Estée Lauder has appointed WPP as its global media agency, consolidating media duties across its portfolio of brands, including MAC, Clinique, and the flagship Estée Lauder line. WPP was selected for its track record in innovative media solutions and a deep understanding of global market dynamics. Under the new partnership, WPP will manage media buying across all markets for the company, according to media reports. The announcement comes on the back of a strong fiscal 2026 second-quarter performance, with Estée Lauder reporting a 6 per cent increase in net sales to US$4.2 billion. Gross margin expanded to 76.5 per cent, up 40 basis points from the previous quarter, supported by net benefits from the company’s Profit Recovery and Growth Plan (PRGP). These gains were partially offset by incremental tariffs, shifts in business mix, and inflationary pressures. For the six months ending 31 December 2025, net cash flows from operating activities rose significan

Mar-tech network Wondrlab is reportedly in discussions to acquire advertising agency Madison World, though no deal has been confirmed. Saurabh Varma, Founder and CEO of Wondrlab, said the agency is actively evaluating acquisition opportunities as part of its strategy to scale and strengthen its platform-first, full-funnel marketing offerings, according to Social Samosa.   Wondrlab, launched in November 2020, has completed multiple acquisitions, including creative, influencer, performance marketing, and tech firms, both in India and internationally. Madison, founded by Sam Balsara, is reportedly valued at around Rs 1,000 crore. A successful deal would mark the largest Indian agency acquisition by another Indian firm. Madison has previously drawn interest from global groups including WPP, Publicis, Dentsu, and Havas. 

There are journalists who cover the environment, and there are journalists who inhabit it. Aparna Ganesan belongs to the second category. Across India’s coastal belts, farming collectives, forgotten species habitats and climate-stressed communities, her work reads like a field diary stitched together with empathy, curiosity and an unusually sharp eye for visual detail. If you’ve watched any of her documentaries for DW Eco India, or her earlier regional films at Asiaville, you’ll notice something immediately: she never tells a story from a distance. She lives inside it. During our Influencing Insider conversation, Aparna walked us through that journey — from a mobile-shot college documentary to award-winning climate films — with the same raw honesty she brings to her reporting. What followed was a rare look into the mind of a filmmaker who has quietly become one of India’s most grounded voices in environmental journalism. The origin story: a mob

Image edited by Dinesh Raj M   For the past several days now, Galgotias University in Noida has been the most searched and talked about educational institution in the country surpassing even the famed IITs and IIMs for all the wrong reasons. By now, it is unlikely that there is any netizen who hasn’t watched the viral video of the university's faculty member, handling communications for the institution, clarifying the presence of a Chinese robodog at the AI Summit 2026. While several news reports have been probed on all the impacts of the disgraceful incident and the huge damage it has done to the university's image, the incident clearly highlights the importance of strategic communications/public relations at such events.  After the incident went viral, the University issued a statement claiming that the lady in question was never authorised to speak to the press. In an event of such a huge scale where global AI giants and leaders of several nations were

The Kerala High Court has issued a notice to the Union government on a petition alleging misuse of a broadcasting licence by Malayalam news channel Reporter TV, Supreme Today reported. The court has asked the Centre, through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, to respond to the allegations and clarify whether any action has been taken against the channel. The matter will be heard again after the government files its reply. Reporter TV, a 24-hour Malayalam news channel based in Kochi, has been on air since 2012 and is known for its political and investigative coverage. The petition claims that the channel violated conditions attached to its broadcasting licence, though specific details of the alleged misuse were not disclosed in open court. In India, television news channels operate under licences issued by the Union government under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act. These licences come with strict rules related to content, technical standards, and ethical g

Djuro Sen has added a new dimension to Image Matrix Tech, introducing Image Matrix Auto Tech - a video-based project dedicated to detailing all the tech in today’s cars.  “What I've noticed is that all the car reviews are fantastic, but there's a hole in the market for more detail on the tech,” Sen exclusively told Influencing.  “I think it's going to provide more detail for punters who look at a car review…But then, if they just want some more detail on how CarPlay works, if it is easy to implement on a vehicle, or things like the technology behind the lane keeping or radar systems. “And sometimes it just gets glossed over, and I'm going to go deeper into that. It's not about competing with any of the others. It's about adding more to the current discourse on vehicles in Australia, because I think the best stories can be told with video when it comes to cars.” Sen explained viewers can expect to see him

Morning and welcome to Wednesday and a bomb threat early yesterday evening against PM Albanese was poorly timed - at least it was for the print editions - though of course it's covered in some detail in the online editions this morning. At Guardian Australia political editor Tom McIlroy has that story and reports, "the prime minister was moved from The Lodge to another location at about 6pm while an investigation was carried out. He was able to return after 9pm". Earlier on Tuesday, Albanese recorded an hour-long interview with Nine journalist Karl Stefanovic at The Lodge, for Karlos's new podcast, which clearly gets a bit of free publicity.  According to McIlroy, "Albanese and other federal MPs have faced a number of security threats in recent months. The prime minister has had a more visible than usual security presence at recent events. In October last year, the AFP commissioner, Krissy Barrett, announced the establishment of new na