Group M setting up 'Performance'

Sameer Rana - Televisionpoint.com
Group M is reportedly setting up a new, specialised sports marketing unit called 'Performance'. Sanjay Chakrabarty, who used to head WPP’s Central Trading Group, will steer this unit, according to reports. Chakrabarty was later transferred to head WPP’s Shanghai media-buying operations in China.

Reports also say that Chakrabarty already has his team in place, and a formal launch of Performance is expected in the coming months. There is an opportunity to exploit the nascent area of sports marketing beyond cricket in India, which is something Group M is looking at.

Chakrabarty has mile-long credentials. He has authored Group M's proprietary system Media Mechanix for Rate Benchmarking in India. He has worked with Simon and Gina Miller as director, tools and technologies, for MindShare Asia Pacific, to help China develop their version of the Media Mechanix benchmarking system and integrate it with their planning and operations in IT systems.

BroadMind national director M Suku, however, denies any such development. "Performance’s launch is still some miles away, and it is premature to speculate on it. What we are really doing is, examining avenues where we can take sports marketing further, within BroadMind, and Chakrabarty is here for the same purpose. We feel that perhaps in our pursuits of entertainment tie-ups, we have neglected sports marketing to a good degree. The time has come to put renewed focus on this arena."