MxMIndia

Tag: Dr M G Parameswaran

  • Swamy is the Chairman of R K Swamy Hansa, a prominent and well diversified marketing communications group

    Srinivasan K Swamy to be conferred with AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award 2016

    By A Correspondent

     

    Srinivasan K. Swamy

    The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) announced the recipient of this year’s AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award – Srinivasan K Swamy, popularly known as Sundar Swamy. This Award is the highest honour to be given to an individual in India for his/her outstanding contribution to the advertising Industry. This award was instituted in 1988 by AAAI and so far 23 persons have been bestowed with this award earlier.

     

    Swamy is the Chairman of R K Swamy Hansa, a prominent and well diversified marketing communications group. Swamy has been active in various industry bodies working towards the growth and development of the advertising industry. He was President of AAAI for three consecutive terms (2004 – 2007) and continues to take active interest in the activities of AAAI. He is the Vice Chairman of Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), and a Board Member of Audit Bureau of Circulations. Swamy was also President of All India Management Association during 2008-09. He was the President of The Madras Chamber of Commerce & Industry (2008-10), Madras Management Association (2001-02) and the Advertising Club, Madras (1988-89).

     

    He is serving his fourth term as the President of the India Chapter of International Advertising Association and was recently elected as Senior Vice President of International Advertising Association, the global body. Swamy is Vice Chairman of Asian Federation of Advertising Associations. Earlier he was Chairman of Confederation of Asian Advertising Agency Associations during 2008-10.

     

    In addition, Swamy is actively involved with socially relevant institutions for the improvement of society viz.  220 bed, multi-discipline tertiary care, Hindu Mission Hospital at Chennai catering to the urban poor and the surrounding rural areas; Chairman of Valluvar Gurukulam School Society which runs a school for 2800 poor students, primarily girls and Vice President of National Boys and Girls Education Society, a premium education institution in Central Chennai which runs three reputed schools. He is also Chairman of Vidyadhanam and Annadhanam Trust, a Vedic Padasala of Sri Ahobila Mutt and Trustee in the Consumers Association of India and Concert.

     

    M G Parameswaran

    Making the announcement, Dr M G Parameswaran, President, AAAI, stated that “If there is one person who has tirelessly worked for the advertising industry, for over two decades, in various industry bodies, it is Sundar Swamy. So in a sense it was an easy choice this year. We are hopeful that AAAI and its member agencies will have his continued involvement and inputs as we navigate the ever changing terrain of advertising business.”

     

    The AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to an individual who has been a practitioner of advertising for twenty-five years and had been in the top management position; has been or continues to be an active participant in industry bodies and or made significant contributions in shaping the industry priorities which enabled the advertising industry to grow, prosper and  become more professionalized;  individual  known for his integrity, ethical practice and leadership qualities;  contributed to his Company/Companies growth by innovative thinking and taking them in newer directions; involved in projects of social consequence which is seen as a role model for the industry at large and had been an industry veteran.

     

    The AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Swamy on 29th July 2016 in Mumbai.

     

  • The course is aimed at identifying, nurturing, and providing high quality creative talent to member agencies

    3-month online copywriting course unveiled by AAAI

    By A Correspondent

     

    Advertising Agencies Association India (AAAI), has launched a specialized course in Advertising Copywriting, online. In keeping with the objectives of AAAI, the course is aimed at identifying, nurturing, and providing high quality creative talent to member agencies.

     

    The course has been developed by Omnivore Academy, AAAI’s Knowledge Partner, and is backed by experienced faculty who are not only acclaimed and much-awarded Creative Directors, with an enviable portfolio of successful campaigns under their belt, but are excellent teachers too, a rare combination.

     

    The duration of the course is 3 months, and will be conducted entirely online. The course can be accessed by a student anywhere, anytime, as long as he/she has internet connectivity. The curriculum has been developed keeping in mind the specific needs of the advertising industry – so it covers everything a copywriter would need to know and work on in an agency – from understanding the brief, to generating ideas, writing headlines, body copy, slogans/taglines, writing scripts for TV and Radio, developing campaigns for Digital Media, etc.

     

    The course consists of 18 modules, 20 exercises and will take around 3 hours of course-work every week during the 12 week / 3 month program.

     

    Dr M G Parameswaran

    Speaking on this initiative, Dr M G Parameswaran, President, AAAI, said, “At AAAI training and development is a key part of our agenda and we are rolling out a series of initiatives under the banner ‘AAAI PROWESS’. The online copywriting course with knowledge partner Omnivore Academy is the first under this new banner. Since the course is run under the aegis of AAAI, we have powerful resources at work here – the Panel of Advisors comprise highly respected people from the advertising industry. We are delighted to have Omnivore Academy as our Knowledge Partners as they bring on substantive and enriched learning into their unique curriculum.

     

    “We want to give talented young people from all over the country an opportunity to excel in a creative career,” he said, “So we’re offering 50% Scholarship to candidates who pass the AdCAT (Advertising Creative Aptitude Test), and successfully complete the course.”

     

    He continued, “We want the course to be a complete ‘incubation’ process’ – from finding talented young people, to nurturing them, and finally giving them hands-on, practical experience. So we’re also endeavoring to offer a 2-month internship with member agencies. And if she/he proves to be good, the agency may offer a job, too!”

     

    Rajan Nair

    Adman Rajan Nair, Course Director, Omnivore Academy and visiting faculty at MICA, said: “We are looking forward to commencing the course soon and are confident it would develop a great pipeline of copywriting talent for the industry”.

     

    The course will start on 1 Sept, 2015, with the first batch of 30 students.

     

  • The Knowledge Seminars will include a fusion of inspiring speakers on a cross section of subjects which delegates are generally not exposed to

    Goafest Knowledge Seminar committee announces additional speakers

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Organizing Committee of Goafest 2015 released the second list of speakers for the Knowledge Seminars. The names are: Chetan Bhagat, Author, Vikas Bahl, Indian Film Producer, Screenwriter & Director, Suhas Gopinath, CEO and Chairman of Global INC., East India Comedy, one of the most promising names in the comedy circuit. This year, the Knowledge Seminars will include a fusion of inspiring speakers on a cross section of subjects which delegates are generally not exposed to.

     

    Nakul Chopra
    M G Parameswaran

    Commenting on the list of speakers, Nakul Chopra, Chairman of Goafest 2015 & Vice President of Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) said, “In its 10th year we want Goafest to be spectacular. Our endeavour is to make the content of the festival even richer. We want the young delegates to have the fullest opportunity to learn, imbibe and celebrate creativity.”

     

    Dr. M.G. Parameswaran, President of AAAI said, “The diverse and stimulating line up of speakers will be a great learning for all the delegates. We look forward to great sessions with each one of these reputed speakers.”

     

  • Shashi Sinha & M G Parameswaran pay tribute to Anil Kapoor who will be presented the Life Achievement Award by the AAAI

    Anil Kapoor: An ‘Outsider’ who was more than an ‘Equal’

     

    All roads lead to the Trident at Nariman Point today (Sept 27) as the Advertising Agencies Association of India felicitates and awards Anil Kapoor, Chairman Emeritus, Draftfcb+Ulka with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

     

    A little about Mr Kapoor, courtesy the Draftfcb+Ulka website: His love for challenges saw him taking charge of Draftfcb+Ulka (Ulka Advertising, at the time), turning it into the fastest growing agency in India and taking its rightful place as one of the ‘Big Five’. With the formation of Draftfcb in 2006, Mr Kapoor was appointed as Draftfcb President with responsibility for Asia-Pacific region and Africa.

     

    He was appointed Chairman Emeritus of Draftfcb + Ulka, after a 22-year stint with the company and its other associated agencies. As one who is known to make things happen, his role expanded naturally into industry bodies. He is a Past President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), the Chairman of the Audit Bureau of Circulation of 2007-08 and was also on the Management Board of the National Readership Survey and the Television Audience Measurement Research. He was also on the Editorial Advisory Board of The Economic Times. In May 2002, Mr Kapoor was also inducted into the Foote, Cone & Belding’s Worldwide Board.

     

    Before joining Draftfcb+Ulka, Mr Kapoor was with the Boots Company, India, for 14 years, where, as the Marketing Director, he launched a string of brands, all of which went on to become No. 1 in their markets. At Boots, he also set up two field forces, one for consumer products and the other for ethical pharmaceutical products. Before that, he was with the legendary agency MCM and though not the cause, he says he had to preside over its closure – quite a learning experience! Now a confirmed Mumbaikar, Mr Kapoor grew up in Delhi and graduated with a BA in English Literature from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and then did his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

     

    Dr M G Parameswaran

    Executive Director and CEO, Draftfcb + Ulka

    I have worked with Anil Kapoor for over two decades and I have seen him in various roles, as Head of Marketing of a large British multinational, as a CEO of a pioneering media company and as a CEO of a struggling ad agency. One thing that defines him is his ‘Never Say Die’ attitude. When he joined Ulka no one thought he had a chance of saving an agency that was fast sinking. In fact someone who is revered in advertising world even told me that I was mad to join Anil Kapoor in his mission of saving an ailing Indian agency. Anil proved all his detractors wrong though his passion, attitude and commitment to the cause. He also showed the industry how to build a strong team and keep it together for two decades. How to build an agency group entirely from within, and without the help of international experts and hand-me-down accounts. He demonstrated how to partner clients at senior levels to launch one successful brand after another,  in tough market conditions. As Ulka became FCB Ulka and later DraftFCB Ulka, his managerial and leadership skills got recognized on the global stage, many times over.

     

    Anil Kapoor, who was seen as an outsider in the Industry, was soon accepted as an equal and may be as a ‘more than an equal’. He went on to play leadership role in various industry bodies such as AAAI and ABC. He was instrumental in setting up the independent NRS survey in the mid-’90s.  He also played a very vital role in helping the formation of IBF as a body that could work with AAAI to create norms and processes on how agencies work with television.

     

    We don’t have too many people in advertising industry today who can fill his shoes.  While Anil Kapoor continues to serves as the Chairman Emeritus of Draftfcb Ulka Group and continues to play the role of an advisor to the Group which he built,  he has not been involved with industry affairs for almost a decade. I am sure it is the industry’s loss that he decided to move on. But then, all things have to change, and that is not an entirely bad thing after all.

     

    Shashi Sinha

    CEO, IPG Mediabrands and Lodestar UM

    They don’t make people like Anil Kapoor these days.

     

    I have had the good pleasure of working with Draftfcb+Ulka a few years before he joined the agency from a strong client background. In fact that possibly ensured that he was very focused on deliveries.  As someone who helmed the agency for many years and even now as Chairman Emeritus, we and our clients included have always known him to be a no-nonsense man. Forthright, never into any frivolous conversation. He was always focused on the task on hand.

     

    He had a keen eye on the business and would actively engage with all his clients.  Even now when some of us meet him, his observations are pertinent to the business and may I say: bang-on.

     

    Anil Kapoor has always been an excellent people manager considering his team has been together for so long.

     

    I have always had an excellent rapport with him and have found in him a Guru whom I admire and respect.