Indiantelevision.com Team

(27 October 2009 2:30 pm)

MUMBAI: In a bid to support growth of start-ups and small-sized companies in the marketing and communication business, Starcom MediaVest Group has initiated the project Jumpstart for the South Asia region.

Starcom MediaVest Group South Asia CEO Ravi Kiran said, "Project Jumpstart is our attempt to create a mutually beneficial relationship, which helps us leverage the energy, drive and creativity of start-ups and small companies and helps them benefit from the management, intellectual and operational depth of our organisation."

One of the first companies with which the group has collaborated under the initiative is Milestone Brandcom, a recently launched out-of-home media agency led by former president of OgilvyAction Nabendu Bhattacharya.

Kiran said, "After an uncharacteristically lackluster year, the out-of-home industry in India is on the verge of a major rebound and we believe this is the best time to take new steps and forge new alliances. We like the vision of Milestone, and the passion demonstrated by Nabendu and his team. Their collective experience and strong media owner relationships sets them up for success and we are happy to lend them our support as they get started."

Under the arrangement, Starcom MediaVest Group and Milestone Brandcom will collaborate aggressively in several areas aimed at bringing greater transparency and accountability to OOH and ambient marketing as a discipline. The partnership will also look at enhancing return on client investment and objectives.

These include customisation and application of international tools and best practices, development of India specific planning and measurement frameworks, import and application of new OOH display and production technologies, development and licensing of IP based ideas and structured assets, and technology enabled near-real time monitoring and tracking systems and management dashboards.

Milestone Brandcom CEO Nabendu Bhattacharya said, "The fundamental texture of the out-of-home business in India is changing and it is our belief that active collaboration between like minded companies, rather than outdated models based purely on dominance and control, will start creating value for clients from now. Genuine innovation, application of market leading technologies and real world planning capabilities, will create differentiation for OOH agency networks in the future."

He further stated, "We hope to build a robust business servicing the needs of a few committed clients and in this context, Starcom MediaVest Group's capabilities in planning, working international tools and commitment to research and tracking, will be handy to us in our endeavour."

Meanwhile, Navia Asia, an affiliate of the Starcom MediaVest Group which manages the out-of-home needs of clients of all VivaKi media brands in India as well as its AOR clients, will continue to operate independent of this arrangement.