Srinivasan K Swamy, Executive Chairman of R K Swamy Hansa Group, has been unanimously elected as Chairman of Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) for the year 2023-2024.
Swamy currently serves as Chairman of Asian Federation of Advertising Associations, he was earlier President / Chairman of International Advertising Association (IAA), IAA India Chapter, Confederation of Asian Advertising Agency Associations, Advertising Agencies Association of India, Advertising Standards Council of India, All India Management Association, Madras Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Madras Management Association.
Meanwhile, Riyad Mathew, Chief Associate Editor & Director of Malayala Manorama representing publisher members on the Council was unanimously elected as the Deputy Chairman of the Bureau for the year 2023-2024. Mohit Jain, Executive Director of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd, also representing publisher members on the Council was unanimously elected as Hon. Secretary of the Bureau for the year 2023-2024.
Vikram Sakhuja, Partner & Group CEO Media & OOH of Madison Communications representing Advertising Agencies Members on the Council was unanimously re-elected as the Hon. Treasurer of the Bureau for the year 2023-2024.
Other members on the Bureau’s Council of Management for the year 2023-2024 are as follows:
Advertising Agencies Representatives: 1. Srinivasan K Swamy, R K Swamy Ltd. – Chairman 2. Vikram Sakhuja, Madison Communications Pvt. Ltd. – Hon. Treasurer 3. Prasanth Kumar, Group M Media India Private Limited 4. Vaishali Verma, Initiative Media (India) Pvt. Ltd
Publishers Representatives: 1. Riyad Mathew – Malayala Manorama Co. Ltd.. – Dy. Chairman 2. Mr. Pratap G. Pawar – Sakal Papers Pvt. Ltd. 3. Mr. Shailesh Gupta – Jagran Prakashan Ltd 4. Mr. Praveen Someshwar – HT Media Ltd. 5. Mr. Mohit Jain – Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. – Hon. Secretary 6. Mr. Dhruba Mukherjee – ABP Pvt. Ltd. 7. Mr. Karan. Darda – Lokmat Media Pvt. Ltd 8. Mr. Girish Agarwal – DB Corp Limited
Advertiser Representatives: 1. Karunesh Bajaj, ITC Ltd. 2. Mr. Aniruddha Haldar, TVS Motor Company Ltd. 3. Mr. Shashank Srivastava, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.
The Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA), at its General Body Meeting held on Wednesday, elected Srinivasan Swamy as its Chairman for a term of four years. Swamy, who is well known as the Chairman of R K Swamy Hansa group, has held leadership positions in many industry bodies at a national and global level. He has been Chairman and World President of the International Advertising Association (IAA), Chairman Confederation of Asian Advertising Agency Associations (CAAAA), President Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), IAA India Chapter, Chairman Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), President All India Management Association (AIMA), to name a few.
Said Swamy: “This is a privilege not just for me but for the Indian marcom community at large. The AFAA not just hosts the prestigious AdAsia conference, but is also connected with AdStars, and runs the widely acclaimed FastTrack program where young professionals are trained and transformed in a three-day program. I look forward to making a meaningful contribution to the communications industry in Asia, as well as seeing how AFAA can work along with other global industry Associations and further the cause of professionalism.”
Adds a communique: “India has seen two distinguished AFAA Chairmen in the past – Gautam Rakshit and Pradeep Guha. Unfortunately both of them passed away recently.”
AFAA is represented in India by the Advertising Council of India (ACI) whose members are The Advertising Club, the Advertising Agencies Association of India, the India Chapter of International Advertising Association, Indian Broadcasting and Digital Association and the Indian Society of Advertisers.
Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman of the R K Swamy Hansa Group, was inducted as a trustee in the STACA Trust.
STACA is the apex body whose operating arm is the Advertising Council of India (ACI). ACI is well known in the advertising world as the organisation which had organised AdAsia in Jaipur 2003 and in New Delhi in 2011. It also sponsors young industry professionals for self-development in the widely acclaimed “Fast-track” program of the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Said STACA Trust Chairman Ramesh Narayan: “Srinivasan Swamy is a well-known advertising leader who had been associated with various prestigious industry Associations globally viz. World President of the New York based International Advertising Association (the first Indian to hold this position), President of Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), President of the India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA), Chairman of Advertising Standards Council of India, Vice Chairman of Asian Federation of Advertising Agencies, to mention a few. Mr Swamy’s grasp of industry matters and his enthusiasm for exploring new frontiers will go a long way in promoting the cause of the marcom space through STACA Trust and ACI. His presence will no doubt infuse a sense of renewed vigour and enthusiasm.”
Said Swamy: “It’s an honour for me to be inducted as STACA trustee. I will do my best to this position and match the stature of some of earlier trustees viz. Pradeep Guha, Gautam Rakshit, Dr Ram Tarneja etc and guide to upgrade the skills of advertising professionals so that our young people match the best in the world and bring laurels to our industry as well as country. My main emphasis will be on public service communication, which is the need of the hour and I look forward to support from media houses for these societal issues. It is important to activate ACI as the platform for all major industry bodies, which it is.”
R K Swamy Hansa has announced the elevation of S Swaminathan, Co-founder and CEO of Hansa Customer Equity (Hansa Cequity), as Executive Director – Group Strategy, from January 1, 2021, to build a ‘Total Digital’ blueprint and drive integration of its offerings for the benefit of Clients.
Commenting on the appointment, Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman of R K Swamy Hansa Group said: “We recognised very early the rising adoption of technology and analytics in marketing and were first off the block 13 years ago on this journey. R K Swamy Hansa aims to be at the forefront of the integration of marketing communications, technology, digital and analytics. We recently opened our office in Singapore and have a presence in the US. We plan to take our offering across geographies as the blueprint gets ready.”
Said Shekar Swamy, Group CEO: “Hansa Cequity has a strong client portfolio, professional talent, and an experienced management team led by Neeraj Pratap Sangani as COO at the helm. The company is well-recognised by clients in Martech & Analytics in India. We have built strong capability across multiple disciplines in the Group. We have a compelling offering to add value to clients and their brands globally, in an increasingly technology, data-rich & digital first world. Swami is the ideal leader for this. He will continue to be on the board of Hansa Cequity and provide strategic direction to Hansa Cequity.”
Hansa Customer Equity Pvt Ltd, part of the R K Swamy Hansa Group, has appointed Neeraj Pratap Sangani as the Chief Operating Officer.
Commenting on the appointment, S Swaminathan, Co-founder & CEO of Hansa Cequity said: “Neeraj is a big believer of the Hansa Cequity vision and has been working relentlessly to drive thought leadership, client-centricity culture, execution focus & process excellence. He has more than 25 years’ experience in business & marketing consulting, brand building, strategic marketing, and digital marketing. He has strong domain knowledge of Customer Experience Management, having developed and executed data-driven marketing programs, data integration projects including customer life cycle management, customer segmentation and customer engagement programs for clients across different verticals.”
Added Shekar Swamy, Group CEO of R K Swamy Hansa said: “Neeraj moved to Hansa Cequity three years ago from R K Swamy BBDO. We have seen him grow in professional capability for 20 years. He is well placed to execute the Group vision of the emerging convergence of technology, analytics, digital & marketing services for brands and companies. With his energy and focus, Hansa Customer Equity will continue to serve clients well.”
It appears to be an Indian summer in Europe this year. In June, creative gurus Piyush and Prasoon Pandey were awarded the highest honour at the Cannes International Festiveal of Creativity, and now Srinivasan Swamy, Chairman of the R K Swamy Hansa Group will take over as the Chairman and World President of the illustrious International Advertising Association (IAA), the first Indian ever to do so.
Sundar, as he is called by his friends, will lead a team of 25 Executive Committee members from a host of countries including USA, UK, Austria, Italy, Poland, Ghana, UAE, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Netherlands, Kuwait, Iran, Nepal and India. He takes over from senior advertising professional Felix Tataru from Romania today (October 4, 2018) at an event to be held in Bucharest.
The International Advertising Association is an 80-year old institution and considered the most prestigious advertising body of its kind in the world. The IAA is acknowledged as the world’s most influential network of marketing and communication leaders, aimed at representing the common interests of all the disciplines across the full spectrum of marketing communications – from advertisers to media companies to agencies to direct marketing firms, as well as individual practitioners. Its activities involve professional development of marketing communication practitioners, protecting freedom of commercial speech, advertising self-regulation, protecting consumer interest, training and education.
In 2016, Swamy was accorded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Advertising Agencies Association of India.
As Chairman of R K Swamy Hansa, his professional interests currently include Creative & Media Advertising, Interactive & Digital Advertising, Health Care Communications, Social & Rural Sector, Communication, Human Resources Communication, Marketing Analytics, Market Research, Events & Activation, Retail Identity, Public Relations, Continuing Medical Education, Global Language work etc.
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 has been 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 had a superactive tenure as President of the India Chapter of International Advertising Association and was also elected Senior Vice President of International Advertising Association, the global body. The list goes on and on.
Swamy is actively involved with socially relevant institutions such as a 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.
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, leader to many Tamilians and Amma to millions, 68 years old Jayalalitha died on Monday, 5th after undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital In Chennai for 73 days. She was hospitalised on 22nd September and suffered a cardiac arrest on Sunday post which she was put on life support.
Jayalalitha was credited with various water projects, launched several people friendly welfare schemes to safeguard the poor from high prices of basic amenities and several other projects for people welfare.
Venu Srinivasan, Chairman, TVS Motor Company paying his tribute to the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said, “We at TVS Motor Company along with millions of citizens of India, are deeply saddened at the demise of our Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Selvi J Jayalalithaa. Our heartfelt condolences to her family and supporters. She promoted industry and commerce in order to generate employment and for economic progress and prosperity of the State. She will always be remembered for her relentless efforts towards the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu.â€
And will it impact business in Tamil Nadu?Said Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman, R K Swamy Hansa group on how the demise of Jayalalitha will impact the business in Tamil Nadu: “It is sad that Chief Minister passed away yesterday. I don’t think it will impact the business in Tamil Nadu. People who are depending on the Tamil Nadu government will probably have some loss. Many people don’t depend on that. The media would have a small setback because the spending will go down a little before they start again. Things will be normal otherwise.â€
Meanwhile, Karthik Kumar, Director, Rage Communications, the Chennai-based digital agency, expressed his condolences. : “The Honourable Chief Minster was an exceptional human and an excellent administrator. In the commerce field she will be remembered for her creation of the auto hub in Chennai’s outskirts which houses the factories of Hyundai, Ford, BMW among others. A key element of her contribution appears to be the multiplier effect her decisions had in commerce or social benefits. For example, her development of the Sriperumbudur industrial area led to the economic activity spreading beyond Chennai to other districts such as Vellore and at the same time improving the commerce network in terms of ports and interstate transport. Similarly, her social welfare projects whether the free distribution of laptops to students or creating of low cost services such as the Amma canteens carried the benefits beyond the obvious. Her passing away will certainly by missed. However, the edifice of administration will likely endure.â€
The Rotary Club of Guindy presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman of R K Swamy Hansa group for “exemplary contribution to the advertising and marketing industry and to the society at largeâ€. This is the third time in the Club’s history of 22 years that they have chosen to honour an individual. Swamy, just earlier this year received Advertising Agencies Association of India’s Lifetime Achievement Award and The Advertising Club Madras’ Distinguished Service Award.
The Chief Guest for the evening was N Murali, the President of The Music Academy, Madras. He recalled Swamy’s contribution to various industry bodies in India, Asia and also at the global stage. He appreciated Swamy’s devotion to social, charitable and religious causes he is involved in.
The India Chapter of International Advertising Association elected Srinivasan Swamy, Chairman of R K Swamy Hansa Group and Vice President-Development of IAA Asia Pacific, for the fourth consecutive term as its President. “I am humbled by the confidence shown by the members in choosing me to head this international body in India. The last three years have been exciting in that we demonstrated to the marketing and advertising community through the initiatives and events we held that IAA is a thought leader in many respects. Further the awards that we have instituted were both relevant and meaningful,†said Swamy.
Neeraj Roy, Managing Director and CEO of Hungama.com was re-elected as the Vice President for the third term. Monica Tata former MD of HBO India was re-elected as Hon. Secretary. Janak Sarda, Joint MD of Deshdoot publications was elected as the Honorary Treasurer.
In addition, the following five members were elected as members of the Managing Committee: Abhishek Karnani, Vishakha Singh, Jaideep Gandhi, Anand Sankeshwar and Manish Advani. Kaushik Roy continues on the Committee as the Immediate Past President.
Pradeep Guha, Area Director, IAA Asia Pacific said “the last few years have seen considerable momentum in terms of the activities IAA has been involved in. This has been reflected in the World Board recognizing the India Chapter as the Best Chapter twice consecutively. I am delighted that Srinivasan Swamy will be steering the India Chapter of the IAA this year as well. It could be a period of continued growth as well as consolidation. The presence of young leaders on the Managing Committee augurs well for the future of the IAAâ€.
At the first Managing Committee meeting immediately after the AGM, five additional members were co-opted as per IAA Constitution. These were: M V Shreyams Kumar, Dr Bhaskar Das, Ashok Venkatramani, C V L Srinivas and Pradeep Dwivedi.
In addition, the following senior professionals were invited to be part of the Committee: Pradeep Guha, Ramesh Narayan, Sam Balsara, M.G.Parameswaran, Raj Nayak, Atit Mehta, Vikram Sakhuja and Kunal Lalani. More members are likely to be inducted in the next few weeks.
The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) is organising a seminar on the broad theme of “Changing Gender Frames†on 10th December at the Mayfair Rooms, Mumbai. The event is being held in association with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Laadli a well-known NGO and the Advertising Council of India (ACI).
A specially commissioned research study, the IAA-Hansa Research on “Portrayal of Women in Indian Advertising†would be formally released at the event.
Srinivasan K Swamy
Monica Tata
Srinivasan K Swamy, President, IAA India Chapter & Vice President – Development, Asia Pacific, IAA and Chairman & Managing Director, R K SWAMY HANSA Group said, “This is yet another initiative which clearly underlines our commitment to the philosophy that what is good, is good for business. We wish to apply scientific temper along with good intentions and promote the cause of gender equality.â€
Added Monica Tata, Managing Director HBO India Pvt. Ltd. and Chairperson of “Changing Gender Framesâ€: “I am delighted to steer an initiative that is very close to my heart. Following on from the seminar we organized last year against Violence on Women, this shows our sustained commitment to being a truly responsible industry body and making a meaningful difference in the fields of marketing advertising and the media.â€
The seminar will be addressed by senior marketers, advertising leaders and other renowned experts from the industry.
Srinivasan Swamy, Chairman of R K Swamy Hansa Group was elected President of IAA for the third consecutive term at the Annual General Body Meeting. He already serves on the IAA Global Board as Vice President – Development, IAA Asia Pacific.
Neeraj Roy of Hungama, Monica Tata of HBO and Jaideep Gandhi of Jaya Advertising were also re-elected Vice President, Honorary Secretary and Treasurer respectively the year for 2014-15.
The other members elected into the Managing Committee were – Abhishek Karnani of The Free Press Journal, Vishakha Singh of Aurora Comms, Manish Advani of Mahindra SSG, Janak Sarda of Deshdoot, CVL Srinivas of Group M, Avinash Pandey of ABP News, M. V. Shreyams Kumar of Mathrubhumi, Partho Dasgupta of BARC, Bhaskar Das of Zee Media and Rajesh Kejriwal of Kyoorius.
In addition, the following would serve in the Committee as invited members for the year 2014-15: Pradeep Guha, Pheroza Bilimoria, Sam Balsara, Kaushik Roy, Raj Nayak, Ramesh Narayan, M G Parameswaran, Neville Taraporewalla, Gayatri Yadav, Anita Nayyar, Pradeep Dwivedi, Anand Sankeshwar, Sunil Lulla and Punitha Arumugam. “A few more have been invited and their names will be announced after they accept our invitation”, said Srinivasan Swamy.
In his outgoing President’s address, Srinivasan Swamy said that the year that went by was an active one, where 32 events were organised by IAA India. Some of these included two IAA Debates, four IAA Conversations, five IAA Mentorship Webinars, six Knowledge Seminars, three IAA Young Turks Forum events and other marquee events like the IAA Olive Crown Awards and the IAA Leadership Awards. There were a few other special ones like the IAA Retrospect & Prospects events in Gurgaon and Mumbai and the IAA Mentorship Programme. The year was off to a terrific start on 30th September 2013 with the IAA Platinum Jubilee Global Marketing Summit where the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate and CM of Gujarat the Hon’ble Shri Narendra Modi delivering his valedictory address on his vision of Brand India.
IAA India will be celebrating its Silver Jubilee year in 2014-15. “We have identified at least 20 different platforms to peg our events for the coming year. We have a very good committee and I wouldn’t be surprised if we have more than 52 events during the year”, said Srinivasan Swamy. Commented Pradeep Guha, Area Director, IAA Asia Pacific, “IAA India is already seen as the most active industry body in India as well as in the IAA world. With the plans that are made for 2014-15, I have no doubt that this will be the best year ever and would set a new benchmark”.
Srinivasan Swamy: Chennai deserves a loyal set of advertisers!
Srinivasan Swamy
By Srinivasan Swamy
“Chennai is not a market for ‘creatives’. The action has moved to Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi”
“All big brands have moved out of Chennai”
“Chennai is still an outgrown village”
“Chennaiites are traditionalists”
The dumbing down of the Chennai advertising market is discussed perhaps in all forums – in workshops, in seminars and in the media and internet. But is Chennai really a doggone market? Perhaps Chennai does not offer many opportunities for high adrenaline creative activity these days. But is it the advertiser’s fault or that of the agencies? I will blame it on the advertisers really!
Let’s go back 60 years of the 375 years of the city. There was very little of the advertising industry that was present when J Walter Thompson set its shop in 1955. This was its first venture in the South. JWT then helped build competency by developing art directors, illustrators, scraperboardartists, block-makers as well as printers- the ecosystem that was essential to run the advertising agency business. TI Cycles, Amrutanjan, Madras Motor Insurance and Parry’s Confectionery were perhaps the only notable business then. And capital goods businesses like Ashok Leyland, Massey Ferguson, MRF and Simpson. Even the TVS-promoted manufacturing units came up only in the early 1960s, thanks to TT Krishnamachari, the then Union Minster who encouraged industrial development in the Madras State (which included Tamil Nadu, Coastal Andhra, Rayalseema, the Malabar region, South Canara and Udipi Districts etc.). Some PSUs like the Integral Coach Factory and Neyveli Lignite were in existence then, and many factories like BHEL, Madras Fertilizers and Madras Refineries came up in the ’60s.
Chennai@375: The East and West Shall Meet in the South
Chennai@175: Madras to Chennai – Evolution of media in the last 150 years
With the spate of liberalization, from mid-1990s, Chennai evolved as the Automotive Capital of India with Hyundai, Ford, Renault, Nissan, BMW and Daimler setting up shops one after the other. Consumer products companies like Ponds India was set up in the 60s while Cavinkare came about in the early 1980s, followed by Henkel and Kaleesuwari (Gold winner) from the mid-1990s.
Chennai is on the top of the charts as far as the retail industry and its advertising is concerned. The groundwork of the concept of the mall and organized retail was laid down in Chennai in the eighties much before it became what it is today. Spencer Plaza and Alsa Mall were the first malls to arrive in the country. Today, any national marketer cannot ignore the business territory of T Nagar. Textile retail brands Nalli, Kumaran, Chennai Silks, Pothy’s, RMKV as do jewelers like GRT, Khazana, Vummidis, Prince et al have been in the vanguard of very clever and innovative marketing to tell the rest of the country how they have captured the imagination of the Chennai and its consumers. Saravana Stores is the first of its kind very successful discount retailer in the world.
Simultaneous to this development, the film industry in Chennai produced more films than even Bollywood. And produced more hits that got re-shot as Hindi films. Many TV commercial producers like Jayendra, Rajiv Menon and Bharat Bala were not just making a mark in Chennai but across India for their high quality productions.
Chennai was also the first regional market to storm the satellite channels. In fact Sun TV was the first private satellite channel to establish uplinking facilities from India, which even Zee and Sony had not done.
Yes, so much was going in favour of Chennai. Advertising was also booming till about two decades ago and from thereon one major advertiser after the other started shifting its base for a variety of reasons. Initially it was not for lack of talent, but for being closer to the larger markets like in automobiles. But over time, Chennai lost its sheen to Bangalore in South and of course to Mumbai, which always was considered the mecca of Indian advertising. Not that Bangalore is doing any better today, but it does have perhaps a few companies like Titan, ITC and UB Group who spend handsomely compared to Chennai-based advertisers. Today many advertisers from Chennai have moved out – Ponds India merged with HUL, Hyundai and Ford went to Delhi/Gurgaon, Henkel got bought and moved to Bangalore and Cavincare shifted out to Mumbai.
It is really the story of the ‘chicken or the egg first’ story. Talent follows work. When work moves out, can talent stay behind? Advertisers deserted Chennai for unsubstantiated reasons. Doesn’t Chennai deserve better!
Srinivasan Swamy is Chairman, R K Swamy Hansa Group
