It was during the mid nineties. Different organisations of our country were frequently making advertisements to promote their products. But the process was not a smooth one. Making advertisements meant a lot of complications back then, which delayed the airing of the production. Square Toiletries went through many such complications while running advertisements of many of their brands. As a result, company’s Managing Director Mr. Anjan Chowdhury decided to open a advertising agency. He named it ‘Mediacom’. In the beginning the responsibility was trusted upon one person, who started operating having 4 more persons on board. An office space was also taken. Mediacom started its journey in the advertising sector of Bangladesh.
After it was established in 1997, the organisation went ahead with each small steps. Within a very few days it got enlisted with BTV. It started getting clients outside Square as well. Electro Mart was the first of these clients followed by Anchor, SMC etc. The number of employees jumped up to 11 from just 4. After working for a few days with these 11 employees in the first office space of 1400 square feet, Mediacom shifted to a new office space in Gulshan with a setup of 50 employees as the business got bigger. Apart from media buying, other departments of advertising also started operating. From 2000 onwards, Mediacom started operating as a full functioning agency.
Even before it started operating fully, one thing was maintained very strictly. The founder of Square Group Mr. Samson H Chowdhury often used to talk about one dream of his. He wanted Bangladesh’s ‘Square Group’ to be always run by the people of Bangladesh. Even in 2022, this instruction is being followed strictly. That is why Mediacom is fully a ‘Made in Bangladesh’ agency. Since 2000, this advertising agency of Bangladesh has been doing brand consultancy, marketing communication, social communication, media planning, public relations, TV and newspaper advertisements, event management etc for Bangladeshi organisations. Although it started with media buying and planning, the works done by its creative department started getting appreciated regularly from different sectors as well. Some of the most talked about advertisements from Mediacom’s early days were Konka TV’s “mv‡a¨i g‡a¨ meUzKz myL”, Panther’s “Avmj cyiæl”, advertisements of Square Hospital, Meril, Jui etc. Meanwhile in 2001 Square Food and Beverage Ltd. (The then Square Consumer Products Ltd.) started its journey. Their setter brands such as Radhuni, Ruchi etc also got place in the heart of the consumers thanks to some popular ad-campaigns by Mediacom. Along with the clients from and outside Square, Mediacom continued reaching new heights of success.
But in advertising sector, you can not get stuck in only one place. Upgradation is needed all the time in order to survive and do something big. That is the reason why in 2016 Mediacom started its Digital Media Department. Success came here as well. On that very year in March Mediacom achieved ‘Google Partner Certificate’. An organisation awarded with this certificate gets special benefits from Google for online digital marketing.
In the continues urge of achieving excellence, Mediacom Ltd. achieved the affiliation of international advertising agency ‘Madison Media’ in January, 2017. Both the organisations came under a pact to work together for the next couple of years. Under the treaty Mediacom got the opportunity to use different tricks of promotions for their clients from Madison Media such as their operating softwares. During this time, Madison organised trainings for Mediacom employees in Bangladesh as well as in India. Mediacom became a part of the new wave of the advertising world of 21st century.
During this continuous journey of two and a half decades, leading brands of Bangladesh came on board as a client of Mediacom. Some of the brands became a leading brand holding the hand of Mediacom. For example, joining hands with Mediacom, one of the leading telecom companies of Bangladesh Robi were able to strengthen its position in this sector. From 2011 to 2014, Mediacom planned and executed some of the most praiseworthy and effective campaigns of Robi in ATL, BTL and Digital Media. Some of these campaigns included integrated campaigns like “Ebaar Hobe”, “Jaamdani”, “Deshpremik”, “Eid e Notun Jaama” etc. Mediacom has been a part of advertising, strategy, media planning-booking-buying services of different organisations such a Bkash, Bata, BRAC, SMC, BCCP, FHI, KSRM, Crown Cement, Matador, Bikroy Dot Com, Akij Food and Beverage, GPH Ispat and many more.
In present competitive market of media planning-buying-booking sector, Mediacom is a strong competitor. Mediacom has provided satisfying service to companies like Ispahani, Perfetti, Anwar Group, Akij Group, Akash DTH, Abul Khair Group, Lafarz, Holcim. In the beginning of leading Telecom Company Grameenphone’s operation in Bangladesh, Mediacom was the only agency for them to make television booking at BTV. Also, Mediacom Ltd. has been pioneer in buying international broadcast rights and distribution of big national- international sports events like World Cup Football 2018, almost every recent circket world cups and ICC events, cricket series of Bangladesh National Cricket Team.
Not only commercial making and managing media, Mediacom is also working successfully in direction of various events and activations of reputed companies. They are also making branded contents. In recent years, Mediacom holds responsibility in planning and overall supervision of country’s biggest cooking reality show, ‘Shera Radhuni’, and only reality show for folk music ‘Magic Bauliyana’. For about one and a half decade, every year Mediacom is arranging ‘Radhuni Kirtimoti Shommanona’ to honor country’s successful women in the occasion of International Women’s Day. With support of Meril baby, Mediacom has been arranged country’s first ‘Baby Olympiad’. With these, they are working successfully in outdoor branding, billboard, banner placement all over the country in regular process.
Acknowledgements have been awarded for continuous great contribution. Mediacom bagged most awards from most categories in 4th Dhaka Ad Fest, 2012. Mediacom Ltd achieved 2nd highest-21 awards in country’s biggest acknowledgement of advertisement sector, ‘Commward’; organised by Bangladesh Brand Forum. Even though winning important awards in previous years, Mediacom has bagged most awards in that year.
Acknowledgments and successes inspire new client to work with Mediacom. In that continuity, Mediacom has signed a huge agreement with the online video streaming app of mobile operator company Banglalink, Toffee. Content management, promotion and media buying related all services for Toffee are included in the agreement.
With these different successes, achievement and acknowledgment, this ‘Made in Bangladesh’ agency is going to cross the milestone of 25 years in country’s advertisement sector. This is going to happen in 2022. Time will say about the goal, achievement afterwards. For now, it can be said, youth of 25 years means running much faster towards the goal. Mediacom has the exact goal.
