• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, November 29, 2013

What the? GoDaddy Founder Bob Parsons now owns an ad agency! That's right. He went out and acquired Arizona-based marketing and PR shop MP Agency which will now be known as Martz Parsons. Of Parsons, Martz Parsons Founder Carrie Martz said, “I look at this as an opportunity to not just have a boss but to also really have that support and mentorship from one of the greatest minds in marketing. What he accomplished with GoDaddy is now taught in textbooks.” Oy! Watch out, Carrie. In a few months, you might end up with scantily-clad women with enormous breasts experiencing wardrobe malfunctions as they maneuver the hallways of your office. 

OK so Mumbai isn't Madison Avenue but is India really all that different from America? Wait, don't answer that question because we'll just get bogged down in some nasty cultural bitchfest about how all Americans are fat and all Indians look down upon widowed and divorced women. So set that on the shelf for a minute. Anyway, on a panel at the exchange4media Conclave in Mumbai on November 25, Anil Jayaraj, CMO, Pidilite Industries; Karthi Marshan, Executive VP and Head-Group Marketing, Kotak Mahindra Group; KV Sridhar, CEO India Subcontinent, Leo Burnett; Nandini Dias, CEO, Lodestar UM; Ravi Deshpande, Founder and CEO, Whyness Worldwide and Shubhranshu Singh, Marketing Director India and South Asia, Visa rapped  about changes in what clients expect from their agencies. The net? Clients would love a single agency to handle all their needs because, well, it's just easier to deal with one agency than a collection of disparate shops. But the problem, said the panel, is that no single agency possesses all the necessary skills to provide a well-rounded marketing solution, especially in this fast-moving digital age. In addition, panelists said there is a need for closer ties between creativity and technology as well as between data and account planners.

This is most awesome. If you've ever met Ramon De Leon, the Domino's social media visionary, then you will understand why Rise Interactive is so happy to have him on board as Senior Social Media Strategist. Of the hire, Rise Interactive Founder and CEO Jon Morris said, “Ramon’s passion for digital marketing and fanatic focus on the customer experience is well aligned with the core values at Rise Interactive. We are excited to have him on the team and working to help our clients take their social media campaigns to the next level." But the big question remains, "Will there now be pizza for lunch every day at Rise?

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