Martin Sorrell's S4 Capital enters India with content operations

Martin Sorell, former WPP Chief and Founder of S4 Capital, told BuzzInContent.com that content marketing is at the heart of S4 Capital and that his new company will completely focus on content, data and technology.

Speaking exclusively with BuzzInContent.com, Sorrell said, “India will mirror what we have done elsewhere in the world. We will focus on first-party data-driving digital content, digital media buying and planning on the programmatic line.”

Asked if technology will lead S4’s content route or all the mediums will have an equal share, Sorrell answered that the traditional medium has already proved its mettle but digital will suffuse everything. “It will be balanced. It is just like the old days when creative agencies didn’t value media and then media went independent. Now they have got back together again,” added Sorrell.

Sorrell has announced the launch of its content operations in India led by Poran Malani as Director. S4 Capital kicks off its Indian operations with offices in Mumbai and Bangalore.

Poran Malani

Malani’s experience spans 30 years with Ogilvy, McCann, and Coca-Cola. As Malani joins, S4 Capital is launching MediaMonks’ offer and digital and content expertise to clients in India. MightyHive is examining its precise entry point into the Indian programmatic market, to help brands and agencies with a fully transparent programmatic media planning and buying solution. Poran spent nine years as president of Ogilvy South India and built the global hub in Bangalore for Lenovo’s worldwide account, as well as IBM and SCJ. Most recently, he served as a digital transformation consultant for BASF, partnered with Mahesh Bhupathi’s celebrity brand company, Swag fashions, and founded Fair Fern consultancy with VL Rajesh.

Sorrell, Executive Chairman of S4 Capital, said, “As you can imagine, we are delighted to announce our entry into the vibrant Indian market. India is a country that we admire and respect. We expect great things from Poran in a short amount of time. No pressure. We believe that the shift to digital presents both MediaMonks and MightyHive with significant opportunities in a market that will become even more important as India becomes the most populous country on earth.”

S4 Capital, which merged with MediaMonks and MightyHive last year, is developing a faster, better, cheaper, unitary model for new era/new-age advertising and marketing. This integrates first-party data, digital content and programmatic.

In 2018, creative digital production company MediaMonks merged with S4 Capital, soon followed by programmatic advertising specialist MightyHive. With the planned offices in the Indian market, MediaMonks and MightyHive expand their network to span 18 offices in 15 countries.

MediaMonks is a global creative production company that partners with clients across industries and markets to craft amazing work for leading businesses and brands.

Victor Knaap, CEO at MediaMonks and Executive Director of S4 Capital, said, “India has a rich culture of visual storytelling and besides that, houses an enormous pool of tech talent. What MediaMonks can bring to the market is merging those disciplines — film and tech — by inviting directors and developers to come together and produce world-class digital storytelling. With years of experience, Poran is perfectly equipped to bolster our presence in this incredibly vibrant market and create a hub to serve local and international clients.”

MightyHive is a new breed of media consultancy that partners with global brands and agencies seeking transformative marketing results in a time of significant disruption and opportunity.

Pete Kim, CEO at MightyHive and Executive Director of S 4 Capital, said, “We welcome Poran Malani to S4 Capital and are excited by the potential of this entry into one of the most dynamic and important markets in the world.”

Malani said, “The opportunity for the S4 Capital model in India is huge. India is globally recognised for its creativity and its leading-edge technology, making it the perfect place for integrating the two into a new service model. We expect India to become a very important part of our global offering and we know that our proposition is incredibly relevant to Indian clients.”

Globally, S4 Capital is working with Apple, Google, Adidas, Johnson & Johnson, Netflix, Starbucks and Nestle.