Individual units cast their own spell on Mediafactory’s Magic
View(s):The Mediafactory Group, from modest beginnings nearly 10 years ago, a single minded vision, combined with the potent mix of unshakable commitment, sheer grit and toil, has trod thus far unexplored territory in Sri Lanka.
Founders – joint directors, Prashanth Supramaniam and Kapila Vithanagamage, defy convention and thrive on questioning existing practices.
Mediafactory’s Chief Operating Officers with their directors
The vision of the two young entrepreneurs has not only been realized but superseded, with their newest experiment of setting up individual business units to spin by themselves, competing against each other, creating Sri Lanka’s first and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.
Mediafactory Group’s five separate buying arms, namely, Pulse, Praxis and Primus, which combined form the Media Factory Pvt. Ltd and Infinity and Plus together which comprise Madison Media Sri Lanka, an affiliate of Madison Media of India, are each led by seasoned professionals in the industry whose relationship with their clients, built over years of dedication and excellent service, is their core strength, according to a statement from the company.
“We have found in the short period that we have tried and tested this business model that it is an overwhelming success. The two main companies and its separate business units are all headed by top industry professionals who have developed their own style, charisma and acumen and a strong client base,” noted Mr. Supramaniam.
“The industry has only so many game changers and we believe each one our guys is good enough to compete against any of the other agencies in their own right. So why stifle them? Let them grow and create cells that compete with every other agency and even among themselves,” he added.
Sam Balsara
There are five Chief Operating Officers heading these individual cells.
Harshana Weragama who heads Pulse strongly believes in integrating Above the Line (ATL) advertising with Below the Line (BTL) advertising for successful campaigns.
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 developingintricate modelling techniques is the forte of Sashi de Silva, at Primus.
Shanthi Sivagnanasundaram, who heads Plus has worked with giants in the industry like SriLankan Airlines and Nestle, before she took over her current post.
Heading Infinity, Upendra Gamage is a street smart leader, with deep local insights to the consumer.
All five units’ heads possess strong academic backgrounds with degrees and MBAs both from local and foreign universities but their success lies in their individual style of management, highly competitive spirit based on a foundation of mutual respect and trust.
The two CEO’s of the competing arms of the Mediafactory Group look at their roles and mandates pragmatically.
“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 said.
CEO, Media Factory Pvt. Ltd. Prasanga Jayathunge, says, “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.”
Sam Balsara of Madison Media India, considered among the top three ad industry professionals in the sub-continent, says that he is greatly encouraged by the development of this new business model at Mediafactory Group and adds that he is happy to be part it.
Mr. Vidanagamage said the business practice they follow has given the group another key advantage of shaping and modelling the career progression of its top team, who all bring a wealth of experience and individual relationship with clients.
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