Percept, Aegis plan to be full-service media firms

After the announcement of the split, Percept Holdings and Aegis group are lining up specific plans to be full-service media companies.

While Carat Media India, the Aegis group's media services company, will now reposition itself along international lines and provide a one-stop media and communication platform, Percept Holdings plans to expand into new-age media solutions by tapping the mobile, internet, gaming and retail segment.

Rob Myers, director corporate development, Aegis group, said,"India is one of the world's most exciting and rapidly growing markets, and we are looking forward to the next phase of our strategic development."

In an earlier interview with Business Standard, Patrick Stahle, chief executive officer, Carat Asia Pacific had discussed the potential of Internet and other digital media avenues such as blogs, podcasts, Direct To Home and online videos.

This revised approach has helped the agency win huge business such as Procter & Gamble (P&G) in the US and the Philippines. He mentioned that the repositioning had started on a global level with European and North American offices last year. "The idea is to provide a higher level of brand experience," he said.

For Percept Holdings its consolidated media business now amounts to Rs 250 crore post the demerger.

Sources informed Business Standard that the new entity is in the process of winning business in the range of Rs 30 to Rs 40 crore for yet to be launched new age media division. Thus the company would start off with an initial business amounting to Rs 280 to Rs 290 crore.

Sources said that the new media entity is likely to be christened Allied Media, though Percept executives refused to confirm this. Shripad Kulkarni (former chief executive officer at Carat Media) has been roped in by Percept Holdings to head the new entity.

Some of the clients handled by Percept include Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Pantaloon and the Reserve Band of India.