 Today we have with us Sonia Kapoor and Amrita Main Donza representing M5 Entertainment. Sonia is the founder of M5 Entertainment and Amrita is the director at M5 Entertainment. I welcome you on behalf of Exchange for Media Group and it's a pleasure to have you both. Today we will be discussing about agencies, growth plans, marketing strategies, relationship with brands and celebrities and much more. Let's get started and I would like to start with you Sonia. Please tell us how agency has performed in the last couple of years and what sets you apart from other agencies in the market. Right, first of all I want to thank you Tanya for giving us this opportunity to have a discussion with you in exchange for media. Both me and Amrita are quite excited about this opportunity. Okay so see Tanya we started this brand our agency about five years back. Okay and we started as a very small agency but over the five years we've really grown by leaps and bounds. Our core vertical has always been celebrity endorsements so we work with a lot of actors across and a lot of big brands. I'm sure you're familiar with the celebrity endorsement space right? So we work with Bollywood actors, we work with sports celebrities, we work with musicians, influencers, you name it and we are working across. Now starting as a very small agency the fact that we've managed to grow so big and so fast merits to the fact that how we function you know for so you know for many people Bollywood is like a maze, many people don't understand the celebrity space you know it is like who is being contacted, how to go about it. So our mantra was very simple that you know keep it very simple, keep it very transparent, keep it very cost effective. What we do is that we represent the brands actually what happens is celebrities have their own talent agencies to represent them okay but there is nobody which represents the brands okay so in our case this is how we differentiate ourselves. We represent the brand okay and we negotiate on behalf of them with the talent. We figure out what is best for them of course basis their marketing strategy basis their requirements and then we suggest them the right celebrity and then we go to the celebrity and close these deals. Why celebrities work with us even though we don't represent them is it's simple because we are very transparent, we are very cost effective, we give them what we promise okay and obviously the brands that we get on board for them are the brands which stick to their promise of delivery right. So they know that with M5 all the actors and all the celebrities with M5 we can't go wrong okay because they are also going to take care of us. So we are like you could position it less like a matchmaker you know we are like a matchmaker between the two parts the brands and the agencies the brand and the talent. So that's how it is and that's how we differentiate ourselves okay I think it's a long winding answer. Yes and with Celebrity and brands have recently joined you what strategies does the agency follow while connecting brands with the celebrities? Amrita would you like to go for this? Yeah so our lead is been something actually we've been really excited about five old and like there was Dhoni Mahendra Singh Dhoni so that's been like the latest and that's out already in the markets a new brand and like I don't know if you're all aware but it is a brand that's actually doing really really well in the market right now right. So when it comes to a fit again it all depends on multiple like sections it depends on budgets most importantly also the right fit would also be someone who actually believes in the brand and also is able to transpire that into the audience right Dhoni and Tiara separately they have been really really successful separately in their own respective fields so yeah so that's essentially like the latest Sorry jumping in here I think another one of the very good deals that we've recently done is the Tata Play field so Tata has you know Tata has completely changed their branding earlier it used to be called Tata Sky now it's called Tata Play very high rebranding exercise they have done with we got them Karina and Seth so if you've seen their TBCs it's really fun they're in different characters and stuff so even that has worked very well for the brand because that's again something very innovative that has come into that space so that has been there plus you know we are constantly working so we have we're working with TAPC we are working with Kiara we are working with Vani I mean there's so many names right now I'm not even able to remember Siddharth Malhotra down south we work with Samanta Akini and we also work in the east with lights of Mimi Param Brata so we basically cut across the entire geography in India you know it's like a pan India scene so we work with everybody okay great and Sonia let's tell us you know apart from collaborating brands with the celebrities M5 also produces OTT and video content so how does that help agency in boosting the overall business okay see the thing is that though essentially we are a celebrity endorsement you know company but we are also getting into the video content space we are getting into feature films we're getting into web series and the fact that we have this association with the actors you know it just lifts up the entire profile a because the actors want to of course work with us on this various content pieces and the fact that the brands also see us that we are not limited to just actors we are working with them on different levels you know so that also we spoke of our relationship the kind of relationships that we have with them so it does lift it up and in fact we should be soon coming out with some very interesting announcements in the space of web series and feature films so we are we are like right now poised to take that big leap and that helps of course for example you know like recently we did Siddharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani for Hapilo so Hapilo and you know they were going to get married and we were the ones who actually recommended them that you know why don't you do uh why don't you take both of them on board since they're going to come together and the content that can come out of it is amazing because it would be it would be a very natural content and they can exploit both so that happened and then recently we've also done Dino Vida with Tapsee again that is in a very different space it's in the Ayurveda space and the content that we have created with the Tapsee basically it's not just us we have done it in collaboration with their own teams as well and it has done very well again you know for them so it just helps us to have one foot there what we try to do is we try to get more partners in involved to do the job we don't do it solely you know because it's just too much otherwise and at the end of the day it's a team effort so that's that's how we work okay great now coming to the marketing plans you have your office in Gurugram in Mumbai so are you planning to expand your market to other cities what are your growth plans we actually work across multiple partners across like Sonia rightly mentioned in the at the start that we work across different markets right so we're also very strong in the south we have excellent partners in the south who we work with so yeah so essentially we're already established across yeah yeah you know Tanya it doesn't really matter how many offices you have in this particular field it's all based on relationship so we also work with brands in Bangalore we work with actors in Hyderabad we work with people in Chennai in East we work in Bengal in Northeast also we work so it's all about that you know and our core philosophy has been always you know to work with women we try to give women opportunities you know and we encourage a lot of women who can work from home and be part of our team so we want to give the work-life balance as well to them and over the years the kind of transparency that we have built up the relationships that we have built up as an agency with both actors and brands have really held us in good stead and we plan to continue that so it's just it's not about offices basically it's about how you know you're kind of having those connects because it's a very very people-oriented industry you know also we are living in a digital arena so now you know we have this digital space yeah yeah absolutely absolutely of course for shoots and all you have to go to Bombay and you know there are different locations but essentially yeah you know it's just picking up a call you know doing a zoom in like how we are doing with you right now and deals yes okay and what marketing strategies you know do you follow while targeting your clients or engaging with your clients so what Tanya is I think I did speak about it a little bit I touched upon it as well you know ours is is a very simple strategy as I was telling you it's very simple we want to kind of when we connect with a client our main agenda is to make that entire process of onboarding a celebrity as simple as possible so we we keep it very simple we keep it very focused based on their mark their marketing strategy when we reach out to them we tell them what's possible and what's not possible so we are very upfront and we we make them aware of everything that is possible in their strategy and in their budgets right from the word go so that you know there is no ambiguity and as a result they they trust us you know and so they would the relationships are when they begin they begin on this trust factor and obviously once we are ongoing with the deal and they see how things are panning out that just remains intact and the other marketing strategy is Tanya that word of mouth you know a lot of founders lot of owners recommend us because what we bring to the table so at the end of the day it's it's essentially a word of mouth kind of a strategy and we are recommended and we get a lot of incoming business just because people trust us and they say well these are the right people to take you through it so it's that Amrita would you like to add something to it? I want to add something again like it all depends on your relationships like we've also mentioned in the past and that's something that goes from one person to the other and it's been working out for us marvelously well so yeah so that would be it okay great would you like to talk about your revenues quarter four revenues and what are you expecting from quarter one? okay so revenues see we are growing I obviously I can't give you figures but what I can tell you is that you know we are growing day by day you know our targets we have actually overreached we've already we are in the first quarter and we are getting into the second quarter we've already surpassed our targets for the first quarter and we're almost going to close our targets for the second quarter and right now we have not even kind of finished with June right June is going to get over so that's the good thing I guess about celebrity business in India because there is a lot of demand and you know and considering now they know that we are that one stop shop where they can get everything we get a lot of people reach out to us and in fact brands who used to work with us have again come back to us as well and so it's good business that's what things are absolutely on track okay great and you mentioned about hiring women almost two years back agency announced to hire more women in the business so like will you tell us the numbers like how many women's have joined you in the last couple of years so see we have our strength of our company is about around about 15 to 20 people okay because again the kind of business that we don't want to keep it very heavy in terms of overheads of course there is a slightly high turnover rate here as well because you know if there you know women do have a lot of complications in their life so do they do join us but there are times when they can't cope up or there's something that you know like for example we had somebody recently who needed a sabbatical because you know her father was not well so we gave her that opportunity that you know you go ahead and sort out your life and by God's grace he was fine and she has joined back so yeah so our endeavor is to get as many women as possible but obviously we want to keep our numbers tight we don't want to become a very overheads heavy company because it's not really required you know at the end of the day so that's where we are right now okay and any acquisition and investment plans in the upcoming years? Yes Tanya we are planning to actually now go abroad okay we are planning to do see India we have a lot already in control so you know we want to expand that horizon and Bollywood actors and celebrities abroad are really in demand so we are planning to expand very slowly and steadily in the Middle East market in Europe and maybe America as well but those steps are going to be very small and steady we will see over a period of time. In terms of investments we are now since we have just established our content vertical so we are investing heavily in building up the library of content which we are going to be creating so we are going all out in the production side of things as well now and the fact that we work with a lot of actors give us that opportunity to have access to them and get them the kind of content they also want to do you know nowadays a lot of guys a lot of actors they know what they want earlier they used to be very minimal opportunities but now it's content is king so you know there also we have a great connect because they also let us know that okay in their career now what is their next challenge that they want to overcome you know what is it that they want to do so it's a mix and match of all synergies which are coming together and we are very hopeful that we'll go far even with this vertical as well okay any other growth plans like where are you seeing your agency end up you know in the coming years coming two three years Amrita yeah so we're also actually looking more so on doing a lot of live events you know across like so you mentioned the small steps I mean we're already doing events like wedding events etc across the globe so the idea is to build a little bit more on that because I think that helps with a lot more exposure you know when it comes to a company that's based out of Bombay and Gurgaon like you mentioned right so yeah so we're looking more so like event heavy that's something that we're also looking at apart from everything that's already going on we have a lot on our plate already so yeah so excited about that as well and establish ourselves basically as content producers because that's the way we want to take so we are we are hoping to become a very powerful content studio sooner than later okay great anything else you would like to add I think Tanya we've covered almost as a brand message would you like to give to other market years oh well other marketers as in in terms of brands you're asking yes brands and agencies brands and agencies both so basically what sorry I think there's some glitch that came no so to the brands the messages this exchange for media is an excellent platform so many brands engage with you so we hope that this interview and our work reaches out to more brands and they know that we are doing an excellent work so if you need a Dhoni if you need a Shah Rukh Khan or if you need Karina Kapoor or you need Samantha please call us we are right there and to the other agencies who are actually all of them are colleagues we we work very well with across all of them you know mostly we have great relationships cuts across Bollywood is a small community so we just want to everybody to prosper everybody to you know kind of grow and make money at the end of the day and hopefully somewhere we will be able to put it back into the industry not just in terms of content but hopefully very soon we will have some sort of CSR activities because we also want to give it back to industry what they have given us so much so eventually we are hoping we do that as well and yeah it should be good for everybody okay and any challenges you know agency is facing presently any challenges truly I mean it's actually it's not like we even have too much competition in the market right we work great with all the other agencies like Tonya has mentioned in a way in which it's it's about business across right it's about doing good work at the end of the day collectively you know not like oh it's just yours or mine or whatever like that so the idea is to collaborate and to do great work together okay so no challenges as such yeah challenges you know it's like basically it's it's a part of a process right they come and they go it's not nothing that which is really our bottlenecks I would say so challenges are there but they're not like bottlenecks you can tackle and you can move on so I such that's not so much of a hassle I guess okay great now you know it's a decade old brand and obviously you have worked with on many campaigns with different celebrities and brands which is your favorite campaign which is our favorite campaign oh my favorite campaign is Tata Sky I love it I love it the way they have presented both Saif and Karina together their chemistry is cackling and it's it's really fun to watch them together so I think recently at least it's one of my favorites I think Amrita can tell her I think my favorite would be drool it's a brand that we have seen grow you know grow great grow in a big big way we started from inception to we continue it's been multiple years we still have a great relationship going with them and yeah so I think drools would be my favorite yeah and you know the shoots are very a lot of fun because they're all kinds of dogs and pets which come and it's not work it's like you're just surrounded by dogs and cats and it's like the best environment ever if you love animals that is so yeah okay would you like to touch upon the marketing budgets of all these campaigns like what are your marketing budgets per campaign so we can't really like reveal it in a way which because it's all um it's all like private information right yeah yeah yeah but we can give you a sort of we can give you see the the entire it's it's as minimum to as maximum you know because we also work with influencers who are who are half 50,000 followers or a lack followers so they're obviously the budgets are low there and then you're all also working with top celebrities and top actors and obviously the budgets are going to be higher there so there is no like standard format it differs from campaign to campaign brand to brand celebrity to celebrity so it cuts across but lots of you know kind of work with us again and again only because of the fact that you know we get them great brands you know and they love to work with us because not only that and the kind of marketing strategies that the brands get to the table that's also very interesting and innovative so they love to work with us in that sense okay yeah apart from celebrities that we work with and the sports person that I mentioned we work across multiple sections right so when it comes to even say for example a chef uh we work with musicians you know and part of all the great influencers that we have a travel influencer beauty influencers etc so we have like a plethora of people that we work with so in the space of it's not only subject to like a list of celebrities whatever it's right from like like I mentioned a chef to like you know a Bollywood a-list so yeah okay so I mean it depends on how what audience need right to cater to the brands yeah fitness enthusiasts fitness influencers so definitely are we going to see more influencer joining the agency in the upcoming years because influencer marketing has become more vibrant now yeah no so our endeavor has always been to work with as many people as possible and influencer advertising marketing as you are saying is very big but again in that we are a little bit careful we try to work with a certain kind of influencers and a certain kind what they bring to the table you know basis that we polish and strategy uh because you know you know we don't want to give false promises to people and after all any Instagrammer who builds their profile his hopes or desires so we try not to kind of encourage everybody who can convert their business we try to work with them as well and of course we encourage the rest okay and apart from using Instagram as a social media platform are you using any other platform so usually no brands are very keen for Instagram because I think we have the influencers sitting over there yeah yeah yeah the kind of reach that they get a some bit also they also try to use some some bit on Facebook and Twitter but essentially it's Instagram because I think Instagram has managed to capture this entire market where this kind of recommendations from these influencers do really well and give the brands a lot of recall and ROI so I think it's Instagram is one of the biggest platforms right now what happens is a lot of celebrities are while they are on Instagram they might not use it as a platform to advertise you know to basically endorse products and they would maybe use like a Facebook even that is a case in point that does happen uh so we've also seen that happen quite a bit so yeah but then again it depends on again the celebrity and their their choice essentially ultimately yeah hey this twitter to some extent but twitter is more for serious kind of stuff yeah yeah okay I think we have covered everything almost everything yes unless of course the Roma is there on the call Roma if you could do you have anything for us left to discuss let us know but I think I'm good thank you so hopefully we are going to see you're going to add more numbers more celebrities and brands in the upcoming years and thank you it was a wonderful conversation thank you Roma thank you Sonia thank you Amrita it's pleasure thank you thank you so much for your time thank you so much