MxMIndia

Tag: Old-timers

  • From the Cinthol Lime days to all-night presentation preps – old-timers look back at Madison with affection and respect

    Old-timers Prabha Prabhu, Veena Gidwani, Neelkamal Sharma, Basabdutta Chowdhury, Dipankar Sanyal & Nagaraj Krishnamurthy on Madison@25

    Prabha Prabhu, CEO, BMB Madison

    Madison feels like my own agency. You are given complete freedom to run the business your way within some broad parameters discussed at regular Management meets where strategies are discussed and finalized. The focus also is more on work than financials.

     

    Another very important aspect is that there is no office politics despite the fact that it is now 25 years old. Whilst it is extremely professional in the way it operates, there is tremendous bonding between the employees. Madison is not too strict about work timings, yet employees themselves make sure that they finish the work on time. Also it’s not work, work, work all the time. There is enough room for FUN too.

     

    No wonder, then that even if people quit Madison, many of them return.

     

    Having been part of the entire Madison journey, I have many fond memories. The first one that comes to mind, of course is, the way we started Madison itself. We started off with Godrej Cinthol and Tata’s Nelco TVs. We had to start work on both the accounts immediately and since our office was still undergoing renovation even most of the routine meetings were held at Yacht Club, to make sure work did not suffer.

     

    There was great excitement on Cinthol from Day 1. The first new launch was of the variant Cinthol Lime. We had the film shot and ready but the launch was delayed for several reasons. And one Sunday evening, just 2 days before launch of the film we saw the old Liril film interspersed with shots of our Cinthol Lime film. The first thing that we did was to incorporate the message COMING SOON in our film and aired it immediately. Then Sam and me rushed to Delhi, met up the DD officials and noticed that the Liril film script was approved just two days before release. DD stopped airing HLL’s Liril ad. Sam also spoke to journalists about this and the news was all over. Cinthol Lime galloped in Market share and overtook Liril.

     

    Another very interesting milestone was when P&G and Godrej came together to form PGG and that’s when we started working with P&G on Cinthol. The then CEO of P&G David Thomas was happy with us and wanted us to handle P&G brands. And as you know for that we had to be one of their Network Agencies. And David mooted the conversation between us and one of their roster agencies DMB&B. We started work on the two flagship accounts of P&G, Whisper and Vicks. And soon we made Whisper the market leader.

     

    P&G asked all their creative agencies to pitch for their AOR business. All of us, Grey, Leo Burnet, Mudra, Saatchi & Saatchi and Madison pitched for the account. We were the smallest and newest agency of P&G and yet we won the Media AOR account and thus became the first media AOR in the country.

     

    Shanti, was the first long running afternoon serial on DD and getting the slot from DD, getting producers to bid for it was part of the exciting journey of Indian Television.

     

    The stories of course are never ending.

     

    Veena Gidwani, Former CEO, Madison PR

    My friendship with Sam goes back many years before I became a part of Madison. My twelve and a half year journey at Madison PR was exciting, challenging, fun -filled and satisfying. Working closely with Sam on building Madison PR from scratch into an agency recognized for its Brand PR having a strong, motivated and committed team and a blue chip client roster was hugely enriching .

     

    As an organisation, Madison is professional, transparent , progressive and ethical, always putting client delight as the focus and every Madisonite feels a deep sense of pride being a part of the team. As a boss, Sam was easy to work with, trusting, appreciative and non interfering … always receptive to new ideas…. spotting opportunities and willing to invest for the future. He was sharp and incisive, able to get to the crux of any issue in no time.

     

    Sam has another rare quality of making team members of all ages and at all levels feel absolutely at ease. He has a special soft corner for the young PR team and had on several occasions expressed that when it came to energy and ideas to let one’s hair down, the PR team beat all other teams at Madison hands down. At our annual off sites, he contributed greatly during the business sessions in the day in helping us crunch ideas and numbers and in the evenings bonding with the team by sometimes walking the ramp in style for a beach fashion show or uninihibitedly answering personal questions on “Vodka with Veena” or helping to build a raft out of worn out tyre tubes, bamboo and rope and then participating in a river rafting race!

     

    I have always admired Sam’s zest for work and his boundless energy (he can be engaged in a serious discussion even at midnight after a long, hard day and still come up with fresh, exciting ideas!) and have never ceased to be surprised by his constant desire to learn new things from people in varied spheres.

     

    On this momentous and special occasion my heartiest congratulations to Sam, Lara and the entire Madison team and best wishes for more milestones and Bigger Celebrations!

    Neelkamal Sharma, COO Buying, Madison Media Group

    Madison has grown along with its clients’ businesses, and is competitive enough to handle all existing small & large national and multi-national blue-chip clients. It is able to develop tools locally to help meet clients’ advertising & marketing related challenges. It is honest and transparent enough to retain its clients and talent over years who believe in similar values in today’s cutthroat competitive environment.

     

    While HR takes care of many fun-filled events across the year, the real fun lies with people here who are a bunch of enthusiastic youngsters, and passionate enough to work hard to provide best media solutions for their clients. In all this, we work closely with our Media partners, and are able to work on win-win partnerships, delighting both media partners and clients.

     

    Working in Madison, I have learnt that client interest comes first, ahead of Madison’s interest and my own personal interest. It is wonderful that Madison has grown over the years, and yet retained its work culture and values.

     

    Sam is really a wonderful person to work with, one gets to learn a lot from. I can’t think of another organization that can offer me a combination of such leadership and values.
    When I look back, there are many fond memories and moments of pride during my last 15 years at Madison and some of those are “imitating Sam in his peculiar style” which you will find many Madisonites doing in the corridor or at many Madison get-togethers. Madison bagging so many awards and accolades, of course, is the pride of every Madisonite.

     

    Basabdutta Chowdhury CEO, Platinum Media

    I joined Madison when it was 21 years old. I have grown as Madison has grown. It has given me freedom and opportunities to fulfil my career ambitions. I am where I am today thanks to Madison. I could not have been more privileged than to work with Sam.

     

    The hierarchy in Madison, though it exists, is pretty flat – learning and growth opportunities are unlimited. It provides a great platform for young professionals who have the inclination.

     

    Madison’s vision, values, integrity have taught and inspired me to be the kind of professional I am today.

     

    My fondest memories in Madison revolve around Sam’s ability to defuse a difficult negotiation process with simple, real-life situations in a light-hearted manner. Every time I look back, these incidents bring a smile on my face. And I am sure many more such memories are still in store for me.

     

    Dipankar Sanyal, COO, Madison MoMs

    Madison is unique. It is thoroughly professional and at the same time there is a great bonding. Here one gets the freedom to speak his or her mind, express onself freely. This helps in solving issues/ problems far more easily. Even the junior members feel comfortable to bring up their ideas and thoughts without any hesitation. Our business is all about ideas and people, and when there is an atmosphere which allows free flow of thoughts and ideas among its people you are able to add immense value to your clients because you are always creating and adding on to a great product.

     

    It has been eight years that I have been with Madison in the current stint. Two major aspects that have always held me back are: people and the management. I have a bunch of brilliant people who have time and again proven that they are the best. On the management front I have always been allowed to express myself freely, act like an entrepreneur within the management guidelines. Personally that has helped me develop as a professional and an individual. Most importantly, I would not have got Sam Balsara anywhere else. It is an honor and privilege to be part of his team.

     

    An interesting incident comes to mind, that shows how seamless the organization is, when I first joined Madison in 1998, I was a junior client servicing executive. I remember Coca Cola had given us mandate to handle their OOH activities. We had to make an important presentation to them. The day before the presentation, Sam sat with me from evening to night correcting and guiding me through the presentation. I can never forget that evening as that was a huge lesson for me on many accounts in my life.

     

    Nagaraj Krishnamurthy, Senior Vice President, Madison Business Analytics

    As freshers from college, three of us (Santosh, Deepak and Myself) developed Adwise, the much acclaimed system of Madison way back in 1998. The system was so good that it was peerless for that time and remains so even today. As youngsters, three of us worked as if we were on a mission from God. In hindsight, very surprised that three freshers from college could accomplish so much in such a short period with so little resources. Easily, Adwise development is one of the most productive phase of my life.

     

    I and many like me, are a part of Madison even after years is in itself a proof that Madison is special in more ways than one. Entrepreneur culture at Madison and of course Charisma of Sam Balsara makes one stay in Madison for really long durations.

     

    This quote of Sam captures it all: ‘We believe that our client’s problems are our problems and we do go the extra mile. I hope to sort of try and partner the client genuinely without looking at Madison’s stream of resources or profitability. Do whatever to make the client succeed.”

     

    Sam does believe in every word of that statement and has ensured it is in the DNA of Madison.

     

    Interviewed by Ritu Midha

     

     

     

  • As India's first satellite television channel turns 20 on Oct 2, MxMIndia spoke to former honchos about their experiences with Zee

    Zee@20: At the helm of the vision

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    Nitin Vaidya (Currently preparing to launch his own business in the field of Media & Entertainment):

    Nitin Vaidya

    I started my career in the world of television with Zee way back in 1997 after being a print journalist. I was instrumental in launch of Zee Marathi channel in August 1999 which was the first non south private satellite channel in India. After the success of the channel, I was also given charge of other regional channels in 2004 (Bengali, Gujarati & Punjabi channels). The network has been way ahead of its time and therefore, was able to see the growth in the regional market when others were hesitant to put their money there.

     

    The entry and growth of Zee in the regional channels can be said to be instrumental in the overall growth of the regional markets be it television or films. And in 2008, I assumed the charge of National Channels of Zee Network and was directly responsible of Zee TV as its Business head. For over a decade with the network, I looked after National as well as Regional channels of Zee, before calling it quits in October 2010. The journey has been a long learning experience wherein I got to work with creative and vibrant team. It was also great to work with Subhash Chandraji and Punit Goenka.

     

    Like me, I’m sure there are many in the industry who started their careers or have worked with Zee at some point in their careers. The industry – television as well as film – have to thank the Zee network for giving them opportunities and a learning ground to reach where it is now.

     

    Also, I do believe that one can easily say that the entertainment industry was started in the country by none other than the Zee TV. It is the pioneer of GECs!

     

    Ashwini Yardi

    Ashwini Yardi (Currently producer of the film OMG):

    Fresh out of college, I had joined Zee as assistant director and after working with the network for 15 years, I left as programming head. And I can proudly say that today whatever I am is because of the channel and all the lessons I learnt while working there. Unlike today, there weren’t any courses in television also the satellite television was young too. Therefore, we all learnt on the job and nothing can be more exciting and enriching than that. Even the team as a whole was young (average age of 26-27 year-olds) who were full of ideas.

     

    I have only good and enriching memories of my time spent in Zee. I can call it my family!

     

    Meenakshi Menon, founder and chairperson, Spatial Access:

    Meenakshi Menon

    It was September 1994, I had just joined Zee as Vice President Sales and Marketing. My appointment letter was issued by Ambience Space Sellers Pvt Ltd. but I was head of Sales and Marketing of Zee TV, a channel that was owned by Asia Today Limited, a Hong Kong based company that was floated by an Indian businessman called Subhash Chandra whose brothers were Goels.

     

    That was my entry into the exciting, confusing world of Zee TV.

     

    Satellite TV was just a few years old. The Gulf war of 1990 was the catalyst for CNN and drove penetration of satellite dishes across the country. Star TV launched in Dec 1991 with Santa Barbara and the Bold and the Beautiful. In October 1992 Zee TV had launched its Hindi satellite service. Programmes like Saanp Seedi, Colgate Top Ten, Close-up Antakshari, Khana Khazana, Tara and Bournvita Quiz contest were fresh and entertaining. They fuelled TV penetration as strongly as they fuelled C&S penetration. The middle class bought TVs because for the first time they could sit at home and in the comfort of their homes be entertained by television where the focus was creating a fresh new world every 30 minutes. But this is not about TV programmes. Enough has been written about that and how Zee created a genre of programming that set the pace for change; social re-engineering we use to call it. There were protests from men’s groups that Tara was encouraging women to stand up against their menfolk. The woman’s media advocacy groups on the other hand gave Tara and its lead Navneet Nishan an award. But this story is about the people behind Zee and not anyone else but the man who was Zee. SC as we called him with a mixture of respect, affection and angst in equal measure.

     

    My first week at Zee, my immediate boss Digvijay Singh was travelling. SC sent for me. He wanted an update on the revenue figures for the July/Sep quarter. I grabbed the reports from my finance team and ran up the stairs to meet him. My heart in my mouth. SC was known for his short temper and his ability to reduce everyone (including the senior guys) to tears. I walked into his waiting area, told his secretaries (he used to have two secretaries and two office assistants, even in those days) that I had been summoned and settled down to wait. The Boss would have three, four, five meetings running in tandem. He would step in and out of meetings and pick up the threads without skipping a beat. Ten minutes later he walked up to me and said “Meenakshi, kaise chal raha hai? Sab theek?” Much later I was to learn that “Sab theek” was his way of telling us that all was well and not the question that I thought it was in the initial months. “Haan SC, sab theek.” He looked at the sales figures and frowned. It was September, the Divali season was around the corner and SC was not happy with what had been done the previous quarter. “I want you to double revenues for the next quarter,” he said. “Can I count on you to do it?” Now Diggy, my boss, had not warned me that SC was not used to refusals or debate. His question was purely rhetorical in nature. He was not looking for an answer. All he wanted was action. Unfortunately I had not been briefed and it was too late. “Double revenues? No way. Not unless we revamp our operations systems and hike up our rate card.” Have you ever experienced time stand still? I did that day for the first time. There were three sets of people waiting to meet SC, two foreign visitors, his four-member office staff. Everyone was frozen. Did I not know that you were forbidden from saying no to SC? Did I think my professional reputation would save me from the gallows? What was I doing? Why was I messing up the day for the whole company? Nothing moved. Even the phones were silent. The crows outside his first-floor office window were cawless for one crazy suspended-in-air moment. SC looked at me and said, “Toh rate badhao! Par revenue double hona hi hai.” I could hear the loud intakes of breath from a dozen lungs around the room. SC stood up and so did I. My knees were quaking. Double revenues? Hike rate card? I had escaped SC’s wrath but I was about to be the most hated person in the advertising industry. Little did I know that day that it was to become a bit of an occupational hazard for me. Being on the opposite side of the hordes was always a preferred position.

     

    Second week September, I have created a new rate card. Built a concept that permits us to take a rate hike 365 days of the year. Programmes move up or down a cost scale based on delivery and demand. Pricing is perfectly positioned to seize the moment and double the revenues of the quarter. I ask SC for a meeting to walk him through the new rate card, Digs is still in Europe. SC’s response is, “Can it be justified? Then why do I need to see it? Don’t waste time, send it out to the market.” The rate card is out, agencies and advertisers are up in arms. How dare Zee hike rates just before the festive season. What is SC thinking? He gets calls from agency heads, advertisers. To each one he says, “Nayi bachchi hai, maalum nahi. Ab kya kare? Aage dekhenge.” Then he stops taking calls because he knows I am pissed off at being made the scapegoat behind my back. I have no problems with being the fall guy but it has to be stated up front. I draft a letter for him to send out to all those who call or complain. It says the same thing but asks them to call me if they have a problem. I will sort it out. No one gets in touch. The few that do are dealt with compassionately but end up paying just as much as those who did not call. Some agencies run by a bunch of SC cronies and distant relatives go to him with a complaint. I am arrogant. He needs to put me in my place. His answer to them is, she is arrogant with me and I pay her salary! The new rate card is accepted by the industry. Even today It forms the basis of all the rate cards that are currently used by TV channels across the country. Programme and day part categorisation. Where the categories do not change but programmes move up into higher categories. Rarely do they move down. The weekly rate adjustment (hike is a four-letter word) is here to stay something that was created by me in my second week at Zee TV. Something that SC did not even want to see because he had faith in me….in my second week on the job.

     

    That is the most amazing thing about SC. If he trusts you he will be one hundred percent behind you. If on the other hand he suspects your motives you could be Mother Teresa and he would find fault with everything you did. In those early years of private broadcasting there were no rules and conventions. We were all inventing the rules as we went along. What would succeed, what would fail? The only way to find out was to jump in head first. We were a young team with no experience but huge ambitions. SC was there to support, motivate, chastise, reward, reprimand. He was there for us 24×7 before the term became fashionable. In turn he expected the same from us. We were all consumed by Zee TV. It was not a job. It was a calling. We were all responding to SC’s vision of taking an amusement park into every household. To have people enjoy the thrills, spills and chills in their living rooms. He did not know TV. People used to disparagingly refer to him as a rice trader. His inability to mask his accent. His proclivity to smoke bidis with the lit end in his mouth. His lack of flash and dash were all part of the message that he was sending out to people. “Do me a favour, underestimate me.” That was his mantra and it served him well for many years until his adversaries and partners and partners who turned adversaries got smarter.

     

    SC was an amazing teacher. He taught me about business. He taught me that anger could be used constructively and that emotion was better than intellect and that human nature does not change even if the accent does. He taught me how to be a boss and how to be generous with my staff and how to get them to acknowledge it. But more than anything else he showed me the value of going after my beliefs. Today, almost 20 years later, his inputs hold me in good stead. Zee will evolve, will have its ups and downs, but for me the time spent learning from SC will always be my initiation into the business of the world.