MxMIndia

Tag: Jean-Yves Naouri

  • Soon after making the acquisitions of MarketGate and Istrat public, Publicis Groupe's Jean-Yves Naouri and Bertrand Siguier spoke with MxMIndia

    Acquisitions will continue: Publicis

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    This is Jean-Yves Naouri’s third officially announced visit to India. As Chief Operating Officer of Publicis Groupe and Executive Chairman of Publicis Worldwide, he has been the group with 19 years and knows perfectly well that India is a very critical market for the network over the next five years. Soon after announcing the acquisition of well-known consulting firm MarketGate and digital shop iStrat, Mr Naori addressed the media in Mumbai. He spoke to MxMIndia and a dozen other business and trade publications before flying back to Paris soon after midnight.

     

    Jean-Yves Naouri

    We had made a conscious decision a few years ago that Publicis will work with two strategic pillars – one is digital and the other is e-commerce. This is a long-term strategy that we have drawn out. So we are not considering tactical investments, we are moving forward using our previously devised strategy.

     

    When you talk about slowdown,  many countries dream to have the kind of growth that India has shown this year. We are very confident in the potential that India seems to offer and have taken some measures that seem to be promising. So we strongly believe in the potential of India going forward and by making investments we are not looking at the GDP numbers vis-a-vis the year 2012 but the longer implications that it would offer.

     

    Don’t you feel it would have been apt for you to have a one digital agency servicing all other agencies?

    This is not the approach that we have. For us digital is an intrinsic part of our vision and strategy and we want to make Publicis group the numero uno digital company. We want every single operation to become fully digital. This is a change of approach in order to better service our client. You cannot expect one digital agency to service all our clients not only because of cost reasons but also sometimes they do not have all the capabilities required to cover all areas. So we have made a choice to have a different approach where we want every single operation to become fully digital. We are consciously strengthening and adapting our every single operation and that’s how you see Indigo joining hands with Leo Burnett and participating in this transformation. Also, iStrat joining Publicis and Resultrix joining ZO… Saatchi has a very different organic approach where it is hiring digital talent to transform itself from the inside.

     

    So wouldn’t hiring hiring talent have been better?

    I do not think one strategy can be better; strategy is a result of the approach that we are taking or the conscious analysis of the best way by brands based on their contracts and situations and sometimes we feel it is better to do it organically and sometimes through acquisitions.

     

    How would you rate the performance of Publicis Groupe in India?

    Firstly, we have made India our true area of focus. As we’ve said, in the BRIC countries we have doubled the size of our operations in Brazil over two years, we are on the verge of doing the same in China and we continue to accelerate our efforts in India.

     

    And if you were to compare your network versus the others operating in India?

    I do not look at comparisons rather I look at our clients – that is what matters to us. This has been the driving force for us. When we announce our strategic plans the first element that we take into consideration is: what do our clients need and how can we take them to the next level? So the acquisition of MarketGate on the one hand that brings in some strong expertise in consulting to the CEOs and CMOs with undisputed talent is one such message. Also, the fact that we have announced our partnership with IBM in the area of e-commerce and have presence in China and in India is also a strong commitment to this domain.

     

    We also look at initiatives in the healthcare domain where India is very strongly placed.

     

    Is research something that you are looking at in a big way?

    No, we are not looking at research for some conscious reasons. We feel odd that a same company will be releasing a campaign and will also be judging its relevance through a market research company of its own. We see an ambiguity there and are not pleased with it. Secondly, there is a profound transformation of market research these days and it’s due to digital. It enables you to have access to the best sample of audience from around the world that can provide you immediate and more adequate reactions to your needs. So we do not feel comfortable investing in research.

     

    How active is Razorfish going to be in India?

    It is very likely that we will see some development of all our pure-play digital agencies.

     

    In 2010, you had mentioned that your revenue will double by 2015. Do you see that goal being achieved a bit earlier?

    If there is a surprise, I would announce it in due time.

     

    Any regrets on not bidding aggressively enough for Taproot India?

    We never look back; we look forward.

     

    Can we expect any more acquisitions in the near future?

    We will continue to explore possibilities and again, I use the word acquisitions in different ways. It’s a acquisition of talent, of companies etc.

     

    Are you looking at acquiring more creative agencies?

    We have no limitations in the areas that we are strong in. India is important for us and we will continue to strengthen our focus around it.

     

    ***

     

    The advertising business is not like Bollywood: Bertrand Siguier

     

    You could mistake him for a pensioner sipping his cup of coffee and reading the papers at the India International Centre or the Indian Merchants Chamber. At the media interaction at Mumbai’s Four Seasons Hotel last Friday, he was quiet looking around occasionally to figure what was happening.

     

    Bertrand Siguier has a rather long title: Special Advisor to Maurice, Levy chairman of Publicis Groupe. He was Executive Vice-President of the group till 2009. Mr Siguier has been overseeing India operations for a while and is familiar with the market here. Soon after the announcements of the twin acquisitions of MarketGate and iStrat, and as the mediapersons made a beeline for Jean-Yves Naouri (interviewed above) and MarketGate CEO Shripad Nadkarni or IStrat CEO Navneet Singh Sahni, MxMIndia caught up with Mr Siguier for a quick, freewheeling chat.

     

    Bertrand Siguier

    Wouldn’t it have been better if you would have had one digital agency that services various creative agencies rather than three that the Publicis Groupe has acquired this year?

    It is one of the ways to go about doing business but we have chosen to do it the other way round and that’s because of our agencies. For example, given that Leo Burnett is quite big and that it prefers to operate in a certain way, we didn’t want to twist their arms and force Arvind Sharma to follow a certain model. That’s one of the reasons that we acquired Indigo, which is one of the biggest and best digital agencies in this country. If you ask me whether Indigo would work with other companies in our group I would say, yes.

     

    Do you think the issue of fiefdoms or egos is an international trend or is it just limited to India?

    It’s an international trend I would say except a few countries. Like say India, which is a priority and a large market and has potential, we can yes. But in other countries that is not the case. It may be okay for India, Turkey or Germany.

     

    What about Saatchi & Saatchi? It’s still not up there in India?

    Saatchi will be back; we’re not going to let Saatchi go down. Saatchi has a huge history and we need to have a strong Saatchi in India, which hasn’t been the case for some time. It will be the case starting next year. There has been a change in leadership already last year with the coming in of Matt Seddon who is not Indian but has done a terrific job in restoring order in the organisation. It is not an easy job to do….

     

    What about Publicis – are you content with the way the agency is doing in India?

    Oh, yes, we are very happy with Publicis; altogether it is doing very well. If you ask me, I am not pleased with anything but given the overall picture Leo Burnett is doing well, Publicis has made a lot of progress but I still want to see more in terms of creativity and visibility. For example, we were not present enough in Goafest so, that is one area that we need to work on.

     

    But Publicis is not considered a sexy agency in India…

    You may be right but you have a very Indian focus. I do not know why this market is obsessed with stars – the advertising business is not like Bollywood. I know that in India some creative people are considered as stars. You see them in newspapers, you see them with beautiful ladies, you see them trying to film things for Bollywood…we are not in that league. I think we could do a bit more.

     

    With low margins, is it profitable to stay in the Media agency business these days?

    Low margins on big business can produce some satisfactory results. If you play legally and in a straightforward way and if there are no funny things going around and under the table, it’s a low-margin business.

     

    Will the doubling of turnover for Publicis happen sooner than the prescribed timeline of 2015?

    I only have a guesstimate and I think we can achieve that before the set timeline. It would be good if that happened.

     

    Are you looking at hiring more talent across creative agencies here in India?

    Yes, there is a possibility. It is a question of opportunity; I do not want to make a big declaration. If we come across companies that we feel are exceptional and have exceptional talent then why not…

     

  • The panel discussed the need to present their agencies differently; the loss of long term relation between the clients and the agencies and the need for multiple agencies to build a brand

    Goafest 2012: ‘Need for old & wise to guide youth’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Keeping in line with the theme, ‘Ideas that impact the full circle’, a panel discussion moderated by Anuradha Sengupta, Features Editor, CNBC TV18 and including panelists like Tim Love, CEO, APIMA, Vice Chairman, Omnicom Group; Jonathan Mildenhall, VP, Global Advertising Strategy and Creative Excellence, Coca-Cola; Jayant Murty, Director of Strategy, Media and Integrated Marketing, Asia Pacific Region, Intel Corp and Jean-Yves Naouri, COO, Publicis Group discussed the need to present their agencies differently; the loss of long-term relations between the clients and the agencies and the need for multiple agencies to build a brand.

     

    Tim Love observed that advertising is actually an education and noted that while the advertising industry is all about ideas and thus need young rebellious minds, there is also a need for the old and the wise to guide and direct the youth.

     

    Jean-Yves Naouri, on the other hand, insisted that creative agencies are here to respond to business and gain the trust, mind and presence in their client’s life. “Keep the dialogue between brand and consumer alive. Engage consumers as there will be people who will be inspired by the brands and this is what matters the most.”

     

    Speaking on the agency-client relationship, Jonathan Mildenhall said that it is easy to maintain one relationship better that ten different ones, and therefore he would reluctantly look outside his roster agencies for creativity. However, he felt that brands may scout for multiple creative agencies if they find the need for specialist agencies that could help them reach out to their clients more effectively. He was also quick to point that although digital is showing robust growth in India, it needs to boost its creativity in this space. “Majority of UK spends on digital, however the internet reality is bigger than the creative ambition in India.”

     

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  • The Conclave kicked off proceedings at Goafest 2012 with a clarion call to embrace the digital world

    Ad Conclave Takeout #1: Technology is the new tool for creativity!

     

    By Robin Thomas

     

    ‘Ideas that impact the full circle’ is the theme for Goafest Advertising Conclave 2012, expected to be attended by over 3,000 members of the media, advertising and marketing fraternity from not just India, but various south Asian countries as well. Yes, this year’s edition of Goafest is billed as the biggest ever in the history of the event and will include delegates from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

     

    The Goafest Advertising Conclave 2012 held on Thursday highlighted the fact that the next few years are going to be transformational as far as creativity in the industry is concerned. We live in an era where young people are growing up in a digital era, they spend more time on social network and brands are targeting their consumers on social networking sites. India is restless and what the country needs is not traditional creativity, but radical creativity. Technology is the new tool for creativity and India must immerse into it.

     

    Tim Love, CEO, APIMA, Vice Chairman, Omnicom Group spoke about how the world has become not only interconnected but also inter-dependent due to digitization and globalisation. He was also quick to point out living in an era of digitization, there is plenty of information available, but there is a need to know how to use that data effectively.

     

    Jonathan Mildenhall, VP, Global Advertising Strategy and Creative Excellence, Coca-Cola pointed out that there are two types of creativity – traditional creativity and radical creativity. What India needs today is not traditional creativity but, radical creativity. “We need to develop ideas and hence we need to integrate technology with creatives. We need to move away from 30 minute television storytelling to dynamic storytelling,” he clarified.

     

    Mr Mildenhall also explained that brand stories must add values and significance to the consumers’ life. The stories must engage the consumers and make them feel connected to the brand. “We need bigger creative thinking in our heart and we need online dialogue as well as engagement with our consumers. Nevertheless, we need to iterate our content and not replicate them.”

     

    While speaking on ‘Building brands in an era of multiple degrees of freedom’, Jayant Murty, Director of Strategy, Media and Integrated Marketing, Asia Pacific Region, Intel Corp  observed that most often brands bribe their consumers to get involved, but they fail to understand that the consumers do not want to be bribed. He added that brands must be remarkable and different. “Immerse in technology because technology is the new tool to creativity and find partners that understand the use of technology,” he further added.

     

    Keeping in line with the theme of ‘Ideas That Impact The Full Circle’, a panel discussion moderated by Anuradha Sengupta, Features Editor, CNBC TV18 and including panellists Tim Love of Omnicom Group, Jonathan Mildenhall of Coca-Cola, Jayant Murty of Intel Corp and Jean-Yves Naouri, COO, Publicis Group focussed on the need to present their agencies differently; the loss of long-term relation between the clients and the agencies and the need for multiple agencies to build a brand.

     

    Mr Love observed that advertising is actually an education, also noting that while the advertising industry is all about ideas and thus the need for young rebellious minds, there is also a need for the old and the wise to guide and direct the youth.

     

    Mr Jean-Yves Naouri, on the other hand, highlighted that creative agencies are here to respond to business and gain the trust, mind and presence in their client’s life. “Keep the dialogue between brand and consumer alive. Engage consumers as there will be people who will be inspired b the brands and this is what matters the most,” he counselled.

     

    Speaking on the agency-client relationship, Mr Mildenhall said that it is easy to maintain one relationship better that ten different ones, and therefore he would reluctantly look outside his roster agencies for creativity. However, he felt that brands may scout for multiple creative agencies if they find the need for specialist agencies that could help them reach out to their clients more effectively. He was also quick to point that although digital is showing robust growth inIndia, it needs to boost its creativity in this space. “Majority of the UK spends on digital, however the internet reality is bigger than the creative ambition inIndia.”

     

    KV Sridhar aka Pops, NCD, Leo Burnett talked about how advertisements look in a world of censorship. He was of the view that though advertising is a serious subject, it is nothing less than entertainment. Therefore, if one puts restrictions on advertisements, it may lose its enjoyment. Pops highlighted that there are two types of people in advertising, the ones that care and the ones that don’t care and therefore the industry must be sensitive to the sentiment of various people. He also said that while the industry should be governed by creativity and not regulations, there is also a need to keep a check of the contents as it is in our hands.

     

    Industry expectations are high, especially after the conclave on Thursday as was summed up by a variety of delegates. Said Niloufer Dundh, Head- Integrated Media, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt Ltd: “The advertising conclave was fabulous. Great speaker line-up and the points raised finally focused on digital. The international speakers don’t treat digital as an extra or add-on; it is part of their communication strategy. Jonathan Mildenhall’s speech on Global Advertising Strategy and Creative Excellence was awesome!”

     

    Another delegate who did not wish to be named said he was looking forward to getting the ”real” lessons from marketers. “I am glad Goafest is giving us this opportunity.” But, he said, the only problem is the “awful” heat. Now you can’t get all things in the world your way, can you?

     

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  • MxMIndia kicks off its countdown to Goafest 2012 with an interview with the organising committee chair

    10 Days to Go-Goafest! It’s all about celebrating ideas: Arvind Sharma

     

    As the countdown begins for Goafest 2012, Arvind Sharma, Chairman Goafest 2012 and Chairman, India Sub-continent, Leo Burnett, speaks to MxMIndia’s Tuhina Anand on the festival this year and why it is truly the celebration of creativity at its best.

     

    What can one expect from Goafest 2012? How will it different from last year?

    The Festival will stay true to its fundamental vision. It is a platform for celebrating creativity and a source of inspiration. Most importantly for the entire fraternity comprising young and not-so-young, Goafest is the preparatory ground for the industry to gauge where and how to go forward. I feel that the core, sometimes, is forgotten in the bid to do something new.

     

    I mean, we live in a world which is changing rapidly, so having something new is inevitable. If you look at successful festivals around the world 90 per cent remain the same. Similarly, at Goafest, we have defined categories and 95 per cent remain the same in terms of predictability of entering, judging, Awards Governing Council and Goafest Committee. There is consistency in that format and our effort of providing conversations. All this is same as what one had last year.

    Having said that about the predictability factor, let me also add that moving forward is equally important.

     

    So, what’s new?

    This year we are looking at ways to involve clients in a meaningful way. The fact is that, there would be no advertising if there were no clients. The business of advertising is about partnering with the marketers. We, at Goafest, believe in evolving vision that doesn’t really mean evolving identically, but in evolving together. We look at bringing in more opportunity for conversations and that’s the reason why we have brought clients this time into the seminar.

     

    There is a slight change in the format. So far, there have been series of international speakers, while some of these presentations have been received well, some weren’t, and there have been questions on the relevance of those to India. Changing that, we have brought in senior Indian clients to raise questions after the presentation. So there will be 30-35 minutes for the speaker followed by 10-15 minutes of Q&A led by a senior Indian client. He or she will be the voice and mind of the audience and bring in the Indian perspective to the entire presentation by agreeing, challenging, bringing contextual light and interpreting the whole presentation.

     

    We have also brought the Marketing Wizards to Goafest. This is calling the under-30 staff of the marketing community. We have had a good response and we expect overall 70 to 80 major advertisers to participate, which include team of two people representing to some even registering team of 30 people even though we have a limit to numbers.

     

    Why this whole idea of bringing in Grand Prix to all verticals?

    Grand Prix, traditionally, has been awarded in Print, TV and Integrated. This year, we have expanded the Grand Prix to cover all the 9 verticals. This was not an easy decision and the step was debated. We believe that the time has come for specialists in area to move to the centrestage. I don’t really know if the jury will find works worthy enough for Grand Prix in each of the vertical, but this would help in finding worthy advertising and celebrating it around India and even around the world.

     

    For a young designer who is always on the periphery of an agency, winning gold is good but winning the GrandPrix might help in moving the same person to leadership position. We hope that the move will catalyze long term fundament change in the way we create advertising.

     

    We hear this year there are entries from other South Asian countries?

    Yes, we have entries from Sri Lanka and Pakistan and we will have delegates from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. In South Asia, we have different cultures but there are more similarities than differences within those cultures and we can learn a lot from each other. Unfortunately, the politics of the subcontinent is more difficult. We had planned a road show in various countries but our passports got stuck and this could not happen.

     

    Can you throw some light on the conclave and the seminar?

    We have put together an enviable list of names and these are speakers who really are worthy of listening. Jean-Yves Naouri, COO Publicis Group spends almost 150 days in flight. He knows what is happening in the business around the world and will share his valuable insight. Tim Love has been involved with theCannesand he played important role in the shaping of the future of Omnicom Group. Jonathon Mildenhall, VP of Global Advertising Strategy and Creative Excellence, CocaCola promises to be stimulating session. Steven King, CEO, ZenithOptimedia will also be on panel. Anuradha Sengupta, who loves throwing challenge, will be part of the session.

     

    On the seminar speakers, Amir Kassaei, Chief Creative Officer, DDB Worldwide, Rishad Tobaccowala, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, VivaKi and Prof John Philip Jones, Emeritus Professor at the Newhouse School of Public Communications,Syracuse University,New Yorkwill be speakers. While the world is talking video as the future, Lucas Watson, Vice President, Global Sales and Industry Marketing, YouTube will tell us how and Simon Wardle, Chief Strategy Officer, Octagon will be worth listening to for all the planners in the industry. Erik Vervroegen, International Creative Director, Publicis Worldwide will give his take on creativity. We will announce one more name in this list soon. From the Indian marketers side who will be part of Q&A, we have Sanjay Behl from Reliance, Kainaz Gazder from P&G, Viral Oza from Nokia, Gayatri Yadav from Star India and Hemant Bakshi from Unilever.

     

    Awards have been under the scanner, do the controversies surrounding it mar the event in anyway?

    Awards show will have criticism. What is driving us is the celebration of creativity and look at this Fest as a platform to prepare ourselves for the way industry will go forward.

     

    Why did the Goafest Committee decide the theme – Magic of Ideas?

    Everything that happens at festivals is ideas. While advances in technology and database is important, but what we celebrate is ideas. If we add everything on an excel sheet, we will see that when a brand gets a lot of traction or if it is ignored, it is all to do with ideas. No client launches a product with the intention of not succeeding, so getting it right is important. For a product to be embraced, it has to connect with people and this cannot be reduced to a formula but has to do with the magic of ideas.

     

    The awards have been leaked in the past, losing some of its credibility, how do you ensure that this doesn’t happen this year?

    We believe that awards will not be leaked. In this, the media as well as the organizers have a role to play. There is a symbiotic relation. We do our best to avoid any such incident. Some information has to be shared with the media beforehand, but there is an embargo on release information and last year journalistic fraternity showed a sense of responsibility. I will add that the media has equally a big stake in the Fest.

     

    What will you say to the agencies that have decided to stay away from the fest?

    Whether to participate or not is an agency’s decision. We on our part, including the AGC, have been ensuring that our job that includes category, rules, audit and the jury does their job well. Let creative minds debate as for us touch wood, thing are going as per planned.

     

    If you have to send a formal invite to the industry for the Fest what would you say as to why must the fraternity attend?

    You will get to see the best of work and see the best creative minds judging what they think is worthy of awards. You get to interact with seniors and bright creative minds which many times is impossible in the busy schedules that we lead. Besides you will get to hear exceptional speakers’ line-up.

     

    Goafest creates the space for debate with peers and youngsters, which includes large group discussions and one-on-one interaction. We are expecting around 2,500 people to attend Goafest this year. Not to forget that Goafest is not heavy-handed like training sessions but good learning place where you also have loads of fun.

     

    Personally for you, how has it been plugging all the gaps before the festival?

    We have a very big team working across agencies. There is a sense of joy and shared sense of purpose to make Goafest a success. We are in it together and there still is a fair bit of work to be done. However, it’s been an enjoyable experience.

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