Manifest turns one.

And what a spectacular year it’s been. Plenty of highs, and plenty of lows, but thankfully the former are more than the latter.

It seems like just yesterday that I was writing my first opinion column about us ‘being the new kid on the block’ in the space of publications covering advertising, media and marketing.

Our differentiator in the cluttered space was content with integrity. I think we are on the right path.  

For this anniversary issue, we are focusing on the number one.

In the January issue, we wrote about consolidation to be the buzz word of 2025, coming on the back of the Omnicom-IPG and Jio-Star mergers.

To celebrate turning one, we spoke with global network heads – Sir Martin Sorrell of S4 Capital and Yannick Bolloré of Havas, to ask them about this trend. Sorrell has publicly spoken about the possibility of Dentsu and Havas merging, and we asked Bolloré that.

In the last few days media reports have claimed that Madison could be up for investments with French majors Publicis and Havas linked to the largest Indian independent media agency. Madison has lately been more in the news (we aren’t referring to the CCI raids) than it was in the recent past, announcing client wins like Samsonite, Nexus Select Malls, and a couple more that will be announced shortly.

Madison’s executive director Lara Balsara Vajifdar hasn’t ruled out a sale categorically. She has stated that being the biggest independent media agency in India has meant that there has been interest over the last few years as well. However, nothing concrete came out of it then, and that’s what it is now.

Entering year two of Manifest, that is a development we will be keeping a keen eye on.

What can the industry expect from Manifest in year two?

It’s award season, so we didn’t want to miss out. We start with Manifest Play, a sports marketing awards and summit. For those who have entered it and will be attending it – expect a surprise or two during the event.

After three days in Goa for Goafest between 21-23 May, our partnership with Good Ads Matter comes to life through the first edition of the GAM Awards on 30 May.

The busy awards season will conclude with the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Outside of the events front, our focus on credible news and views while being ‘print-first’ remains.

I remember a month into the launch of the title, at an industry event one veteran from the trade press mentioned how Manifest deserved a bravery award for being ‘print-first’.

But our partners made it easy.

In early 2025, came the good news from the AdEx projections for 2025 and reports from 2024. Print grew in 2024 (more about that on page 18).

And hopefully, it will continue to do so this year and for the years to come by.

Let’s Manifest it!

This first appeared in the April issue of Manifest. Get your copy here.