network as its chief executive, while the rest of the management structure in India remains unchanged.

Says Starcom MediaVest Group CEO - Asia Pacific D. Sriram, "As consumer control over message and media increases and their attention gets increasingly difficult to attract, we are expanding our skills and competencies to be able to offer true holistic planning and activation solutions to our clients. SMG India is a shining example for us in the rapid development of specialist services and is well on its way to representing the model for the 21st century, with most of our clients using our services outside classical media planning and buying. The intention is for us to replicate this success in the rest of the region, and Ravi's elevation to a regional leadership of diversified services is intended to drive that success."

Adds Kiran, "We know that communication challenges of tomorrow will be fundamentally different from those of today and at Starcom MediaVest Group, we are ready for it. I have had a terrific time working with the Starcom team in India in making our thinking holistic and creating specialist disciplines. I hope to be able to take some of my experiences here to other markets in Asia. I am sure each market will be different and unique and the new role is going to be fun."

Under Ravi Kiran's stewardship, Starcom MediaVest Group India has, in a short time, created a whole host of new areas including online and wireless marketing, entertainment and embedded marketing, sports and cause enabled marketing, out-of-home and ambient marketing, small town and rural marketing, media supported amplification, and navigational signage and retail branding.