MxMIndia

Author: mxmadmin

  • The intellectual growth of PR professionals has been inverse to that of India's economic growth rate, particularly so in the past few years

    [PR Channel] Young PR professionals need a reality check

    By Sayantan Sinha

     

    When the editor (no I am not talking about Mr. Mehta’s pet) called me to write this piece, I wondered “who’s going to read?”

     

    We, the breed of superior intellect and pray do not believe that, like to imagine (which is true) that we are the most well-read lot with deep understanding and knowledge on everything from needle to submarine. So my PR brethren, let us get out of our cocoon and do a little reality check.

     

    The stalwarts of the PR industry are people with huge repertoire of knowledge. Hence they are where they are today. The likes of Prema Sagar, Dilip Cherian, Madan Bahal, Supriyo Gupta, N S Rajan, Sunil Gautam, Roger Periera et al are known for their indelible track record.

     

    The intellectual growth of PR professionals has been inverse to that of India’s economic growth rate, particularly so in the past few years. While figure, physique and sensational sense of dressing have incorporated the oomph factor, lack of intelligence pervades the industry. Unfortunately, the finest of the gyms or the salons cannot add that aspect to personality. Add to that sheer indolence and Herculean attitude.

     

    Most of the younger lot, particularly in Delhi, have a lot of both. So much so, they successfully make new editors (refer to Person X as editor of one biz paper when s/he is in fact RE of another pink daily) , create awesome profiles (no link between the journalist, his area of expertise and publication) and above all confidently attribute journalists to publications which they left eons back.

     

    Why is this happening? I totally agree with my peers about the inflated egos of the younger generation. But we cannot absolve ourselves from the fact that we have not instilled the sense of responsibility in the new lot. Every agency has well-defined (and that has to be another critique) systems and processes. However, despite insisting on regular media rounds, you would hardly find youngsters rushing from one building to another on India’s Fleet Street.

     

    Of course, if there is a press conference, you will find a few hovering around. Penetration of internet and mobile have done all of us good, but our younger friends need to realise that relationships cannot be built only over emails and telephone /mobile or for that matter BBM.

     

    It is true that even five years back, it was far easier to meet a journalist. We could amble on the ET floor or chat with multiple journalists in Hindustan Times, but today that is not possible. But it is imperative to meet journalists so that there is connect between the face and the email id.

     

    It is a different issue that it is far easier to grab an appointment with the President than send a youngster out for media round. One is accosted with barrage of questions like “Why do I need to meet him / her? I get my work done”; “They must be busy”; “They do not come out to meet” and the best “What do I talk to them about?”!!!

     

    In the good old days, when people used to go for “shikaar” (hunting), they used to study the prey and its surrounding. Transform that to our profession. Even if there is no story to pitch for, go ahead and meet a journalist of the beat you cater to. Read his articles, talk to him about his stories, create a rapport and nurture it. A personal touch can go a long way. Don’t forget the brilliant line of Airtle’s campaign “BAAT KARNE SE HI BAAT BANTI HAI,” though the approach of today’s PR professional is as horrific as Airtel’s connectivity.

     

    And by the way, media rounds in Delhi can be great fun, if one is a foodie. From the crisp samosas of INS building canteen to dosas and vadas near Jantar Mantar, from bread pakora outside PTI building to finest fresh juices at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, the choice is huge. And make friends in Times Building, at-least to visit their swanky canteen.

     

    The other grey area is the fabled media list. More often than not, the most “updated” media list is the dated one. In Google age, youngsters seem to have forgotten the art of copy & paste! Otherwise how would one explain about a CoB who passed away some years ago still holding that position?

     

    More often than not, senior journalists complain about young PR professionals calling them and asking what do they write on! This brings me back to the first paragraph of this article. The stalwarts of the industry and anyone in the industry worth his salt, reads. Unless one reads, it is rather difficult to survive in the industry. Every byline has a name and in today’s day and age, most of the newspapers have compartmentalised content according to the beat. It is not rocket science. Even a child reading a newspaper regularly will be able to say what a particular journalist writes on.

     

    The angst in media against PR professionals is not unwarranted. We have provided them with enough ammunition to allot PR professionals as courier guys, adding no value. Unless one proves his mettle in this value chain, the individual must leave the profession. PR is serious business and we hope to have able people in the industry to take it forward. This is not written to demean anyone but to look within ourselves to find the answer.

     

    Sayantan Sinha is Founder & Managing Partner, Out-There PR & Communications

     

  • After working with TBWA for almost 4 months,yatra.com is again on a lookout for a creative partner. Sources close to the development have confirmed the news to MxM India.

    Yatra.com on lookout for a creative partner

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    After providing TBWA with its creative mandates in August last year, yatra.com, the travel porch has once again called for a creative pitch. The account size then was pegged to be around Rs15-20 crore.

     

    Before TBWA, Yatra.com had appointed Rediffusion Y&R as its creative agency in 2009; while Leo Burnett was the official agency in 2007.

     

    The online travel company entered the market in August 2006. It had initially appointed Everest Brand Solutions as its creative agency, and Mudra’s media agency, Optimum Media Solutions (which was re-christened Mudra Connext), handled its media duties.

     

    Yatra Online Pvt Ltd. is a travel company providing information, pricing, availability and booking facility for air travel, hotels, buses and car rentals across 5,000 large cities and small rural areas around the globe. It acts as a complete tour planner for travellers and is a one-stop shop for every travel need.

     

  • Ameer Ismail, Executive Director, Lowe Lintas opens up about his successful tryst with the PR and communications space, how LinOpinion has managed to outperform its growth every year, and his plans for the agency in 2012.

    [PR Channel] 2012 is about growth: Ameer Ismail

    It sometimes helps not pushing oneself too hard to prove one’s worth in the market. It is better if the industry itself does that for you and puts you on the pedestal where you deserve to be. It has been a similar experience for PR agency LinOpinion that has been doing brilliant work without creating much noise or fanfare about its work. Part of the reason for the agency’s good standing is the leadership team, and particularly a person who has been at the helm for a loyal 17 years.

     

    In conversation with Johnson Napier of MxMIndia, Ameer Ismail, Executive Director, Lowe Lintas opens up about his successful tryst with the PR and communications space, how LinOpinion as an agency has managed to outperform its growth every year and his plans for the agency in 2012. Excerpts:

     

    Q: It’s been a long run for you in the PR and communications space. How would you chart your personal journey thus far?

    It has been quite a long journey for me. When I joined the profession it was in a nascent stage but that also threw up a lot of interesting opportunities for young and aggressive people like me. In effect, it has been a journey where I have never stopped learning and I have never looked back. In the process of working in the PR space, I have done a lot of work in the communications space as well. So I do not consider myself only a PR professional; I consider myself first a professional, second a communications professional and third, a PR professional within the communications space. So the journey has been a satisfying one, to say the least.

     

    Also, it has enhanced my knowledge and skill-sets in certain areas – there’s management expertise, financial expertise, you have to be a motivator for your team, a seller, a marketer, a businessperson… all roles rolled into one. So it has been a journey of creation. This business did not exist around 20 years ago; even 10 years ago, it was not that developed. There were people who saw the potential and jumped into the business and started scaling up fast. That has not been our philosophy as an agency and it has never been my philosophy as well. We believe there is potential but we need to grow it in a certain space and we have been very successful in our own space and in our own way. We have built a very successful practice which today is one of the most successful marketing practices and continues to grow and outstrip everybody’s expectations.

     

    Q: Your stint at LinOpinion is one of the longest ever seen. How has the agency evolved under your leadership?

    LinOpinion has been a culmination of a dream. It has been a dream to have worked in a world-class institution that is respected for its values, work, ethics… this agency is bigger than just people. It was a dream to join the agency; more so, it was a dream to get an opportunity to be entrepreneurial within an agency system. When Prem Mehta hired me into the agency, I remember him telling me, “Listen, if you want to sell toothpaste and stuff like that then this is the wrong place for you, but if you want to create something out of ideas and build something really good and get exposed to all kinds of learnings in that journey then this is the space.” And the journey is by no means even close to getting boring or over.

     

    Q: The communications landscape is seeing a constant evolution in the way it functions as an industry. How in your experience has it changed over the past five years to what it is today?

    Not just five years, I see change in what we do five months from now and what we do five months from then. Though I would say that change is constantly happening in the way we think, the way we react, the way we structure, the way we benchmark and offer our services… The industry itself is in a phase of constant evolution itself. Anybody who tells you that we have got the systems and that these are the golden benchmarks is just bullshitting. At the end of the day, the PR agency business is constantly evolving itself across the globe. Every day is a day of learning for the PR industry. There are now centres and teams that are managing these kinds of developmental areas for us.

     

    Q: Has 2012 begun with a bang for the agency?

    Jan 2012 has been much more promising; we have shown good growth compared to January 2011. But there are signs that we may see less enthusiasm from clients where allocation of budgets towards PR is concerned. In terms of negotiations and new business, we actually get into high gear in the last quarter of the previous year. In that timeframe we talk to multiple clients across categories and segments and it is at that stage that you can actually gage the commitments that are happening for the new year. So we definitely see signs of a slight slowdown but I would say that in an evolving market and an evolving country, things are not going to slow down hugely.

     

    Q: How would you rate the growth story for LinOpinion in 2011?

    2011 has been a fantastic year for us because we did many things that stood out in the minds of our clients and the industry per se. We were even recognised for some of our achievements – we got recognised for several innovations that we brought to the table including Suzlon PR campaign for P.A.L.S where we worked in an integrated way with the entire group machinery and several other things. It was also a great year in terms of finance and business performance. We even bagged the best Marketing Services award within the group for business performance. So it was a fantastic year for us.

     

    As for the wins, a few notable ones include Tourism Victoria, Times Television Network, Polaris…then there was a consolidation of all the Starwood businesses where we now handle all of their mandates. We also managed to win clients like DHI, Siemens, and several others. To sum it up, we have had at least 40-45 retainer businesses added on. We also consolidated our teams; we launched training programmes and many other initiatives that we set out to do last year. And this year will see further change and evolution – more of a recasting exercise from our end. As for our growth last year, it would suffice to say that it has been over industry standard. Now we have to temper that growth with reality, we have to temper that growth with manageability… so anything is possible in this space. The criteria is to see what the industry is doing, what we need to do and how we can manage it best and then decide on throwing up numbers. But the numbers we achieve are good, and we achieve it on profit margins that are on par with advertising businesses.

     

    Q: How would you sum up your performance against other players from the industry?

    The thing is that we don’t like to benchmark ourselves against anyone because this industry has seen crazy growth. So for instance, you predict a growth of 50 per cent or more the question is whether you can sustain that kind of growth or no? That’s because the basic and fundamental fuel to that growth is talent – there are not enough talented people out there who stick to jobs. I have spent 17 years in this agency, which is huge, but I too in the early part of my career wanted to keep on jumping for better opportunities. So Ii do not blame people who want to move but when you move at that early stage so often it doesn’t reflect well on your career prospects.

     

    Having said that, we too have faced talent issues and we continue to do that. There is enough business out there but to get the right kind of people to service the needs is a tough thing. The other thing is when you get the talent in, you expect them to hone in skills much faster. We as an agency imbibe a lot of values and would never be found doing things that are unethical. We would rather give up a business but we won’t take the wrong path to appease a client. Our core competence is understanding where the brand needs to be and getting you there. And that can happen with sensible strategy and creative. The other challenge is in making the clients believe that there is a value in what you do more than what they are willing to pay for. There are still some clients who perceive PR to occupy the lower part of the communications chain; but that’s changing. While there are a few clients at the top who don’t mind paying a premium for your services, a majority of the clients in the middle of the pyramid still want to settle the deal for less. And with that kind of income you cannot deliver the quality of work that is desired. So people have to understand that the more you invest the better the returns.

     

    Q: Domain wise, how have each of the units contributed to the growth of the agency?

    We are not a lifestyle-only PR agency as some claim us to be. There are other domains that we cater to. We have a well-rounded portfolio; we have FMCG, brands, financial, power, etc. In fact we are not in the lifestyle space in a big way as before. May be we are not promoting ourselves well enough but that will change. We now offer well-rounded services across sectors. Where our thrust is concerned, one part of it will be in the area of where PR as an industry is headed towards – which, for us, would be helping clients around business issues. So we would be defining areas and how PR can fit in to help with those business issues for clients. The second is in the area of where media is headed. These two would be the main areas where our strategy for moving forward is concerned.

     

    Q: How do you view digital as a practice for the industry today?

    Digital is an extremely complex and badly understood medium, but is extremely powerful. I think the power of the medium is yet being defined. Even if you look at mobile you are looking at a completely different paradigm. It is so mind-boggling that even agency folks don’t have a command on it. The kind of communication that works on that space sometimes doesn’t work anywhere else. What is really interesting about this medium is the possibilities it offers. The dynamics of me sitting in India and doing a campaign for a client in Africa – why not? I can come out with a brilliant creative and I can tell you that the ability for our thinking as Indians is pretty damn good. We can be thrown into any situation and we can come out shining. That is the kind of innovation that works on the digital medium. I do foresee a future where a PR guy sitting here would be creating a campaign for a client in some other corner of the world. Creative is not the domain of just one or two people any more.

     

    Q: What are your expectations from 2012?

    We expect 2012 to be a great year again. We believe in being steady with everything that we do. As I said earlier, it would be a year where we would be recasting our offerings a bit. It would mean a couple of more interesting developments from our end. To put it mildly, it is going to be about growth for us in 2012.

     

    Q: How would you react to claims of the industry being largely disorganised? What would you estimate the industry size to be?

    According to my estimates, the industry size hovers around US 100-150 million dollars. There’s no way that Assocham’s figure of some billions is true at all. In terms of the industry being disorganised, I totally agree with that view. Do the senior PR industry folks even meet each other? We don’t. I am not interested in being in a coterie, to be part of something; I will run my business the way I want. Yes, there are common issues that would make sense for people to deal with commonly but we need to have the right forums to deal with it. When there is an appropriate forum, we will definitely be a part of it. I would be happy to be supporting a professional body which has teeth. But for that we all will have to get together and it is the agency heads that need to take that lead.

     

    Q: Have you contemplated turning an entrepreneur or is this where you will continue to exist?

    As of now, I am very happy being here in this agency. I have spent 17 years out here and that would make me a loyalist. The agency has given me the kind of growth that I require for my career. I sit at the top management today and have multiple responsibilities to look after. This is the thing I started with and I do want to see it go to great heights.

     

  • Taste, Timing, Hygiene & presentation of the dish are some of the parameters based on which the contestants will be judged. Srujan Lokesh the well known face of Kannada television will be the host of the show.

    Suvarna TV launches Kitchen Khiladigalu

    Star Network’s Kannada General Entertainment channel Suvarna has announced the launch of a cookery based reality show called “Kitchen Khiladigalu”.

     

    On this show, people who passionately cook as a hobby and have absolutely no experience in the food industry fight for the title of ‘Best Cook of Karnataka’.The show gives an opportunity to common people to showcase their culinary skills.

     

    Sihi Kahi Chandru the face of cooking in Karnataka will be the judge of the show, Taste, Timing, Hygiene & presentation of the dish are some of the parameters based on which the contestants will be judged. Srujan Lokesh the well known face of Kannada television will be the host of the show.

     

    Miditech is the production house who will be in charge of executing the show.

     

    The show goes on air from 30th January 2012 – 8 pm, Monday to Friday. The Title sponsor of the show is Knorr.

     

    Business Head of Suvarna Anup Chandrasekharan said, “Karnataka is a state of various cultures, traditions & food habits, this show will not only be a competition for the best cook in Karnataka but will also showcase the different types of food people eat in the state. The participants of the show will represent the various regions of the state. Overall the show will be a family entertainer, which will have fun, contest and food.”

     

    He further added, “We have already done auditions across various regions in the state to identify the contestants who will compete for the ultimate Kitchen Khiladi’s position. These contestants where identified based on their culinary skills and the passion they have towards the art of cooking.”

     

  • Trashing and making fun of religion leads to no change at all, it's simply a mischievous trick to get instant attention. Exactly as a naughty pupil would chuck a piece of chalk at the teacher to get her attention.

    Anil Thakraney: Freedom of expression – conditions apply

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I write this piece on Republic Day. And, in the fitness of things, would like to discuss that much used and abused phrase, ‘Freedom of speech’. The only sad thing is that on this occasion the debate has been fired by that rabble-rouser called Salman Rushdie. Wish the trigger had been a nobler soul.

     

    Anyway, let’s first understand Sir Rushdie’s latest antics: I can assure you the colourful author is extremely thrilled with all the free attention he just got at the Jaipur Litfest. And he must be celebrating the drama over some hard stuff. In fact, Vinod Mehta was being quite accurate when he said, during a TV debate, that Rushdie himself ‘inspired’ all the madness involving him.

     

    I have been writing quite edgy columns and stories in the mass press and the trade press for some years now, and I have had my share of dissing and abuse from readers. Not only do I treat negative feedback as par for the course, I encourage it because it helps further dissect an issue. It provokes thought, and in my world view, that’s the whole objective of writing. Sugary puff pieces do not lead to any change (apart from inflicting diabetes) and are therefore a waste of time. Given that ideology, I obviously support and cherish the freedom of speech we enjoy in this country. And yet, I have no time or respect for people like Salman Rushdie and MF Husain. No, they certainly did not deserve violent threats, but it’s equally true that they abused the freedom of speech.

     

    So here’s my own stand on the matter. No, the freedom to express isn’t conditions-less, it carries with it a great deal of responsibility. As writers and artists, while we must provoke thought, we must never hurt people by trashing objects/issues close to their hearts. Trashing and making fun of religion leads to no change at all, it’s simply a mischievous trick to get instant attention. Exactly as a naughty pupil would chuck a piece of chalk at the teacher to get her attention. In all these years of writing, I have taken utmost care not to mock people’s religious beliefs or scoff at their faith. Sure, we can and must discuss religious practices, even debate them, but we must NEVER take ‘creative liberties’ with holy figures. I did not go to a communication school (in fact, I studied microbiology!) but this is like common sense stuff for me.

     

    So let’s get this right: Rushdie had no business making fun of the prophet. And Husain had no business sketching goddesses in the nude. Both gentlemen, both very intelligent beings, knew perfectly well there would be a backlash. They courted trouble, got it, and then paid a price for it. Therefore I have no sympathy for them. Since Husain saab is gone, all we can say is may his soul rest in peace. As for Rushdie, his continued belligerence and irrational support from his fans is quite worrying. This means quite a few literate people still haven’t understood the idea of freedom of expression.

     

    No, it isn’t absolute. In fact, nothing in this world is absolute except for the vodka brand.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Was recently reminded of David Ogilvy’s hottest tip for writing great copy. This is for the benefit of those who may not have read his books: “If all else fails, I drink half a bottle of rum and play a Handel oratorio on the gramophone. This generally produces an uncontrollable gush of copy.” Have fun. But drink responsibly. And more importantly, create responsibly.

     

  • The exits of bossmen Sonal Dabral & Sandeep Pathak have led to questions about the stability at Bates. A case of just too many changes?

    Is all well at Bates?

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    It doesn’t require any insider to tell you this. Bates, ‘the changengage people’, has been going through too many changes and appears to have failed to engage its own people. Amidst the numerous rechristening from Bates Clarion, Bates Enterprise, Bates David Enterprise, Bates 141 to Bates Asia, the agency has seen losing many of its top talent especially in the last three years when the entire transition happened from Bates Enterprise to Bates David Enterprise and then to Bates 141.

     

    Bates Asia a,s it is known today, is part of the WPP network. The reason behind so many mergers that the agency has gone through was to create a large or mid-sized agency rather than having too many boutique-sized in the bouquet. However, among all these mergers, the agency has lost its focus says an insider who has been closely associated with the agency. He says that there are so many changes not just of top management but also of methods and philosophies hence leading to a lack of focus in the agency. He said, “The agency is not sticking to one story but has been moving ahead without any plan thus lacking any consistency.”

     

    Sometime in 2005, Bates India and Enterprise Nexus merged with Subhash Kamath was appointed as the CEO while Mohammed Khan, the founder of Enterprise Nexus took charge as the Executive Chairman. While the agency was still trying to adapt to these changes, another merger was announced. This was in 2007, when David, Ogilvy’s second agency that was headed by Josy Paul was merged with Bates Enterprise. Paul decided not to get into this new entity especially as David was his own baby probably not wanting to see his agency being sandwiched between Bates and Enterprise.

     

    However, Bates David Enterprise didn’t last long and in between one saw Bates acquiring Sercon which was essentially a BTL agency and the agency took on the new avatar of Bates 141. In all this, Subhash Kamath, the CEO moved out to BBH. During the period, there were many exits from the agency, including that of Alok Agrawal who was heading the Delhi branch, Ashok Vidyasagar, the Bangalore Branch head among others. Russell Barrett quit Bates where he was the ECD to join BBH. Not to forget, in the APAC region too there were movements, like in 2010, Edward Pank the MD of Bates 141 had quit. Jeffrey Yu, the Chairman of Bates141 quit and so did Digby Richards, the CEO of Bates 141 Asia Pacific. The reason for quitting of Yu was over ‘disagreement of the future direction of the agency network’. That’s when Tim Isaac, the current Chairman of Bates took over.

     

    There was management rejig in 2008 post Kamath’s exit with Sandeep Pathak being appointed the CEO, Manosh Mukherjee as the COO, Dheeraj Sinha, Chief Strategy Officer and amongst others significant being Sonal Dabral being appointed India Chairman and Regional Creative Director. Also Sagar Mahableshwarkar joined as the National Creative Director for Bates141 in 2010. So for a bit it seemed Bates141 had finally settled it at least with its top management in place. However, there was no buzz around the agency. The news of Colgate-Palmolive business being parked at Bates brought some cheer.

     

    It was only in October 2011, it was announced that Bates Asia will take its current avatar sans the 141 tag. However, with the recent development of Dabral moving out who had just started to be a visible representative of Bates Asia and then soon after news of Sandeep Pathak too quitting has led one to question if all is well at the agency? Senior people within the agency vouch that there is nothing wrong at the agency and its mere coincidence that two senior resources are moving out at the same time. But it is learnt that many at the agency also the senior management are already circulating their CVs and looking for greener pastures.

     

    But one does wonder whether all these mergers really did any good to the agency of paved way for this kind of instability. It definitely is a herculean task to merge two agencies what with staff, designation, accounts, office and different methodologies. And to think that Bates has been on this path since 2005 definitely gives a shaky image to the agency. Let’s just hope that Bates Asia has reached its final avatar and the agency will only grow from now as the worst has happened. However, as an aside, there is always the possibility of merging with big daddy Ogilvy!

     

  • Mr Gotlieb will focus on the overall strategic direction of GroupM; Mr Proctor will oversee management of GroupM’s agencies worldwide

    Change time @ Group M. Irwin Gotlieb is chairman, Dominic Proctor is prez. Nick Emery is new Mindshare CEO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Media agency major GroupM has announced that Mr Dominic Proctor, long-time CEO of Mindshare Worldwide, will be President of GroupM. The position is newly created.

     

    The announcement was made by GroupM Global CEO Mr Irwin Gotlieb, who said the move is designed to strengthen the company’s senior management team in order to successfully meet today’s marketplace challenges and opportunities.

     

    In his new role, Mr Proctor will continue to report to Mr Gotlieb, who officially becomes GroupM Chairman as part of the reorganization. Mr Proctor will be succeeded as Mindshare Worldwide CEO by Mr Nick Emery, currently the London-based Chief Strategy Officer for Mindshare.

     

    “These changes represent a logical and important progression for us, and we’re confident that our clients and staff will prosper as a consequence,” Mr Gotlieb said, making the announcement. “Our rate of growth and the complexity of our business require that we constantly evolve. Media investment management sits at the crossroads of media, data and technology and we must be positioned to capture the significant opportunities that are on the horizon.”

     

    Under the new structure, Mr Gotlieb will focus on the overall strategic direction of GroupM and ensure that the company deploys data and technology to drive change for the benefit of GroupM clients and stakeholders. Mr Proctor will oversee management of GroupM’s agencies worldwide, which in addition to Mindshare include Maxus, MEC, and MediaCom. GroupM’s regional heads, as well as the CEOs of the company’s four major media agencies, will report to him.

     

    “I’m especially pleased that Dominic, who has been so instrumental in the long-term success of Mindshare, has agreed to move into this new and important role in GroupM and concentrate on the global management of our company,” Mr Gotlieb said.

     

    Mr Proctor has deep experience in managing media agencies. He launched Mindshare Worldwide in September 1997 as WPP’s first media investment management agency and led the company over the ensuing years to its current position as one of the leading media shops in the world. He started his career in 1979 and worked in various advertising agencies before joining JWT in London, where he became Media Director in 1989, Managing Director in 1991, and Chief Executive in December 1992. He held this position for five years, during which time he also had a seat on the board of JWT Worldwide.

     

    “GroupM has become a large and complicated company requiring more hands on the wheel than in previous years,” Mr Proctor said. “We have many more moving parts and we need more operational management to maximize the opportunities across our agencies. I’m delighted to step into this role, and equally pleased that Nick has accepted the CEO role at Mindshare. He has been a great partner since the start, and Mindshare will go from strength to strength under his leadership.”

     

    Mr Emery, a Mindshare veteran who joined the company when it was founded in 1997 and has worked closely with Mr Proctor ever since, said: “Mindshare is a great global network with fantastic, market leading talent and clients. I’m honoured and privileged to be able to take over from Dominic.”

     

  • Milestone Brandcom is slated to venture into the rural communication space with Milestone Rural, the digital space with Milestone Digital and aims to set up a creative agency too

    Coming soon: Milestone Digital and Milestone Rural

    By Robin Thomas

     

    In a bid to extend its services, out-of-home media agency, Milestone Brandcom has big plans and is all set to enter the rural communication and digital space and set up a creative agency, all within the next one year.

     

    Milestone Brandcom is slated to venture into the rural communication space with Milestone Rural in the next three to six months. The next six to twelve months will see Milestone Brandcom entering the digital space as well with Milestone Digital. In addition to these developments, in a year’s time, Milestone Brandcom aims to set up a creative agency under the brand name Milestone Brandcom. It will be a mainstream creative agency which will handle the entire creative communication programme, be it TVC, print or radio.

     

    Through Milestone Digital, brands will be able to explore social media campaigns, digital OOH innovations and various other digital initiatives and campaigns. Milestone Brandcom, therefore, is aiming to provide enormous opportunities for brands to extend their communication ambit in the digital space.

     

    “Digital and Out- of- Home works hand-in-hand and therefore it increases enormous possibilities for brands. Since the digital and social media space is unique and real time, it just scales up the opportunities. You will see us in the digital space in the next 6-12 months time,” said Mr Nabendu Bhattacharyya, Managing Director, Milestone Brandcom.

     

    Milestone Rural, on the other hand, aims to reach out to the rural consumers, particularly in those areas where television and print have limited or no access at all. “Milestone Rural is about communication in ruralIndiawhere television and press don’t reach all marketers and brands looking at next destination for their growth story. We would be launching Milestone Rural in next 3-6 months time” shared Mr Bhattacharyya.

     

    Today, Milestone Brandcom has an Out of Home media division – Milestone Out of Home, a retail division – Milestone Last Mile and an event promotion division – Milestone Connect. With the soon to be launched digital and rural communication initiatives, Milestone Brandcom aims to build an entire vertical which will provide complete integrated solutions to their clients.

     

    Milestone Brandcom is said to have over 70 established brands in its kitty. Tata Docomo, Colors, McDonalds, Binani Cement, Axis Bank, HDFC Mutual Fund, Dish TV and Franklyn Templeton to name a few. The recent additions to its client list are L’Oreal Paris and Garnier.

     

    Speaking about Milestone Brandcom in 2012, Mr Bhattacharyya observed: “In just two years we have reached a stage where we are one of the leading agencies in the country. We have already touched the Rs200 crore plus mark in turnover. In 2012, we will try and offer our existing clients more solutions and we will continue to expand our services. We have been growing 100 per cent since the last two years, and this year is going to be no different.”

     

    In the next three years Milestone Brandcom aims to plough back the profitability into the business with more investment on quality talent, manpower, on production set up, and technology.

     

  • At the touch of a mouse, a universe of customizable radio – what's not to like, asks Prashant Panday.

    The Anchor: 5 reasons online radio will grow in India

    By Prashant Panday

     

    #1 Variety in Music Programming

    As internet radio grows it will offer much more variety in music programming. The internet is the future of everything, and radio happens to be part of it. Radio is currently hamstrung by the music royalty license issue, but we hope that it will get sorted out soon. Once that happens, all Indian radio stations will be available online.

     

    #2 No Geographical Boundaries

    Geographical boundaries that exist today will be demolished. What will happen is that a listener in Mumbai will be able to hear a Delhi radio station and vice- versa, or a New York station in Mumbai etc.

     

    #3 Higher Interactivity

    There will be far higher interactivity. For example, if I like a song, I will be able to download it instantaneously. In fact, download speed will further increase as 4G services will be available; and as broadband internet penetration increases, it will bring more users on board.

     

    #4 It Will be Wonderful for Artists

    As online radio grows strong it will help artists make a mark in the music industry merely on the back of great content; whereas today, a whole lot of marketing support is required.

     

    #5 New Challenges and New Opportunities

    For broadcasters it will bring new challenges because there will be much more competition, it will also offer new opportunities because then the whole world will be our oyster.

     

    Prashant Panday is CEO, Radio Mirchi.

     

  • comSCORE reports company's premium publisher network as reaching nearly 500 million unique users worldwide.

    Tribal Fusion is now world’s 2nd largest digital display ads provider

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tribal Fusion, the global online advertising provider owned by Exponential, is the world’s second largest source of display advertising, according to comSCORE’s December 2011 rankings of the leading global display networks.

     

    Site reach measurement service comSCORE reported that Tribal Fusion’s premium publisher network reached more than 490 million unique users globally, behind only Google (1.2bn) and just head of AOL Advertising (477m), which includes its advertising.com ad network subsidiary.

     

    The company said the new ranking reflected its growing global presence and increased demand from brand advertisers for campaigns that take advantage of its rich-media capabilities to offer more engaging creative executions.

     

    Dilip DaSilva, founder and CEO of Tribal Fusion and parent company Exponential, said: “Brand advertisers across the globe are increasingly looking for new ways to leverage digital media to connect with their prospective customers and are looking for the same kind of high-impact and emotionally engaging creative messaging that they get from traditional TV advertising. And beyond just reaching their prospective customers, our tight integration with our publishing partners, allows brands to connect at scale with prospective customers using high-impact, engaging messaging.”

     

    Founded in 2001, Tribal Fusion has expanded across the globe and now operates offices in 37 locations worldwide including theUnited States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.

     

    “Digital media can be accessed by visitors in any country; as a result most premium publishers attract a global audience. Through our ability to monetize publisher inventory in so many countries, we have now become the partner of choice for premium publishers in every country,” said DaSilva.

     

  • The Awards also dedicated a special segment to the legends of Indian cinema marking the beginning of '100 years of Indian Cinema' celebrations.

    A night filled with stars and entertainment at the7th Apsara awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    The 7th Chevrolet Apsara Awards 2012 powered by Venus Soap saw a glittering, star-studded event held at Mumbai’s plush Yashraj Studios. The Film & Television Producers Guild of India and Wizcraft International Entertainment announced the much awaited winners for the finest talents in film and television for 2011. The 7th Chevrolet Apsara Awards 2012 ceremony saw the who’s who of the industry.

     

    Ranbir Kapoor, on winning the Best Actor Award for Rockstar, said: “This is my 3rd Apsara Award and actually, I don’t feel humbled because I worked really hard for this role, so I’m very happy that I got the award for it. I express my deepest gratitude to the Guild for giving me this honour; it is very special to me.”

     

    Commenting on the ceremony, Mr. Sumit Sawhney, VP Marketing, Sales & Service, General Motors India said: “Chevrolet Apsara Awards is an endeavour to honour excellence in cinema and television by the stalwarts of the industry itself. This is our third straight year of association with the Chevrolet Apsara awards, a partnership that has really given us a wide reach acrossIndia. It is one of many initiatives that has served to increase the awareness and purchase consideration of Chevrolet vehicles inIndia.”

     

    Mr. Rahul Gyanchandani, Director, RSPL Ltd said: “We take pride in associating with Apsara Award which is the official award event of Television and Film Producer’s Guild and is an important event for the industry. We are proud to be associated with this award and feel that our brand, Venus Coconut Soap, would definitely reap rich dividends out of this association. We hope this partnership to continue for many years to come.”

     

    Speaking on the list of celebrity performers, Sabbas Joseph, Director, Wizcraft Entertainment International Ltd. said: “We have always been pleased to partner with the Guild for the Chevrolet Apsara Awards and strive every year to recognize talent in the Indian entertainment industry. The 7th edition of the Awards was a grand success and the night was one of winners.”

     

    Speaking about Colors’ association with Apsara Film and Television Producers Guild Awards TM, Mr. Raj Nayak, CEO – Colors, said: “Colors has been associated with the Apsara Awards for two years now. It is a perfect platform for Bollywood and Television stars to come together and celebrate the excellence that they have put forth through their efforts during the course of the past year.”

     

    On stage, the director duo Farah Khan and Karan Johar were the masters of ceremony. They entertained the audience with their wit and humor and camaraderie.

     

    Highlights of the evening were the enthralling performances by the stars themselves. The most exciting act was the soon-to-be-wed Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza enacting their love story. Along with many other spell-binding performances and other stars joining in the baarat, this was truly a prelude to their wedding celebrations.

     

    King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan set the stage ablaze as he grooved to the tunes of his latest movie Don 2. Svelte Kareena Kapoor put up a sizzling performance as she danced to some of the most popular South Indian hit songs like Nakka Mukka, Ringa Ringa and the recently popularized Kolaveri Di.

     

    The 7th Chevrolet Apsara Awards also dedicated a special segment to the legends of Indian cinema and their glorious years in Bollywood. This act marked the beginning of ‘100 years of Indian Cinema’ celebrations.

     

    A special act designed by Shiamak Davar and his troupe paid tribute to iconic stars like Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu, Shashi Kapoor, Dr. Vyjanthimala Bali, Waheeda Rehman, Asha Parekh, Manoj Kumar, Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Vinod Khanna, Zeenat Aman, Rajesh Khanna, Hema Malini to name a few. Shahrukh Khan hosted the segment and spoke to the legends about the centenary celebrations.

     

    Amisha Patel mesmerized the audiences with a scintillating performance on hit item numbers ‘Chikni Chameli’, ‘Ooh La La’ and ‘Madhubala’. ‘Band Baaja Baarat’ star Anushka Sharma shook a leg with popular TV stars – Nandish Sandhu of Uttran, Sushant Singh of Pavitra Rishta and Shabbir Ahluwalia, winner of ‘Khatron ke Khiladi 3’ to three different styles of dance including Lezim, Hip-Hop and Bollywood.

     

    Of course, in the midst of all this entertainment, the envelopes were opened to reveal the winners for 2012 who accepted their Award amidst excitement and fervour, as the air was filled with thunderous applause and cheers.

     

    Watch the magic of the 7th Chevrolet Apsara Awards 2012 exclusively on Colors.

     

  • Ogilvy Delhi has created a new 'talkative' TVC for Best Rice

    Simply talking rice with Ogilvy Delhi

    By A Correspondent

     

    How often does one talk about rice? Mostly during lunch, one would guess. In the last few weeks, though, the little white grains have become the talk of the town. Thanks to the “talkative” commercials that are currently on air for Best Foods International. In consumer-speak, they are a treat to watch. But what has gone behind cooking up these tasteful advertisements is another story.

     

    It all started when Dinesh Gupta, Managing Director, Best Foods Ltd decided to rope in Ogilvy & Mather, New Delhi to design its corporate brand identity. Complete, from stationery to new packaging design. The new pack was an instant rage in the market because of its fresh and ethnic Indian look. It was a sweet start to a new relationship and somewhere in this was hidden a big idea for the commercials.

     

    Best wanted their rice to be in everyone’s mouth and their brand name on everyone’s lips. In came the requirement to create TV commercials. Dr Aayushman Gupta, Business Director, Best Foods Ltd says, “We had an interesting challenge to reposition rice from an uninvolved product for the consumer to a desirable brand. The positioning and communication had to be out-of-the-box, clear, uncluttered and keeping with the times through its cues and presentation. The entire team at Ogilvy Delhi thought wonderfully to help us plan and execute the same.”

     

    Ajay Gahlaut, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy, New Delhi elaborates on the idea, “There are various ways of bringing the thought of “The Perfect Match” alive and several were tried. But experience shows that consumers always warm up to human stories. Specially love stories, which is where we hit upon the idea of using different couples to make our idea talk. The chemistry between the couples brings charm to the commercials while effortlessly communicating the brand benefit.”

     

    Three scripts were devised for three strategic markets. Each commercial weaved a story about a perfect couple. Nitin Srivastava, Senior Creative Director, Ogilvy New Delhi recalls, “Cracking the idea was the hard part but fleshing it out was immense fun. We enjoyed writing stories after stories before we finally rested at three. Here, I would like to specially mention the efforts of Umesh Grover and Jonathan George who behaved like the perfect match on this project.”

     

    Amit Sharma of Chrome was a wise choice to shoot these scripts. His adept handling of emotions and dialogues comes out in full glory in the series. The films showed how couples from different age groups, mindsets and geographies have something in common – the flavour. Chrome Films did thorough planning and research for two months before finalising the casting. All films were shot in a single take to bring out natural reactions from the couples.

     

    Best Foods Ltd have already begun their plans for the coming year. Ogilvy, New Delhi is gearing up to lay out a brand new, sumptuous experience of films. The consumers too, are waiting eagerly for a fresh serving.

     

    Credits:

    Company: Best Foods Ltd.

    Product: Best Rice

    Production House- Chrome Pictures

    Director- Amit Sharma

    Creative team: Ajay Gahlaut, Nitin Srivastava, Umesh Grover & Jonathan George

    Client servicing team: Sharmista Dev, Vineet Kindra, Shivani Sharma & Lagun Sehgal