The EMVIES—a Friday evening meant to dazzle, to celebrate, to immortalize the brilliance of Indian advertising. A night where the best in advertising agencies revel in their hard-earned glory. But this year, the 25th edition of the EMVIES did not roar with the usual grandeur.
A night that has, for years, echoed with applause, laughter, and the clinking of celebratory glasses. But this year—this milestone 25th edition—was unlike any other. It did not roar. It did not sparkle. It did not triumph. Instead, it whispered, shrouded in an unsettling quiet, burdened under the weight of an industry in crisis.
The absence of top media agency heads spoke louder than any grand speech could. The Competition Commission of India raids last week on media giants—Dentsu, IPG, Omnicom, GroupM, Madison, Publicis—and industry bodies AAAI, ISA, IBDF had cast a long, ominous shadow over the celebrations.
Even the Advertising Club’s key faces—President Rana Barua and Vice President Dheeraj Sinha—were nowhere to be seen. The responsibility of carrying the night fell on the shoulders of Ad Club Joint Secretary Punitha Arumugam, Treasurer Mitrajit Bhattacharya, and former President Partha Sinha alongwith other committee members.
“Maybe it’s the ongoing raids that have kept everyone away,” murmured an insider, their voice tinged with trepidation. “Nobody wants to be seen discussing the very thing that could implicate them.”
Dentsu’s key leadership team in India was nowhere to be seen. Their missing presence only fuelling further speculations.
In Dentsu’s absence, rumours swirled that the Japanese ad network had already filed for leniency with the CCI. If true, this meant something far more damning—an admission of involvement, an attempt to mitigate damage, a desperate move to escape the worst. Had they chosen to recede into the shadows to avoid the blinding spotlight? Or was this a silent confession, a signal that they were at the heart of the storm that had engulfed the industry?
Legal teams had sent out their mandates to media agencies: Do. Not. Speak. The whispers in the hall carried more weight than the trophies being handed out on stage. Conversations held in hushed tones, eyes darting over shoulders, an unspoken fear of being overheard.
“We have a clear mandate from the global team—say nothing,” a senior executive admitted. “This will all come together soon. The legal teams are ready.”
Adding fuel to the fire, a leaked advisory from the AAAI had become the evening’s dark punchline. An attempt to enforce silence had only amplified the noise. “Nobody takes AAAI advisories seriously,” an industry veteran remarked. A warning meant to enforce silence had, ironically, become an inside joke.
The stage still lit up with awards. Victories were still announced. But without the industry’s biggest names in attendance, it felt like applause in an empty theater. The EMVIES were meant to celebrate excellence, to immortalize the best. But this year, they stood as a stark reminder of an industry at a crossroads—caught between between glory and scrutiny.
However, the question remains—will the industry’s biggest event, Goafest, meet the same fate as the EMVIES? With the advertising world under intense scrutiny from antitrust watchdog, uncertainty looms large. As Goafest returns to its iconic setting in Goa this May, the real test will be whether top media agency leaders will participate with their usual enthusiasm or if caution will cast a shadow over yet another grand celebration.