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Monday, 7 December 2020 00:57 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Thirdshift Team
ThirdShift, the Independent Media Agency of Shift, has done it once again, by winning the Silver award for Media Agency of the Year for the ‘Rest of South Asia’ category, at the recently concluded ‘Campaign – Agency of the year Awards’ for the second consecutive year. It is important to note that this win is undoubtedly a remarkable feat for the ThirdShift team who worked tirelessly towards navigating through an extremely unpredictable year.
Bearing in mind that this media agency ventured into the competitive media landscape in Sri Lanka only a mere three years ago, being the recipient of such a distinguished title within a short span of time is truly a tremendous achievement, and one that warrants due recognition and high praise. While acknowledging this award, ThirdShift CEO Prasanga Jayatunga delved into the success story of his agency and the reasons for its steady upward trajectory.
He quoted, “We stepped into the media business landscape back in 2017. By that time, I had done my stint in the international media agency business and had been Leader, Mindshare and CEO of Media Factory. I was enriched by those experiences, and the idea of venturing out on my own had crossed my mind, specifically because I believed that I could tailor-make solutions and work with clients on hand-crafted media solutions. At the time this was just an idea. But, before long the opportunity came my way and I stepped out with the belief that the market needed an agency that would look beyond mere scheduling and planning. Looking back, I realised that it was a vacuum that existed, and I stepped in to fill it. But then, what I really wanted to focus on was to give my clients ROI beyond just reach and frequency.
“Perhaps the yearning to be creative within the media business is what drove me to agree with the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Shift, Chrishani Kotalawela and Sujeewa Samarasekera, when they invited me to join them and start ThirdShift. Sujeewa and Chrishy were veterans of the industry but had never handled media, however, I took the opportunity that was given to me and went ahead with it. I didn’t think it all through. I decided and gave my word and it has been a rocking ride. It’s been a lot of hard work, sweat, tears and sleepless nights. But awards like this really reminded me that as a team, we have done justice to our clients and client brands; the real reason behind this company’s success.”
Prasanga emphasised that the journey was in no way an easy one. He also stated that it was not easy being the underdog, but he had absolute faith in his young and very talented team of media experts, who responded to his call, believed in him, and joined him on his path of challenging the norms and breaking the mould surrounding the media agency business in Sri Lanka. Talking about his team, he emphasised the pillars on which the Agency has been built on.
Prasanga by expertise is a Media Analytics Specialist who believes, with great conviction, that creativity is the essence through which media can truly reach the consumer and leave a lasting impact on them. For, it is creativity that can bridge the gap between the consumer and the brand. He also highlighted that his experience in the international media agency scene gave him a wider knowledge regarding media and all its facets and that together with his team, he has made use of that knowledge to create tools that fit the local context, so as to be more effective. He further elaborated, “In other words, what we have done is, we have used our knowledge and expertise to create a unique model of media buying, planning and executing to bring the best ROI to our clients. We believe our model at ThirdShift is about Hand-Crafted Media Solutions.”
Lasantha Mallawaarachchi, COO of ThirdShift and the Chief Negotiator who works with the Media Houses, navigates through the best deals possible, which in turn translates to ROI. He is a firm believer in spreading the media budget across touch points and making sure that the message reaches the consumer in a more engaging manner.
Asantha Kalyananda COO of ThirdShift who comes from a marketing background was the Former Head of Marketing at NLB. He functions in the capacity of ThirdShift’s Media Brand Strategist, strengthens client relationships and strongly believes that Sri Lanka is a heterogenous market despite its homogenous nature. He also believes that without understanding the intricacies of the various communities in existence, their cultural beliefs and values that shape them, the chances of a brand reaching consumers on a more personalized basis can be null and void.
With reference to the Shift Group, Prasanga said that in today’s brand environment which is extremely competitive and tough, having an Integrated, Digital and Activations arm in one building really helps in tapping a cross segment of talent and insight. ThirdShift works with many top-notch brands in the country and has earned the trust and confidence of its clients for the unique approach of looking at media as a tool for brand building.
“What we do at ThirdShift is not your usual media buying and planning job. Well, that is important, and we strive to give our clients the best possible return for their investment. But we also tap into the larger ‘thinktank’ of Shift. Since Shift is a full service, integrated agency that has a talented team of thinkers and creative talent across the Integrated and Digital disciplines, we often dive into projects together, using the overall expertise in consumer understanding, market insight and cutting-edge thinking. All this gives us the edge to provide our clients Hand-Crafted Media Solutions, which is our pride and USP,” Prasanga added.
ThirdShift also bagged two Golds, one Silver and finalist awards at the coveted Effie Awards in 2019. While this achievement at the Effie’s is of great significance in itself, it must also be recognised that ThirdShift received this Silver award in the capacity of a primary agency considering that it is usually a creative agency that takes home such an award in addition to most media agencies being classified as secondary agencies.
