psLIVE, Dentsu Aegis Network’s experiential arm, bags 52 clients in 3 months

by  Dharm Patel Industry Watch | April 8, 2015 | News

psLIVE Dentsu Aegis

psLIVE, the experiential marketing division from the Dentsu Aegis Network, has bagged as many as 52 clients in the last 3 months (Jan-March). These include brands such as Microsoft, Mahindra Insurance Brokers, Reebok, Philips, Nestle, Samsung, Reliance Digital, Brick Eagle - Housing Finance Company, Bausch&Lomb, Nvidia, Ranbaxy, TVS, Pan Parag and Cyberpark.

Interestingly, the wins tend to also suggest a unique swing wherein brands that otherwise would not look at spending on non-traditional media are changing course. Here is an example: Mother Dairy, a traditional media spender, associated with the Bollywood movie Kick and Mary Kom through in-film integrations that instantly connect it with its target consumers. The integration also gave the brand a bigger shelf life and higher recall value.

For psLive, the new wins have fuelled as much as a 50% growth in the agency’s client kitty when compared to what it had held in the previous three months (Oct-Dec). Consequently, with these new additions, psLIVE now boasts of more than 200 clients. Herein, the attempt is to offer clients smart solutions that go beyond the common media usage and stay relevant to the consumers for a longer time period.

Some of the new clients that have come on board are Meiji, Century Ply, JSW, SCA, Reliance Digital, Anchor, Mother Dairy, Future Lifestyle Fashion, Reebok, Philips, SC Johnson, Logitech, Bayer Crop Science, Nestle and Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India. The clients primarily sought/seek services in Activations, Branded Entertainment and Sports Marketing, Rural Marketing and Public Relations.

Commenting on the shift, Sidharth Ghosh, Vice President, psLIVE, sad: “There is an interesting shift happening in the advertiser’s preference when it comes to traditional media (including digital) versus non-traditional media usage. Until five years ago, the non-traditional media platforms that included event, outdoor and activation weren’t that huge and remarkable. However now, the category has been steadily witnessing substantial growth.”

For the record, an Ernst & Young report published by Event & Entertainment Management Association (EEMA), estimates that the BTL industry is growing at a rate of 25-30 per cent year on year. It stated that the sector is rapidly attracting more and advertisers on board to bring forth exponential growth in the next 10 years. Advertisers are constantly seeking effective ROI. Simultaneously, they are also discovering that their non-traditional media expenditure is helping them reach out to consumers with greater impact at much lesser costs. Now as this discovery continues, the platform’s appeal in the advertiser’s media plan is only expected to further thicken with time.

Adding further, Ashish Bhasin, Chairman and CEO - South Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network, said: “Experiential marketing is perhaps the fastest growing part of the off-line business of any agency. Activation is growing at twice the rate of traditional (ATL) advertising. psLIVE has found the right area of operation in activation, branded entertainment/sports and rural marketing to provide our clients with integrated marketing solutions like no one else can.”