Mediafactory Group notches nine years of success

Tuesday, 8 July 2014 00:24 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

From modest beginnings nine years ago – just two “advertising guys”, with two laptops, in one single room, down a lane on Galle Road, the Mediafactory Group has come of age, with over a 100 employees, in a fully-fledged communication group which arguably, has the second largest billing in Sri Lanka’s advertising industry. The Group which began as Mediafactory Ltd. established Madison Media Ltd. an affiliation with the Indian giant Madison Media a few years into their operations, giving the two companies considerable combined clout in the country’s advertising media (AOR) business. In the past few years the Group has overtaken its competition in the media business nudging out some global giants to hold the second largest piece of the AOR pie. Mediafactory Group achieved their success amidst fierce competition, hostility and disbelief at their performance from their established competition. Many labels were attached to them, many doubts cast on their business operations. How can a local advertising media agency without the backing of an international advertising giant win and sustain so many prestigious accounts, the industry questioned. But the Group has been consistent in achieving and sustaining success in the AOR business up to date. Mediafactory Group in the last few years has held onto some top brands in the telco industry and the recent Colombo Port Expansion Project (CPEP) and the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) project have been some of the other big projects for the Group. The answer to Mediafactory’s success and sustainability of performance lies in the Group’s DNA – its ability to outsmart and outwit the industry, its courage and grit to challenge the industry status quo, to run their business successfully, posing a real threat and challenge to their competition over the past few years. “Disruptors” The Mediafactory Group has been labelled “disruptors” a tag they proudly wear. But at the core of its success Mediafactory’s real asset is its human capital, which in a “people oriented” skills industry, is their most valued asset. From the outset, the Group has invested in people of high calibre with remarkable skills, overachievers and professionals who are not afraid to think big and challenge the industry norms for better performance and results. Professionals with the foundation of a sound academic, professional education, who thrive on taking on challenges to achieve the ultimate. While all staff in all levels of service, their skill and dedication contributes to the final outcome of the success of any organisation, it is the leadership of this Group’s individual companies and cells, with a strong direction from the top that has been the true success of Mediafactory Group. Media Factory Ltd. began as a media only agency, but is now a fully-fledged communication agency with a creative arm called Magenta, a PR and digital company – Momentus, an activation company called Mandarin, all of which are led by recognised industry professionals. Its core business, the Media Factory Ltd. and Madison Media Ltd. and its individual cells are also operated by experienced industry professionals who run their business with a potent mix of excellent delivery, intellect, wit and sheer grit. An able team A quick take on their senior management team and the founders of Mediafactory Group Kapila Vidanagamage and Prashanth Supramaniam. Leading from the front, the dynamic Supramaniam fuels the Group’s creative inspiration and strategy giving life to many creative, PR and activation campaigns. He was recently picked by Echelon magazine as one of its top 40 under 40 achievers. Vidanagamage, the Group’s co-founder plays the role of a “Godfather” whose sharp acumen in business negotiation and all round business strategy, executed with a winning temperament, have won them many battles in relentlessly competitive pitches. He is a great believer in sourcing and nurturing the most valued human capital to run his business which has paid them rich dividends. Heading the Group’s creative company Magenta, is industry veteran, Udaya Tennakoon. One of Sri Lanka’s most awarded creative directors, Tennakoon’s insight into the local human psyche, skills to touch human emotion and creative genius, is legendary. Momentus, the Group’s PR and Digital company is headed by Nishan Magodaratna who has over two decades of advertising industry experience and headed Madison Media before his current appointment. The Group’s Activation arm, Mandarin, is led by Rizvan Musafer who works with the conviction that every activation should ultimately also build brand. The three M’s Magenta, Momentus and Mandarin are powered with industry professionals who have individually and collectively contributed immensely to the Group’s growth and maturity. The creative team is enriched with a group of senior creative/art directors namely Rohan Piyadasa, Anuruddha Fernando and Nalaka Mallawarachchi, who have given life to many of Sri Lanka’s highly acclaimed, award winning creative campaigns in their stints with other agencies. Ruvini Jayasinghe, COO at Momentus, has a communications career which includes stints as a journalist and a business editor of the Sunday Times, managing corporate communications at SriLankan Airlines and freelancing for foreign magazines. Pilipino Earl Bumotad, heading the Digital unit came into broadcasting in Sri Lanka but soon found his niche in digital media. Vision superseded Looking back at nearly a decade in the business, the vision of these two young entrepreneurs has not only been realised but superseded, with their experiment of setting up individual business units to spin by themselves, competing against each other, creating Sri Lanka’s first and largest media buying cartel. Media planning traditionally had been relegated to a back end operation in agencies which lead their campaigns with award winning creative campaigns. Mediafactory took the lead in transforming media operations from being a non-strategic scheduling job, to a strategic process closely aligned with corporate objectives and a broader study of the consumer in their media world. Mediafactory Group’s five separate buying arms, namely, Pulse, Praxis and Primus, which combined form the Media Factory. Infinity and Plus comprise Madison which is unique in its approach in handling competitive clients in the same category or service. Each individual business unit works as a separate company and competes against the other group companies for business! Prasanga Jayathunge who heads Media Factory Ltd and Monika Weerasinghe who heads Madison Media are both industry veterans who steer their ships with a mix of power, aggression and passion. They are both well-known and respected in the industry and have a highly impressive network of connections and clientele. “We are passionate about our brands and fiercely protective of our clients. But we respect and acknowledge the fact that our other units work with the same reverence and passion on competitor accounts. ” Monika Weerasinghe, CEO Madison Media, Sri Lanka says. On the other side of the fence CEO, Media Factory Ltd. Prasanga Jayathunge voiced similar sentiments. “If you look at media buying strategies in the international market and how companies have adopted mind-blowing methods to keep the business within the family, I think we are on the right track,” Jayathunge said. Business culture, futuristic thinking The five Chief Operating Officers heading these individual cells are pillars of Mediafactory Group, adopting its business culture, futuristic thinking into their own businesses, yet they are poles apart in their individual styles of operation. Harshana Weragama who heads Pulse strongly believes in integrating Above the Line (ATL) advertising with Below the Line (BTL) advertising for successful campaigns. Himself a seasoned campaigner, he capitalises on customer engagement, going to the grassroots to achieve the best results. Heading Praxis, Chaminda Samarakoon is known for his innovative buys and is not afraid to experiment with the unconventional to achieve top results. Invention in analysis and developing intricate modelling techniques is the forte of Sashi de Silva, at Primus. With a Masters in Statistics his strong analytical skills gives him an edge over most. Shanthi Sivagnanasundaram, who heads Plus has worked with giants in the industry like SriLankan Airlines and Nestle and her key strength is linking the dotted line between corporate strategy and media planning. Heading Infinity, Upendra Gamage is a street smart leader, with deep local insights into consumer behaviour. Surviving, and growing in a fiercely competitive industry where no one gave them more than a year or two to survive, Mediafactory has grown into a formidable opponent, overtaking its competition with a combination of sharp analytics and nifty, cheeky moves. The past few years saw them expanding their media businesses into a fully integrated communications group run by a team of top professionals who are not afraid to dare.