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Tag: Srinivasan K Swamy

  • 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 topic will dwell on 'New Retail Strategies For The New Competitive Environment'

    IAA announces next Knowledge Seminar in Bengaluru

    By A Correspondent

     

    The International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter will host the next Knowledge Seminar in Bengaluru on retail marketing strategies. The event is on Saturday, 11th June at Lalit Ashok in Bengaluru from 14.45 hrs to 20.00 hrs.

     

    IAA India Chapter brings together decision makers from the field of retail marketing, advertising and media with the goal of addressing the challenges faced by the retail sector and to guide its future course of action.

     

    Srinivasan K. Swamy

    Srinivasan K. Swamy, President, IAA India Chapter & Vice President, Development Asia/Pacific region said, “IAA Knowledge Seminars bring in fresh perspectives for the audience. In this session we have acknowledged experts addressing important issues related to the retail industry including brand building, valuation and retail spaces. We also have a mix of veterans and young leaders speaking on various topics. We are very glad that Vijayvani has partnered us for the second time in succession”

     

    The speakers include Bijou Kurien, Board member L Capital, V Vishwanath, Director – Brand & Marketing, Urbanladder, Senthil Kumar, CCO, JWT India, Sruti Swamy, Head, Hansa RetailScape, Ramesh Jude Thomas, President and Chief Knowledge Officer, Eqitor Value Advisory

     

  • Corporate Crusader Award is shared by Yes Foundation and Dainik Bhaskar, Zee gets Special Award of Excellence

    DDB Mudra wins big at IAA Olive Crown awards

     

    It couldn’t have been a better setting for an award that’s meant for green and clean advertising. Right on the Arabian Sea at the pier of the Radio Club near the Gateway of India, and with boats, steamers, catamarans, yachts and small ships all lit up. The India Chapter of International Advertising Association announced the winners of the sixth edition of the IAA Olive Crown Awards across 13 categories. For those not in the know, the Olive Crown are Asia’s first and only awards that celebrates impactful work done in sustainability communication. Endorsed by the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations, and the awards also see entries from across Asia. Run as a cause, there is no entry fee charged.

    DDB Mudra walked away with the maximum number of metals in the evening. Said Rahul Mathew, Creative Head, DDB Mudra West and a member of the agency network’s creative council said that he was elated to have won big at the awards. “The DDB group believes in sustainability, and we are great believers in this kind of advertising,” Mathew said adding that he was happy to have clients who are willing to back green advertising.

    Said Srinivasan K Swamy, President, IAA India Chapter & Vice President – Development, Asia Pacific, IAA said, “Brands and organisations are now increasingly investing in exciting work in communication that promotes sustainability. It is this creativity and innovation that the IAA Olive Crown Award recognises. We thank Ms Amruta Fadavnis, Dia Mirza and Rana Kapoor for being with us today. We’d also like to salute all our winners and the agencies who have put in their best for greater cause of the environment. ” Swamy told MxMIndia that it is gratifying that most of the big agencies are now sending in entries to the Olive Crown Awards. Sponsors and partners have been coming forth to ensure the awards grow in stature.

    Added Neeraj Roy, Vice President IAA India Chapter and Chairman Olive Crown Awards Committee: “Climate change is forcing everyone to think of giant steps to be taken to combat it. The planet element in the triple bottom line is becoming as important even more important. Consumer behaviour studies are now showing sustainability as one of the key pillars of engagement. This is why the Olive Crown Awards is seeing such creative entries.”  Said Monica Tata, Honorary Secretary, IAA India Chapter,  “The winning campaigns that the Olive Crown Awards recognises are often part of larger nation-building initiatives and not stand alone creative work. This goes to highlight the width of impact that these campaigns bring about”

     

     

  • The citation presented talked of various contributions made by Mr Swamy to the various institutions he touched and the indelible mark he left behind while he was in their helm

    Ad Club Madras felicitates SK Swamy with top honour

    By A Correspondent

     

    Advertising Club Madras, in its Diamond Jubilee year, presented its prestigious Distinguished Service Award to Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman & Managing Director, R K SWAMY BBDO. The legendary R K Swamywas honoured with the first award in 1994 and Srinivasan Swamy is the sixth recipient of this prestigious awardin the last 22 years. The award was for his exceptional leadership and service to the Indian advertising industry.The award was presented by Mr NMurali, Co-Chairman, The Hindu, who was the Chief Guest of the evening. The event held on the evening of 3rd March 2016 was attended by the veterans of the Advertising industry.

     

    R V Rajan, Past President of Advertising Club and Founder President of Rural Marketing Agencies Association of India, Ramesh Narayan, Past President of AAAI, N Lakshmi Narayanan, Vice Chairman, Cognizant and DK Srinivasan Honorary Secretary of Hindu Mission Hospital felicitated Swamy on the occasion.

     

    Advertising Club President K R Skandaraaj welcomed the gathering and P. Siva Prasad, Vice President, proposed a vote of thanks. Jagannath Ramaswamy, Past President of the Club played host to the meeting.

     

    N Murali, warmly congratulated Srinivasan Swamy or ‘Sundar’ on his outstanding achievement. Drawing a parallel between his father R K Swamy and him, N Murali said that both worked for the industry in different economic environments. Swamy worked at a time when advertising was seen as a necessary evil but a wasteful expenditure. He spoke of the huge contributions of both R K Swamy and Srinivasan Swamy to industry associations specially the AAAI. “By sheer dint of his abilities and fighting spirit, he (RK Swamy) breached that bastion when he took on the leadership role at AAAI. He was the first person from this part of the country to do that. The only second person to have done that is Sundar (Srinivasan) Swamy.”

     

    With huge disruptions happening in the advertising industry, N Murali commented that “RK Swamy BBDO today is probably the only agency of its size that is full service under its own umbrella, and credit for that should go to Sundar and his team”.

     

    Ramesh Narayan, Past President of AAAI, tracing his association, mentioned that the Goafest was the brainchild of Srinivasan Swamy. Ramesh Narayan also movingly spoke of the ‘human’ side ofSrinivasan Swamy and as a steadfast friend. He said Mr Swamy may have been unwelcome to Mumbai in the late 90s, but he today is most popular there!

     

    N Lakshmi Narayanan, Vice Chairman, Cognizant thanked Sundar for the contribution that he and his colleagues have made to help Cognizant grow. He complimented Sundara as person who always wanted to help others. He also aptly quoted from the Mr R K Swamy biography: “We carry a responsibility to the industry. No amount of time or money is an excess in serving the industry. It is the hand that feeds us”, and said that Sundar indeed lived by these principles.

     

    D K Srinivasan Honorary Secretary of Hindu Mission Hospital, of which Srinivasan Swamy is the President, shared the innumerable instances when both Mr R K Swamy in the early days and Mr Srinivasan Swamy later have rendered incomparable services in fund raising, in organising events and in constantly advising and helping the ‘not for profit’ hospital or the ValluvarGurukulam Schools, of which he is the Chairman.

     

    R V Rajan talked of how the award got to be instituted in 1994 to honour R K Swamy principally. He also recalled his association with Mr R K Swamy and later with Srinivasan Swamy. He delved into how the two generational representatives have left an indelible imprint on the Indian advertising industry.

     

    The citation presented talked of various contributions made by Mr Swamy to the various institutions he touched and the indelible mark he left behind while he was in their helm.

     

    In his acceptance speech Srinivasan Swamy said that to him,the DSA from the Advertising Club Madras was the most coveted one among his other awards received till now.  As his contribution, he picked five aspects among many others to speak on.

     

    The first was leading and building a relationship between IBF and AAAI as an ‘institution to institution’ relationship and onan ‘equal’ footing. He warmly recalled his role as Chairman of the joint industry body of IBF-AAAI for seven years and the camaraderie that was present between the executives from both sides.

     

    The second contribution he listed was that of starting Goafest, and from day-one, how this was embraced by the constituents as a holistic festival comprising seminars, awards and fun place to be.

     

  • Awards to celebrate outstanding contribution and performance in Marketing, Advertising and Media across 24 categories

    Fourth edition of the IAA Leadership Awards announced

    By A Correspondent

     

    After three successful editions, the International Advertising Association announced the 4th edition of the IAA Leadership Awards. The awards recognize individuals and teams across the fields of marketing, advertising and media and celebrate their achievements. The event will be held on Saturday, 12th March 2016 at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai.

     

    For the fourth year in a row, the IAA India chapter will recognize the achievements of diverse groups in the A&M community for their incredible performance as they raised the bar of innovation and creativity in delivering high impact marketing initiatives. 24 categories have been identified after deliberation over an extensive number of quantitative and qualitative parameters.

     

    This year, the performance of the shortlisted individuals will be scrutinized by a technically-sound jury comprising of industry leaders.

     

    Sam Balsara

    Speaking on the fourth edition of the IAA Leadership Awards, Sam Balsara, Chairman – IAA Leadership Awards Committee said, “2015, as a year, has seen some truly remarkable and noteworthy marketing initiatives that have furthered the brand value and propositions for many businesses. The IAA Leadership Awards honours these programs, designed by some of the best marketing minds in the industry, which have helped in furthering of the organization’s goals through a focused and targeted outreach. With competition on a rise across sectors, we are looking forward to celebrating the achievements of those talented individuals who have shined through.”

     

     

    Srinivasan K Swamy

    Srinivasan K Swamy, President of IAA India Chapter said, “Over the past three years, the IAA Leadership Awards have become a coveted one to win within the community, which makes us strive harder to ensure the winners are picked through a robust process. As we prepare for the fourth edition to take off, we are looking forward to celebrate the hard work of the marketers and professionals who have furthered the meaning of excellence within their respective industries / sectors.”

     

  • Srinivasan K. Swamy, Chairman and Managing Director, R.K. Swamy BBDO Pvt. Ltd., was elected Vice-Chairman; and Shashidhar Sinha, CEO, Media Brands Pvt. Ltd. was re-appointed the Honorary Treasurer

    Benoy Roychowdhury elected ASCI chairman

    By A Correspondent

     

    Benoy Roychowdhury

    At the Board Meeting of The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), Benoy Roychowdhury, Executive Director at HT Media Ltd. and Whole time Director of Hindustan Media Ventures Ltd., was unanimously elected Chairman of the Board of ASCI. As a member of the Board of Governors for four years, he has represented print media and provided active support to Self-Regulation.

     

    Srinivasan K. Swamy, Chairman and Managing Director, R.K. Swamy BBDO Pvt. Ltd., was elected Vice-Chairman; and Shashidhar Sinha, CEO, Media Brands Pvt. Ltd. was re-appointed the Honorary Treasurer.

     

    Other members of the Board of Governors are Abanti Sankanarayan (Vice President, CIABC), Al Rajwani (Managing Director & Chief Executive, Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Healthcare Ltd), Arunab Das Sharma (President, Bennett Coleman and Co Ltd), D. Shivakumar (Chairman & CEO, Pepsico India), I Venkat ( Director, Eanadu), Narendra Ambwani (Director, Agrotech Foods Ltd), Paritosh Joshi (Director, Provacateur), Prema Sagar (Vice Chair, Burson-Marsteller, Asia Pacific & Principal/Founder, Genesis Burson-Marsteller), Rajan Anandan (Managing Director, Google India Pvt Ltd), Sameer Singh (Executive Director Personal Care, Hindustan Unilever Ltd), SK Palekar (Management Educationist, S.P. Jain Institute), Subhash Kamath (Managing Partner, BBH Comms India Pvt Ltd) and Sunil Lulla (Chairman & Managing Director, Grey Group).

     

    Narendra Ambwani, the outgoing chairman of ASCI said “It has been quite an eventful year for ASCI. We had set four key priorities for the year i.e. Collaboration with the regulators, easier consumer access to ASCI services, inculcate self-discipline among creators of advertising and be seen as fair adjudicator by all stakeholders. Not only were we able to deliver on all four priorities; but we also received recognition for all the good work ASCI has been doing. The Department of Consumer Affair (DCA) engaged ASCI as their “Executive Arm” to curb misleading advertisements and has entrusted ASCI to process complaints received on DCA’s portal “Grievances Against Misleading Advertisements (gama.gov.in)”. Recent launch of our mobile app ASCIonline is a major milestone and an example of how technology is helping bridge the gap between ASCI and consumers. The app brought home The Maddies Mobile Bronze Award in the “Social / Not for Profit Mobile App” category.  Launch of E-Learning Program to educate the creators of advertisements and our Mega Event titled “Creativity for Goodness’ Sake” have been our other significant accomplishments.

     

    The incoming Chairman, Benoy Roychowdhury said, “There has been a remarkable transition in the last couple of years of how newer sectors like e-commerce and media such as digital advertising have changed the game. Over 90% of consumers send in their complaints to ASCI online or via e: mail versus letters or phone calls. ASCI has also evolved to match the pace by significantly improving the efficiency and speed in ASCI’s consumer redressal process. These continuous efforts are now being backed by regulatory agencies such as the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as well as the DCA, and more and more Government organizations are approaching ASCI to seek help in adjudicating on various complaints related to advertisements. Responsibility for the success of self-regulation rests with every player – Advertisers should advertise with a conscience, media which carry the ads should be more responsible and regulators should back self-regulation by lending their support.”

     

    During the year 2014-15, the CCC met 47 times and deliberated on complaints against a total of 1877 advertisements. Of these, complaints against 1389 ads were upheld, while 486 were not upheld and 2 were outside ASCI’s purview.   ASCI has been able to achieve close to 90% compliance, which is certainly a healthy figure for a Self-Regulatory Organization.

     

  • An eclectic mix of international speakers, top-notch professionals, academics & students did the audience proud, writes Jaisurya Das

    Jaisurya Das: Kappa, Meen Curry & the IAA Summit

    A glimpse from the streetfood festival hosted by Mathrubhumi group on Day 2 of the Summit

     

    By Jaisurya Das

     

    Shah Rukh Khan, Mammooty, Sachin Tendulkar, Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev and earthy crooner  Papon topped with pyrotechnics and Kappa – Meen Curry and you have glitz, glamour and intrigue like never before.

     

    Kerala – God’s Own Country – played host last week to over 700 Delegates from all over the country at the Silver Jubilee Summit of the International Advertising Association India Chapter. An eclectic mix of international speakers, top-notch professionals, academicians and students did the audience proud at every session.

     

    Srinivasan K Swamy, IAA India President, welcomed delegates while Faris Abouhamad, Global President and IAA chairman and Pradeep Guha, Summit Chairman & Area Director IAA Asia Pacific, gave their short and crisp Introductions to the Silver Jubilee Summit.

     

    Amitabh Kant; Secretary, Industrial Policy & Promotion , Government of India delivered a keynote address with almost a rehearsed élan. Kerala and tourism have always been synergistic, yet the transition from being known only for Kovalam (The ‘Done to Death’ beach near Thiruvanthapuram ) to a destination that has immense diversity, was a carefully planned strategy. “Brands are made by people,” said Kant.

     

    Now , we have to agree with that don’t we ?

     

    The sheer diverse plethora of eminent speakers (that includes the glam world) who spoke at the Summit rendered it Unique . Srinivasan Swamy and Pradeep Guha gushed about the immense response they got.

     

    While Cindy Gallop (Founder & Former Chair of BBH, USA and founder of MakeLoveNotPorn ) explained the need of a new world order, Paul McCarthy, author of Online Gravity, outlined how gravity giants attracted huge investments . Undoubtedly a reality that was seconded by Abhay Pandey, Managing Director, Sequoia Capital. Simon Kemp, Regional MD, ‘We Are Social’, Singapore, was emphatic about how social will disrupt all the fundamentals of the marketing mix. We would imagine it already has, Simon. We are still trying to find the method in the madness called social!

     

    That’s probably why Sanjiv Puri, President – FMCG, ITC Ltd, felt that building globally acceptable brands wasn’t easy. Understanding the equity of tradition is the essence, remarked Puri.
    A meaty day met its match when the Mathrubhumi group took over the evening and ferried the entire lot of delegates to the boat jetty at Marine Drive. Half-hour later, the boats approached what seemed like an enchanted island. It was Bolgatty, resplendent with exquisite lights and the resonance of the unmistakeable ‘Chhenda , the Traditional Drum.

     

    The overcast skies came alive with the startling pyrotechnics, much like the famed ‘ Trichur Pooram ‘ where neighbouring temples symbolically compete with each other using fireworks. This festival incidentally attracts visitors from across the globe.  More often than once it is the fireworks and the majestic elephants that has the audience spellbound, year after year.

     

    Malayalam film icon Mammooty stole everyone’s heart with his inimitable baritone intonation and sheer presence. Street food in Kerala has its own charm, and the Bolgatty Island came alive with food stalls , picklesellers and the like. All that was served was homecooked or made right there , making it even more authentic and rich in flavour and tradition. Shreyams Kumar of Mathrubhumi played a perfect host and ensured every one was taken care of well.

     

    The third and final day of the Summit was a mixed bag of glamour, intrigue and emotion what with Sachin Tendulkar, Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev, Arnab Goswami etc sharing their experiences and views on ‘What’s Coming Next’.

     

    Tendulkar was his calm, composed self, in conversation with Prasoon Joshi. He talked about how a good advertisement could help him in addition to the brand and how he respected his father’s wishes and refused all tobacco and liquor ads. “Let the country talk about the past innings, you think about the next,” he said. ” Take that extra step, don’t give up” was his positive advise to all. The master blaster and Prasoon Joshi handed over the stage to the ever-charismatic spiritual leader Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev.

     

    His deep voice and incisive views enthralled the audience. “Why create the ghost, fight with it most of your life, and then win over it,” remarked Vasudev.  “Success is Joy. ” he said while advising the audience to be positive in life.

     

    Rahul Welde, Vice President-Media , Unilever Asia, Africa, Middle East, Turkey and Russia, was lucid in his talk focussed on the power of custom content. “Don’t be in the advertising business. Be in the content business,” he said with passion. Custom content is the future where speed is the new currency.

     

    One also saw the likes of 21-year-old Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO, OYO Rooms, in conversation with Sam Balsara, Chairman, Madison. Sameer Nair, the man who brought Koun Banega Crorepati and Amitabh Bachhan to the small screen, and currently Group CEO, Balaji Telefilms, talked about how word of mouth is now word of social!

     

    The Chief Minister of Kerala Oommen Chandy was all praise for the IAA for having brought the Summit to Kerala. This, Chandy said, was the largest advertising conference to be held in the State.

     

    The Summit ended with Arnab Goswami talking about how his breed of journalism is disruptive. “You have to be like a pin prick for the society to change.” remarked the Newshour man.

     

    Kerala will indeed a special place in many hearts, be it the Kappa and Meen Curry or the diverse energy that came together for this Summit.

     

  • IAA India President Srinivasan K Swamy speaks on the industry association and the Summit starting tomorrow

    No usual suspects at IAA Silver Jubilee Summit

     

    President Srinivasan Swamy talks about the IAA India Silver Jubilee Summit coming up in Kochi from September 3-5 with a handpicked line-up of speakers and experts from around the globe, and the soon-to-be-held IndIAA Awards. Excerpts from an interview with Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    Twenty-five years of IAA India and we didn’t really know about it. A silver jubilee is a huge milestone for any industry body.

    IAA is 25 from when we incorporated ourselves as a company. But technically, IAA was formed 10 years earlier, in 1981, so we’re actually 35. The early stages are not very well-recorded. So we celebrate 25 years as a company, taking it from 1991. But it has been an amazing journey. We are the only organisation which is truly international, and we’ve had all the big leaders passing through the IAA platform, both in India and globally.

     

    Does an industry like advertising need so many associations? There are quite a few already.

    Actually, there are specific associations for specific lobbies. We have an ISA for advertisers, INS for the print media, IBF for television broadcasters and the AAAI for the agency’s interests. It is the interest of advertising which is at the heart, for us, not lobbying. Therein lies a big difference.

     

    So it’s more of a club then, right?

    We don’t see ourselves as a club but as an international body which used to be involved in important aspects of advertising. The records will show that we were behind the formation of the Advertising Standard Council of India. We are actually focused on issues which are taken care of, not just by private agencies, advertisers or media, but all of them together, and make sure advertising is protected and nurtured.

     

    What is it that gets IAA to be so active and the others are not?

    I think it is probably in my DNA. In whichever body I’ve been involved in, I try and give my best. I can’t see the reason why anybody else can’t do it. It’s just that they are not passionate about doing what is required to be done on these jobs.

     

    Coming to the Silver Jubilee summit, which is obviously a big landmark. You say it’s in the same league as Ad Asia…

    It is. I don’t think we’ve seen a line-up of speakers of the kind we have [for the summit]. The president of the Global IAA, Faris Abouhamad, is coming down — not just for the inauguration, on September 3, but for all three days of the summit. The Kerala tourism minister will be there at the inauguration, as well as Amitabh Kant, who was behind the God’s Own Country, Incredible India and Make in India campaigns. He will deliver the keynote address. We have a lot of international speakers as well.

     

    You also have people like Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan and Jaggi Vasudev to provide colour…

    Sachin has been a brand ambassador and advertising icon. He is not there as a cricketer. We also have Arnab Goswami, who is another brand. We find today that at any conference, a spiritual leader connects very well with the audience. Jaggi Vasudev is going to talk about the miracle of being a good human.

     

    Are you happy with the line-up?

    We avoided the usual suspects. We could’ve approached the Chairman of IPG, Omnicom or WPP, but those are easy options to chase. The names we have are actually going to talk about newer things. Our theme is ‘What’s coming next?’ We have Cindy Gallop, founder of BBH in the US, who has done some excellent work with the websites ‘If We Ran The World’ and ‘Make love not Porn’. She is also Cannes Chairman of the Jury for The Glass Lion. We have Paul McCarthy, who has written a book called ‘Online Gravity’, a runaway success about how online impacts different aspects of our lives. Jeffery Cole will speak about the future of digital, while mobile expert Ralph Simon will talk about how mobile is going to transform the world. You won’t get these perspectives from the usual suspects.

     

    Are you going to use your popular debate format here?

    No, we will have only keynote sessions because we find people don’t come prepared for panel discussions. They answer questions put to them, which is not a structured way of taking you through your problem. So we have 18 keynote sessions and only two subjects which will have a discussion – the first, with Prasoon Joshi, after Sachin makes his presentation, and one with Sam Balsara after Darshanbhai Patel makes his opening remarks. All the presentations are of 25 minutes by the keynote speaker, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A.

     

    Since this is a large-format event, it is obviously well sponsored…

    It is sponsored. We are on track to fulfilling our obligations in terms of money. Our friends from various media support us. And we have got all the support from Kerala, like from Mathrubhumi, a Kerala publication. Different TV channels from across India are also supporting us.

     

    Your tickets are priced very low. Would people in India value an event with low-priced compared to one that has higher priced tickets?

    We deliberately kept it low because we want more people to come. For members it is Rs 4,500 while non-members pay Rs 9,000. I also want members to come with their spouses, who comes for free. Non-members pay an additional Rs 4,500 rupees for an accompanying person. I think Rs 9,000 is not low. Attendees also have to spend on air travel and hotel stay.

     

    Kochi is an unusual venue. These events are mostly held in Goa, Delhi or Mumbai.

    IAA is an unusual institution. With programmes in Bombay and Delhi, people come for one session, leave for meetings and come back for cocktails and dinner. In Kochi, there’ll be very little of such distraction, so one can focus on the content and observe as much one can. Delhi, Mumbai and Goa have been done to death.

     

    A part of this interview first appeared in dna of brands dated August 31, 2015

     

    See also on Zee Business at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2Y054u7t50

     

     

  • IAA India president and ad industry veteran Srinivasan K Swamy on the IndIAA Awards that are scheduled to be held in early October

    ‘There is space for more creative awards’

     

     

    As President, Srinivasan K Swamy has breathed new life into the India chapter of the International Advertising Association making it unarguably the most active body for advertising, media and marketing professionals in the country. And just when he had achieved the impossible with an event like the silver jubilee summit that is scheduled for September 3-5 in Kochi, he has announced the IndIAA Awards. Hours after the announcement was made, Swamy spoke to Pradyuman Maheshwari of MxMIndia on IndIAA, its highlights and whether it will impact the other awards for the creative fraternity.

     

    So IAA too has jumped on to the awards?

    We have been discussing for nearly two years that we should have an award for advertising that’s not just for the sake of creativity but an award for making a difference to the marketplace. We’ll award good, creative work coming from Top 20 categories based on audience response. We’ll see all that’s happened in the last one year – July 2014 to June 2015 and get people to also nominate what they’ve missed out and we will shortlist this on certain parameters. We have a wonderful set of jury members. We’ll put it in front of them and they’ll handpick the winners. We have two awards for each category – one for an established brand and a challenger brand.

     

    Unilever COO Haresh Manwani to chair all-new creative advertising award – IndIAA 

    By A Correspondent

     

    There are awards and awards and awards, and there’s yet another for India’s creative advertising craft. But this one is with a difference. For one, the top captains of big business are on the jury, and two: there’s no entry fee, and in fact all entries will be nominated.

     

    Organised by the India chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) which is in its silver jubilee year, the IndIAA Awards is being billed to honour “real hardworking creative advertising.”

     

    Chairing the jury is Harish Manwani,  Chief Operating Officer, Unilever and Non- Executive Chairman Hindustan Unilever with senior business leaders like D Shivakumar (Chairman & CEO, Pepsico India), Bhaskar Bhatt (MD, Titan), Mayank Pareek (President, Passenger Vehicles Unit, Tata Motors), Sangeeta Pendurkar (MD, Kellogg India), Sanjeeb Chaudhari (Global CMO and Regional Head – South Asia, Standard Chartered Bank) and B Sriram (MD, State Bank of India).

     

    Said Manwani: “Creativity is critical to great advertising – advertising that ultimately helps to build successful brands. Effective advertising implies the existence of deep consumer insights, the rigour of a repeatable process between the client and agency and optimal level of  media spends.  Only then does a great creative idea get transformed into effective advertising.”

     

    There is no entry fee for the awards, Srinivasan K Swamy, President, IAA India said. Asked whether this would compete with the major awards in the country – notably the Abby from the Advertising Club and the Kyoorius Awards, Swamy said there is space for all awards to co-exist.

     

    Added Pradeep Guha, Chairman, IndIAA Awards: “In its inaugural edition, advertising campaigns that were released between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015 will be honoured in multiple product and service categories. To qualify for an award, the campaign should have film (TV or Digital) as one of its elements. In each product or service category, no more than an overall winner and a challenger brand (a newcomer) would be awarded.”

     

    The jury meeting is scheduled to happen on September 2 and the awards ceremony is likely to be held in early October 2015. Details on categories, criteria and nominees are available atindiaa-awards.org. Campaigns can be nominated by mailing a link of the film atawardsindia@gmail.com.

     

    Is there space for another award?

    You will be surprised. The kind of work that will be awarded is the work you and I enjoy sitting in our living rooms. Awards, otherwise, celebrate work which none of us have seen. There’s a big difference here. The awards won’t be just for creative agencies, but also for advertisers who co-created it, to the media agencies, digital agencies who’ve been part of amplifying it. Everybody will be called upon stage, the advertisers and the agencies related to them and they’ll be honored together.

     

    In a sense you have that in the Effies which looks at effectiveness…

    Effies are more process-driven in terms of the results delivered. But you don’t celebrate all the people on one platform. You don’t get the full team who co-created it to come on stage and get it.

     

    You’ve been part of the Advertising Club, Goafest and 3As of I…  don’t you think the Abby could’ve been improved?

    Talking about GoaFest and Abby, I think it has its own purpose and if people are ignoring it, it’s out of their own personal reasons. All awards have a role to play. Celebrating good work in whatever manner is always good and I won’t say Goafest, Cleo or Cannes have lost their relevance. All these awards have a purpose and the creators must celebrate their success there. This is special from our point of view where we’re talking about advertising that has made a difference in the marketplace and all of us sitting in our living room, enjoying that advertising; that will be seen for the first time in the awards shows.

     

    Could we well see a IAA versus Goafest-3As of I- Advertising Club war?

    No. As I said there is space for more awards. If we can have so many awards for feature films, why can’t we have more awards for creativity and advertising?

     

    I am asking this because we don’t see the bonhomie between a Goafest Abby and Kyoorius after the latter has its own awards

    Kyoorius is a private organisation award whereas Abby is certainly an industry association giving the  award. But you can’t ignore the fact that Kyoorius came and took some impetus away from Abby. That’s the division. When there was a division between Ad Club and 3As of I, a lot of effort was taken to bring them together on the Goafest platform. There’s very little difference between a Kyoorius and an Abbyaward. Both awards are for creativity, both have jury members, more often than not, it’s for work that more often we see in life. It’s still only the peripheral work that brings the awards.

     

    Do you anticipate any problem between 3As of I and the IAA?

    I think there’s enough space for a Kyoorius, Abby and IndIAA awards. People like to receive an award for the good work they’ve done. The more platforms celebrating it, it’s better for the creative perspective.

     

    How have Ad Club and 3As of I reacted to it?

    It’s possibly not been internalised by many. We’ve been working in the background and not made a serious announcement about it till yesterday. A few days ago, Campaign magazine broke that news. The more people realize there is another award coming up, they realize there is space for a lot more. There is a relevance for Kyoorius, Abby, Goafest… more awards is good, because more appreciation for good work is always good. As I said, there are so many film awards…

     

    With agencies not having enough budgets for sending entries to awards, not charging an entry fee is a good idea?

    Yes, all our works are nominated, they’re not entered. There’s the difference. There is also a process by which all good work can be nominated by the jury.

     

    Nomination always means there can be an element of subjectivity. The best work may not necessarily come.

    We also have a process of suo moto nominating, we also nominate ourselves. In front of the jury, all the good work is dropped into categories. We know what the 20 categories are. We know the brands of the 20 categories. We know what work has come out of those 20 categories and brands.

     

    The fact that you have Haresh Manwani and D Shivkumar, you can be sure that a Lowe Lintas and an Ogilvy will participate.

    They have no choice! I’m not even asking a Lowe Lintas or an Ogilvy to participate. We have a panel. We will review all the work and nominate work. If your work is good in our opinion, we nominate you for consideration to the jury. We’re not expecting an O&M or a Lintas Lowe to send in their work for consideration. We are going to pick the work from the public domain.

     

    But, they have to come and accept the award.

    They would be fools if they don’t! The client has to be there to accept the award. The person who co-created the work is going to be there for the award.

     

    Yet again: do you expect fireworks thanks to the awards… amongst the industry associations?

    There is space for multiple awards.

     

    Given what’s happened in the past?

    At one level, because award shows collect money, they are seen as commercial activity. We’re not just seeing it as commercial activity. We’re giving something back to the profession. We want to honour people who are doing genuine work, making a difference to the marketplace with their creativity and we want to get them on a platform where we can honor all of them… both, from the established and the emerging brand.

     

  • The seminar was held at the Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills

    IAA India Chapter hosts ‘Let’s Get Real’ seminar in Hyderabad

    By A Correspondent

     

    The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association conducted a knowledge seminar on Saturday, July 25 as part of the ‘Let’s Get Real’ series focusing on real estate advertising and marketing. The seminar was held at the Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, 4pm onwards.

     

    Welcoming the audience, KRP Reddy, Marketing Director, Sakshi Media Group said, “Real estate is poised to achieve unprecedented growth and Brand Hyderabad is a new magnet for investors and real estate prices are seeing an upward surge.” Srinivasan K Swamy, President IAA India Chapter & Vice President, Development, IAA Asia Pacific mentioned “IAA believes that two verticals that need the support of professional agencies are the real estate and retail industries. Advertising and marketing agencies can help these mostly family-owned and -run businesses with outside thinking.”

     

    Starting the proceedings of the seminar, Sandip Patnaik, Managing Director, Jones Lang LaSalle said, “The last four-five months have seen a tremendous change in Hyderabad. The HR firm Mercer listed has Hyderabad as the best city in the country to live in.”

     

    Isaac Jacob, Professor, Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research spoke on marketing in the downturn. “What you should do is avoid gimmicks,” he advised. “Find out which marketing programmes work and which don’t. Focus on the benefits and advantages of your product.” Innovative advertising, humour and social media are a great help during a downturn, Prof Jacob added.

     

    Charulata Ravi Kumar, CEO, Razorfish India underscored the need to look at the digital media as a means to send the message. “Your rivals are not your only competitors, given the alternative options in the market place ” she said. She further added, “associating with other brands can add value to your brand. And don’t compromise on the content of your website. Look at the best websites even if they are not related to your business to get inspiration”.

     

    Preeti Vyas, Chairperson, Vyas Giannetti Creative spoke on the importance of branding of real estate projects. She provided examples on how to differentiate properties that are absolute premium, luxury and for the middle class.

     

    An engaging panel discussion moderated by Pradeep Dwivedi, Chief Marketing and Corporate Sales Officer, Dainik Bhaskar was held with P Dashrath Reddy, President, TREDAI; G Hari Babu, President, APREDA; Neeta Patel, Marketing Manager, Naman Group and Sonal Seth, luxury and experiential marketing specialist.

     

  • To recognize & honour under 30 professionals in Marketing, Advertising & Media

    IAA Future Leaders Awards announced

    By A Correspondent

     

    The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) has announced its new Future Leaders initiative – The IAA Future Leaders Awards.

     

    Three future leaders below the age of 30 will be identified and honoured. They will represent the finest talent in advertising, marketing and media, the three broad areas that the IAA is focused on.

     

    Srinivasan K Swamy

    Srinivasan K Swamy President IAA and Chairman R K SWAMY BBDO said “this is a young industry and we owe it to ourselves to recognize our future leaders, nurture them, encourage them and celebrate them. I am particularly glad we are launching this meaningful initiative in our Silver Jubilee year. It reinforces our commitment to all that is good in this industry”.

     

    Carefully designed nomination forms will be going out shortly to key stakeholders in the marketing and communication space. Nominations would be short-listed and placed before an eminent jury of acknowledged leaders in their own field. The winners would be honoured before an elite audience at the prestigious IAA Silver Jubilee Summit which will be held at Kochi on the 4th and 5th September 2015.

     

    Monica Tata

    Monica Tata, Chairperson of the Future leaders Committee adds “apart from the obvious prestige of being recognized and honoured before such a distinguished audience, the three winners would be sent on an all-expenses-paid trip to the AdAsia 2015 being held in Taipei this November. This would be a great learning experience for these young leaders”.

     

  • As they are awarded the IAA Inspire Awards in London today, a freewheeling interview with Srinivasan K Swamy and Ramesh Narayan

    Winning ways for IAA India captains

     

    Depending on when you are reading this, today (May 18 ), to be precise, the International Advertising Association will award veteran adpersons Srinivasan K Swamy and Ramesh Narayan with 2015 IAA Inspire Awards in London. The IAA Inspire Awards were created to celebrate IAA members who have achieved leadership excellence and contributed their professional expertise and inspired the marketing communications industry locally, regionally and globally. Swamy, who is Chairman, R K Swamy BBDO and President, India Chapter IAA, and Ramesh Narayan is an industry veteran and Hall of Fame awardee at the IAA Leadership Award in 2014. Said Swamy on the recognition: “These awards are a validation of the active and meaningful role the India Chapter of the IAA has been playing as the leading industry association of its kind in the country. Ramesh and I will accept these awards on behalf of the entire team at the India Chapter”. Messrs Swamy and Narayan took time out for questions from Pradyuman Maheshwari. Excerpts from a freewheeling interview:

     

    The IAA is unique. It’s not the primary industry body, like the Adverising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), the Advertising or the Press Club. How would you describe the association to someone who doesn’t know anything about it?

     

    SRINIVASAN K SWAMY (SKS): IAA is international, as the name signifies. We in India are part of that large multi-country, multi-cultural institution. We represent the interest of ‘advertising’ — we believe in free commercial speech, self-regulation in advertising, and in the power of communication to reduce prices, improve quality by increased competition and offer choices for consumers to choose from. No other body has such laudable objectives in the world or in India, if we look at what IAA stands for in totality.

     

    RAMESH NARAYAN (RN): I would describe it as a friendly, useful, busy, meaningful, go-to industry-association that actually cares for the industry it represents.

     

    And what does it aspire to achieve?

     

    SKS: If we believe in the power of advertising, we should use this to good purpose that benefits both the consumer and the producer. IAA Global constantly creates campaigns that demonstrates the power of advertising. Plus, we led a campaign on climate change for UN called Hopenhagen in 2009 which was rolled out across the globe. In India, we believe what is good, is good for business. Like the Lighting a Billion Lives campaign, IAA’s Olive Crown Awards, Gender Sensitisation Seminars, Changing Role of Women in Advertising, the Overcoming Voter Apathy campaign etc.

     

    RN: One aspires to be part of an association that helps you showcase a plethora of initiatives, ranging from technology-based to intellectual, marquee, industry-specific and meaningful. Initiatives that tickle the intellect, satisfy the need to do things that are adding value to the industry, and also never lose track of the fun element.

     

    How have you done in these areas?

     

    SKS: From the examples above, I think we have done well. Now it is for others to judge.

     

    RN: I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again. People like Pheroza Bilimoria, Pradeep Guha, Raj Nayak and Kaushik Roy set the stage for a great association. Then our president-on-steroids, Srinivasan (Sundar) Swamy came along and took the association into another orbit. There is no other association that does as much for our industry as the IAA. Our webinars bring technology and information about the digital world into management classrooms and offices. Our Retrospect and Prospects is a topical event where a CEO takes a look at the highs and lows of the industry in his rear view mirror and then does a little crystal ball gazing as well. Our debates are a unique format to bring a dash of intellectual thought back into our lives. Our Leadership Awards primarily salute the marketing world. Our mentorship and Young Turks programmes reach out to the younger people in our industry who might be feeling a little left out otherwise. And as far as I am concerned, the IAA is doing the industry a great service by proving that communication can be a force for good with its Olive Crown awards, gender sensitisation programmes, anti-voter-apathy campaign and the like.

     

    When you took over responsibility of the IAA India, what were the goals you set yourself? Did you plan on such a super-active association?

     

    SKS: In the very first meeting I took over as president, we announced a slew of initiatives and much of what has happened since, is not by accident but by design.

     

    RN: I planned nothing. Pradeep Guha called me out of retirement. He, Raj and Kaushik have encouraged me. Sundar has been a revelation. His energy is as infectious as his smile is. He combines being hands-on with complete delegation in a manner where he inspires a diverse group to work on the several initiatives the IAA has.

     

    Since both of you have been actively associated with various other industry associations, why do you think others aren’t as active as the IAA?

     

    SKS: We have a very cohesive team at IAA. I think our success lies in that. Wherever I was fortunate to lead, I always put together a team that gets energised and is willing to make a difference.

     

    RN: The AAAI is possibly active in industry-specific areas that are not in the public domain. The Ad Club has mega events, so I guess each one has its place.

     

    Is IAA India fortunate to have the existing industry associations inactive through their basic activities?

     

    SKS: It doesn’t take much to make an association to get active. If others have not moved ahead, may be this was not that committee’s priority. You should ask them.

     

    RN: Our industry needs its industry associations. And they perform unique and important roles. I have had the privilege of having been President of both AAAI and the Advertising Club. I believe they perform important roles. If I had to crib, I would just say that both these Associations need to include the “good” quotient into their activities. They have the resources, the talent, the bandwidth to establish that “what’s good is good for business”. And they should lead from the from in doing this. This is one important way of positioning our industry as something the youth will aspire to get into.

     

    And there is no monopoly on doing good. The IAA is showing the way. We need all industry associations including the ISA and the IBF to step up to the plate. There should be a collaborative approach. Our goals are the same. Let’s bring our respective strengths to the table and complement one another.

     

    08. Who would you attribute IAA India’s success to? And let’s not be politically correct here…

     

    SKS: If I had to be politically incorrect, I might say I, me, myself. But the reality is we had many people in the Mancom shouldering specific responsibilities to deliver the unified whole that is IAA India.

     

    RN: I can only say that the IAA has been president-driven. And it has had the good fortune to have good presidents. It needs to be more committee-driven, which is the effort right now.

     

    Both of you will need to hand over reins to someone else. You could well be given an international responsibility. Any succession plans?

     

    SKS: We have strong senior leaders in the committee. We also have many good young leaders who can assume primary responsibilities. So IAA in India is on solid footing. As to our international roles, we’ve already enjoyed it. I have been on the Board of IAA Global for three years. Further growth depends on whether we want to spend more time and money, and also whether the democratic process at IAA Global will provide us with any opportunities.

     

    RN: I believe a succession plan is already in place. Last year, in a never-before move, the Managing Committee decided en masse not to offer themselves for re-election. So the entire elected Managing Committee of the IAA already has an average age of under 45. These are the leaders of the future. We are already in an advisory role, without voting rights. Very few people realise this, but it is one of the healthiest things to have happened in our industry – no staying on, no bickering. Just a bloodless handing over to GenNext before people even spoke about it.

     

    We’ve seen both of you work selflessly for IAA’s India chapter. Had you decided to spend the same amount of time on your respective businesses, wouldn’t it have done more good for the industry (and yourselves)?

     

    SKS: Some years ago, I settled in my mind that there is no such thing as either/or. It is this and that. So I wouldn’t have liked to play this any other way.

     

    RN: It is said that if you have an urgent job, give it to a busy man. I have devoted a lot of time to industry initiatives even when I ran my agency. “No time” is just an excuse lazy or unwilling people resort to.

     

    This might sound like an unfair question, but it’s kind of fashionable to say that one needs to give something back to the industry. Isn’t selflessness also a type of selfishness, because while business success can provide material gain, it’s the larger industry recognition that one seeks…

     

    SKS: It’s true that we are doing this for the hand that feeds us. But equally, opportunities don’t present themselves to many. We were lucky. Also, one pursues all this to achieve one’s purpose of self-actualisation.

     

    RN: Recognition is never guaranteed. Sure, it feels good to receive it, but I believe that if you work expecting recognition you either lose steam, do a half-hearted job or end up miserable. There is a joy in saying ’I have no axe to grind. I enjoy what I am doing’. I have lived by that credo and when I no longer enjoy what I am doing, I will walk away from the industry.

     

    A shorter version of this appeared in dna of brands dated May 11, 2015