Hakuhodo Acquires Shares in India's MA&TH Entertainment

Jan. 12, 2023

Hakuhodo Inc., an integrated marketing and innovation company, is pleased to announce that it has acquired a majority stake in Indian independent brand agency group MA&TH Entertainment Network Private Limited (headquartered in Mumbai and led by CEO Amit Chandrra), and has made it a consolidated subsidiary.

MA&TH is a brand agency group mainly serving clients involved in content creation in India, including film distributors, over-the-top (OTT) providers, producers, film production studios, broadcast companies and international brands. MA&TH’s group companies include Marching Ants Advertising Pvt. Ltd. ("MA"), an independent brand agency founded in 2001, and Trigger Happy Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. ("TH") founded in 2007.

The strengths of MA include strategic planning, key visual development and activation, whereas TH enjoys a high reputation worldwide for its creativity in audio visual promotion, video production and digital activation. One of the leading entertainment marketing agencies in India, MA&TH is involved in marketing activities for most of the movies and OTT shows made in India. The company also has a track record of winning advertising awards both in India and internationally, including the Cannes Lions Awards.

Since merging into a single group, and a single office of MA&TH in 2019, MA and TH have been working synergistically as a one-stop shop to provide a wide variety of services for the fast-growing entertainment industry in India, ranging from marketing strategy building to creative and content production, digital media and digital activation.

MA&TH has been involved in many collaborative projects with the Hakuhodo Group’s martech digital agency AdGlobal 360 and activation agency PMG, both based in New Delhi, India. By welcoming MA&TH as a Group member, we are well-placed to capture the growth of the Indian market, and register our presence in Mumbai. Furthermore, we will continue to focus on the Indian advertising market and aim to improve our ability to solve problems for Japanese and global clients.

Amit Chandrra, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MA&TH, said:

"Over the years, we have always endeavored to be ahead of the curve and Hakuhodo’s global leadership will help propel us into the next level of our journey. Hakuhodo’s approach towards business, talent and creativity was something that really fit into our vision for growth—both for our people and our clients. Our focus will be to further consolidate our leadership position in India and the Asia-Pacific region."

 

Dhritish Ghoshal, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of MA&TH, said:

"We are delighted that MA&TH is now ready to step into an exciting phase of our growth by becoming a member of the Hakuhodo network. The access to Hakuhodo’s huge pool of resources and knowledge centers—both in India and overseas—will allow us to engage even more meaningfully with our clients and to provide world class services and solutions."

 

Shuntaro Ito, Senior Corporate Officer, Hakuhodo, and President & CEO, Hakuhodo International, said:

"With MA&TH joining the group, the Hakuhodo India Group will gain a presence in Mumbai, the capital of India’s advertising industry, and be able to provide more Indian clients with effective and wide-ranging marketing solutions based on Hakuhodo’s Sei-katsu-sha Insight philosophy. MA&TH, which provides unique services, will develop more comprehensive, seamless services by joining forces with AdGlobal360, which has strengths in marketing technology, and PMG, which has strengths in activation. Furthermore, I am confident that MA&TH will lead the growth of the Hakuhodo Group as a whole to the next level by collaborating with our offices beyond India, in Japan and Southeast Asia, especially in the entertainment business area. By welcoming MA&TH to our family, Hakuhodo India Group will accelerate its evolution and contribute to the growth of the Indian economy and the happiness of its people (sei-katsu-sha)."