From groundbreaking AI advancements to digital platforms revolutionising the landscape, technology has drastically altered how brands engage with their audiences.
But what’s next? In 2025, things are set to accelerate even further. The emergence of immersive experiences, data-powered creativity, and innovative marketing tactics will raise the bar for the industry.
So, what lies ahead for media and marketing leaders navigating this tech-fuelled, fast-moving landscape? To explore this, CNBC-TV18 spoke with Kartik Sharma, CEO of Omnicom Media Group India.
Below are the edited excerpts:
Q: Let’s rewind a little bit and talk about how 2024 has fared from an industry perspective. It started with a bang—there were elections, the IPL, and then the second half of the year brought in festivities. So, how has 2024 been, in your view?
Sharma: 2024 was indeed a year dominated by-elections, both the general elections and various assembly elections, which generated a lot of activity. From a marketing standpoint, it was also a year full of pitches. Close to ₹2,000 crores’ worth of pitches were held throughout the year, and agencies were kept on their toes, eagerly waiting for the results.
When it comes to the advertising spend (ADEX), it was a mixed bag. We had high expectations for the festive season, but it turned out to be somewhat muted. While digital platforms and e-commerce did particularly well, growth wasn’t as uniform as we had hoped across the board.
Having said that, it’s a land of opportunity. I’m an eternal believer in the India story. And I would tell everyone to remain invested in India as a story.
The other part, from a marketing standpoint, from the creative side of the business, was that more purposeful communication started emerging. Of course, as you rightly pointed out, there is a huge amount of excitement in the area of AI, a lot of narrative chatter, and maybe some campaigns, but most of the chatter is around the creative side of the business. How can you take a tool and maybe create an ad, so on and so forth, and then that continues. So, overall, a very interesting year with lots of action. But it was a busy year because of the pitches, in which almost all the agencies were participating.
Q: How has Omnicom Media Group (OMG) fared? Are you happy with how the year closed out?
Sharma: Firstly, it’s been one of the best years for OMG in India. The entire team has delivered a fantastic performance. For us, we’ve been calling this the “Year of Momentum.” Over the past two to three years, we’ve positioned ourselves as a momentum-driven agency, and we’re now seeing that narrative come to life with actual results and validation.
As of now, we’ve secured more than ₹750-₹800 crores in business this calendar year, which is a huge achievement. It’s been a very satisfying outcome, and a big reason for this success is our relentless focus on being a product-first company. Our global platform, Omni, has played a key role in helping our clients achieve significant brand growth. Overall, it’s been a very fulfilling year.
We’ve also launched our global sports practice, FUSE, which is gaining tremendous traction. Additionally, our content practice continues to thrive year on year. In sum, it’s been an excellent year—nothing to complain about. I’m hopeful this momentum will continue into the next year.
Watch the video for more
