MxMIndia

Tag: Srinivasan K Swamy

  • The last date for entries for the first and only awards for creative excellence in communicating sustainability is January 31, 2014. Entry form can be downloaded from iaaindiachapter.org

    IAA calls for entries to Olive Crown Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) has issued a call for creative entries for the fourth edition of the IAA Olive Crown Awards. The Olive Crown Awards which are India’s first and only awards for creative excellence in communicating sustainability have been growing in size and stature over the years. The entry form can be downloaded from iaaindiachapter.org. The last date for entries is January 31, 2014.

     

    Last year, the awards were endorsed by the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) and went on to become the first ever pan-Asian event of its kind. AFAA will continue to endorse it this year. Said Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman, R K SWAMY BBDO and President, India Chapter and VP-Development Asia Pacific, IAA: “These awards have acquired the hue of a ‘cause’ and this is one of the reasons for their universal acceptance.” Ramesh Narayan, Founder Canco Advertising and M G Parameswaran, Executive Director and CEO Draft FCB Ulka, are Co-Chairmen of the IAA Olive Crown Awards.  Mr Parameswaran said, “We cannot put a price on our commitment to Brand Earth and that is why there is no entry fee for this one-of-a-kind award. The quality of entries was very high last year and we are expecting an even better standard this time”.

     

    The awards will be presented in Mumbai in March 2014.  For the third time in succession, leading music channel 9XM will be presenting sponsor of these awards. Hungama and the Patrika Group are the Green partners.

     

  • The future appears bright for entrepreneurs running advertising agencies was the consensus at the IAA Knowledge Conclave on Saturday

    Future bright for Emerging Agencies

     

    By Fatema Rajkotwala

     

    Downturns and failures are opportunities to be successful in the future,” said Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Essel Group and Zee Network in his address on entrepreneurship at the Knowledge Conclave of International Association of Advertising India Chapter.  The Conclave on Saturday (October 26) in Mumbai was held with the objective of helping emerging agencies understand how to take their businesses to the next level.

     

    Mr Chandra, who was Chief Guest of the event, shared his mantras for entrepreneurs. “Honour your commitments.  Don’t let fear set in. Listen to your customer. When I hear debates on whether it is better to be independent or enter partnerships, I say you become a multinational. But yes, partnerships help in growth.”

     

    Srinivasan Swamy

    Led by President Srinivasan K Swamy (CMD, RK Swamy BBDO), the IAA India chapter in association with the Free Press Journal invited senior industrypersons to share their knowledge and experience with the fraternity of small and mid-sized agencies. Acknowledging the growth in number of small agencies and the theme chosen for the Conclave, Swamy pointed out that the growth in membership of the various trade bodies from amongst the small and medium-sized agencies indicates that the business is robust for them.

     

     

    CVL Srinivas

    CVL Srinivas, CEO, Group M South Asia spoke on “How to flourish as a mid-sized media agency”.  Putting things in perspective for emerging agencies, he pointed out that in many ways, small and mid-sized agencies have a natural competitive advantage over big corporate and network-owned agencies. “It is easier for emerging companies to go digital. It is no longer a game of the top 4-5 agencies. Fragmentation and specialization is a huge opportunity for emerging agencies. Large agencies are not equipped to deal with local entrepreneurs whereas small agencies can cast the net wider. There is a shift from contextual and demographic targeting to audience planning.”

     

    Mr Srinivas spoke of how agency life tends to get a little superficial at times, leaving you disconnected from consumers. He said, “There is no better time than now to be a part of the media agency business. Today, all of us (big networks, multinationals and small agencies) are in the same boat. Massive disruptive models are coming in and this indicates that our advertising model needs reinvention.”

     

    B S Nagesh, Vice Chairman, Shopper’s Stop engaged the audience with his talk on “Preparing to win in a hyper competitive market” where he urged all entrepreneurs in SMEs to bring in out-of-the-box modes of growing their businesses. Summing up his nuggets of advice, he said,”Creativity has to be coupled with financial training. Many processes within SMEs happen in an informal way. To lessen the gap between Desire and Deserve, organisations need to look at building capability along with building capacity. Trust, transparency and empowerment within the company is important. Create an organization that is more responsive, accountable and measures performance. Create opportunities by creating clients in emerging markets. Celebrate trials, failures and successes.”

     

    Later, Ali Merchant, Director Triton Communications, Harindra Singh, Vice-Chairman & MD, Percept Ltd, that holds specialists agencies in various sectors and Vinod Nair, Managing Director, Network Advertising formed a panel on the topic “Path ahead for an Emerging Agency” that was chaired by Sandip Tarkas, President Strategy, Future Group. The panel debated the pros and cons of commoditizing the advertising product with specialized agencies, the benefits and limitations of being an independent agency versus entering partnerships to grow businesses and the need to position and package in order to be paid for specialized services.

     

    As the Founder and CEO of classifieds portal, Quikr.com, Pranay Chulet spoke on a session titled, “Future of Interactive Media”. Sharing his insights on digital marketing and the growing digital industry, he said, “In this complex world, the client needs not just an ad but conversations that are generated. We have to think multiple channels. The digital medium has also made Call to action easier. It allows Test, Analyze and Scale Fast or Fail Fast model, which is not possible with other media.”

     

    Abhishek Karnani

    According to Abhishek Karnani, Chairman of the IAA Knowledge Conclave, the primary objective of the sessions was to get the top advertising and media minds to come together to reflect on ideas and strategies for emerging agency owners to take their companies to the next level. This, he said, was served in ample from the practical advices served at the Conclave.

     

     

  • Leading marketing effectiveness award will now have an APAC version

    Effie Asia-Pacific launched with C4As

    As part of Effie’s global expansion, Mary Lee Keane, President of Effie Worldwide, announced the launch of the Effie Asia-Pacific programme, in partnership with the Confederation of Asian Advertising Agencies Association (C4As).

     

    Effie Worldwide’s signature initiative, the Effie Awards, is recognized throughout the industry as the global standard of marketing effectiveness excellence. With the addition  of the regional Asia-Pacific Effie programme, Effie Worldwide’s international network now expands to 40 programmes and four regional programmes.

     

    “Given rate of changes in media, technology, consumer behaviour, and even business models, there’s never been a more demanding or exciting time to be focused on delivering effectiveness in marketing,” said Carl Johnson, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Effie Worldwide and Co-Founder of Anomaly.

     

    The Effie APAC programme, organized by the C4As and managed by Tenasia Group, will recognize effective work that has run in the Asia-Pacific region.  The C4As is a non-profit organization dedicated to the marketing communications industry and has experience collaborating with organizations in many different countries throughout the region, including North, South and Southeast Asia.

     

    “The Effie Awards is the world’s most established and recognized award competition for marketing effectiveness and we are certainly delighted to partner Effie Worldwide in organizing the Asia-Pacific program,” said Anthony Kang, Chair of C4As. A pilot APAC Effies was previously awarded in 2008 in partnership with Effie Singapore partner, IAS.

     

    Finalists and winners in all Effie programs in the Asia-Pacific region will be included in the Effie Effectiveness Index (http://www.effieindex.com), which identifies and ranks the marketing communication industry’s most effective agencies, marketers and brands by analyzing finalist and winner data from worldwide Effie competitions.

     

    “Asia-Pacific is a key subject on every global marketer’s mind, along with the ever-important subject of effectiveness,” said Daryl Lee, Global Chief Executive Officer, UM and member of the Board of Directors, Effie Worldwide. “Effie is now more than ever, the global authority on marketing effectiveness.”

     

    Srinivasan K Swamy is the Immediate Past Chairman of the C4As and representing the AAAI, Nagesh Alai is Treasurer of the association.

     

  • Advertisers, media agencies are upset with TAM's decision to go weekly for some broadcasters

    Measurement mayhem as TAM goes weekly for some

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Interviews by Johnson Napier

     

    If you thought that broadcasters would be on their knees to keep advertisers and media agencies happy, perish the thought. This is India in the year 2013 and relations between those who put money on media vehicles and the vehicle-owners have hit the bottom.

     

    Over recent times, there have been issues between advertisers, media agencies and broadcasters. It started with the constitution of the BARC, and moved to the Net billing issue and eventually moved to the status of the TAM-administered television audience measurement system. Along with the controversy on the measurement system has also been the issue of CPT versus CPRP being the currency for adspends.

     

    The unsubscription of TAM’s services by leading networks post an advisory of broadcaster body IBF last month was the last straw. While broadcasters had their reasons, the AAAI and ISA felt that it was harsh a decision and should’ve been settled by way of discussions, especially since there is a BARC-administered measurement system that’s just around a year away.

     

    On Thursday (July 11), after many days of the stalemate between the IBF, AAAI and the ISA and of course TAM, it was decided by the Nielsen-Kantar jv to fulfil its contractual obligations and publish monthly ratings for all those desirous of it. Although in terms of numbers, the entities are few – Star, Zee, TV18+Viacom 18, MSM, NDTV, Times TV, Sri Adhikari Brothers, BAG Films and India TV, they control a sizeable pie of ad revenues across all their channels.

     

    Noted a statement issued by a TAM spokesperson: “TAM, purely as an act of professionalism, is fulfilling and respecting its contractual duties and obligations that it is bound by, with the individual Broadcaster clients. This decision is basis individual client letter requests received by TAM from only specific few  TV Channels.  Data for all other TV Channels will be reported as earlier.”

     

    Srinivasan Swamy

    Said Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman and Managing Director, RK Swamy BBDO:  “This move by TAM to agree to a monthly reporting for the said channels  is bowing to the pressure of these broadcasters and is a desperate reaction to the issue. Fundamental changes in a measurement system followed for years cannot be undone for a few select parties without accounting for the consensus amongst the other stakeholders , particularly the advertisers. ” Mr Swamy was critical of TAM too on the decision: “Having succumbed to such pressure tactics can lead to a further question mark on TAM’s  credibility,”

     

    According to Sam Balsara, CMD, Madison World and one the seniormost representing media agency professionals in the country, advertisers are “unwilling to take this unilateral decision of broadcasters lying down”.

     

    Sam Balsara

    Added Mr Swamy: “This is a retrograde step for a medium known to be extremely dynamic. In fact the argument can be that the move to measure TV should be available on a daily basis rather than weekly and here we are moving to a monthly. While both CPT and CPRP have their advantages and disadvantages, the bigger issue is of data stability and integrity. While the move to CPT is the way to go in the future and its advantages are known, but in absence of a new robust measurement metrics, such actions do not reflect a mature industry functioning. Where is the advertiser and the media agency in this decision?  It is time the three industry bodies ISA, IBF, AAAI arrive at a long-term solution to such fundamental issues and put a roadmap in place to prevent such knee=jerk changes in an important area of measurement.”

     

     

    Ashish Bhasin

    Echoing a similar view is Ashish Bhasin, Chairman, India and CEO, South East Asia of Aegis Media: “I think we should let it be the way it is and rather have a joint industry body like BARC or people who are qualified to handle such issues from a technical standpoint. Obviously there are some issues with TAM. We cannot take decisions on an ad hoc basis where TAM moves from weekly to monthly for some and gives out weekly data to the others. It will just add to the confusion; we need to get in experts like the BARC technical committee because they have all the constituents concerning the welfare of the industry including broadcasters and advertisers. So they will have to take a relook at the whole issue and put forth recommendations that are best for the industry.”

     

    Meanwhile, advertisers are not too amused by the decision. A senior marketing professional with a multinational said that the willingness to discuss issues shouldn’t be construed as a weakness on the part of those putting in monies. Another advertiser who we spoke to said that while decisions to advertise do not change on a week-on-week basis in the case of general entertainment channels, for some channels like news a more instant measurement mechanism is vital. “It’s my money so I want to know if I am spending it well. It’s not that I will stop spending If I don’t know how my money is being spent, Said Mr Bhasin: “According to me, these ad hoc steps are really retrograde. The world is moving to real-time data on a daily basis and to move to a monthly system is not acceptable. For all you know, clients might actually rethink their association with the medium of television and may channelize their energies on other mediums. Clients may lose confidence on the medium of television as if you release data after a long gap they won’t be able to analyse the immediate impact that will be created. If clients start reducing or pulling back the monies, we agencies and broadcasters will be on the losing end. So net-net, a joint industry body needs to look at it from a holistic standpoint and put forth their recommendations – what should happen in the short-term till BARC comes in.”

     

    The last is not heard on the television audience measurement controversy. The stakes are high and so are the bucks. For many, it also means a threat to the very existence.

     

    Please stand by for more as the drama unfolds.

     

  • Four-part package: Interview with CVL Srinivas, Group M CEO South Asia + ISA & AAAI View + Agency/Client View + MxM Comment

    Dumping TAM is not the solution!

     

    Dumping a system does not solve the problem: CVL Srinivas
     

    While both AAAI and ISA have expressed their views on the controversy, we asked GroupM CEO South Asia CVL Srinivas, CEO South Asia, GroupM as head of the country’s largest media agency conglomerate for his views on the issue.

     

    As the country’s largest media agency conglomerate, what is Group M’s view on the current imbroglio – given that three broadcasters have stopped their subscriptions making charges?

    In our view it is an extremely ill-advised, ill-timed and regressive move. TAM is the rating system followed by the industry. Rating systems world over have evolved and keep evolving. To simply junk them altogether is not a solution. Issues if any need to be addressed jointly by all stakeholders as were done in the past. Both AAAI and ISA have already made their stand clear on this. As a responsible member of the industry we will work with our colleagues across industry bodies to help address the issue.

     

    You represent some of the biggest adspenders in India: are you happy with the data dished out by TAM week after week?

    In a dynamic market like ours which is seeing a lot of structural change (like digitization, increasing penetration of TV in smaller towns, more access to satellite channels etc) there is bound to be fluctuation every time the sample is refreshed or any other change is made. In addition, there are behavioural changes from a viewer perspective that keep happening. Nobody can deny the fact that consumption of content on digital platforms is growing at a rapid pace. TV ratings keep shifting and mirroring real life in a manner they best possibly can given the limitations of a sample survey.

    And your clients? Have they (especially big ones like Hindustan Unilever) raised issues about TAM’s and the data’s bonafides?

    Our clients continue to back TAM. They do not think that dumping a system solves the problem. Whatever questions keep coming up are always discussed openly with TAM and addressed.

     

    TV as a medium has shown robust growth despite a general slowdown. To a large extent this is because of the existing rating system. Given the magnitude of spends on TV, a rating system is a must. With no ratings a spot on one channel is the same as a spot on another channel. The lead channels in every genre will stand to lose the premium they command on rates.

     

    Does the fact that TAM is part-owned by your parent WPP put you under greater pressure from advertisers – since you obviously can’t be vociferously condemning TAM, if there was need for it?

    TAM is recognised as an industry system and has been in existence for many years. All clients, agencies and media owners have been using this data.

     

    Would you think that broadcasters have too much of ownership of the measurement exercise when actually it should be advertisers and media agencies since you’ll are the primary users of the data?

    While advertisers and agencies use the rating data to help plan and buy media, for broadcasters it is the currency that helps them sell their inventory. They are able to command a premium wherever ratings are high. They use ratings to market their programmes and channels.

     
    AGENCY+CLIENT VIEW
     

    Srinivasan K Swamy, CMD, RK Swamy BBDO and President, International Association of Advertisers (India Chapter)

     

    TV ratings have shown a downward trend after digitization of distribution. The decline is quite steep – as much of 20-25% in several instances. Such decline affects the revenue stream of broadcasters and hence it is natural for them to reject it. But it is like giving a dog (TAM) a bad name to hang it.

     

    Advertisers and agencies need ratings for advertising planning. It would be a retrograde step if the ratings had to be given a go-by, even for a short run. I am confident a solution will be found to continue the ratings even with Channels withdrawing their subscriptions.

     

    Lloyd Mathias, Lloyd Mathias, Director, Green Bean Ventures formerly with Tata Teleservices, Motorola and Pepsi and former Chairman, MRUC

    Basically media doesn’t like being measured by a third party. It happened in print with people raising objections to the NRS and later the IRS. In fact the Media Research Users Council (MRUC) which was set up by stakeholders faced a constant threat of boycott.

     

    The same lack of discomfort of being measured by a third party afflicts television too.

     

    However, in all fairness even advertisers have said that the number of Peoplemeters isn’t enough. I think the methodology has to be transparent, the Peoplemeter base has to increase and the system must factor in cross-consumption of media.
    ISA view: Advertiser cannot advertise without television ratings
     

    Statements issued by the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI)

     

    The Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) has read with concern recent reports that some broadcasters have decided to stop subscription to television measurement service. This is a matter of immense importance as the measurement system is integral to the health of the industry. The rating system needs to continue for the smooth functioning of the industry as it’s the very foundation of the commercial process, media planning and pricing. The ISA believes that any measurement system should appropriately reflect the viewership pattern and should not be judged on a short term basis.

     

    The best course of action is to engage in a constructive dialogue and pursue continuous improvement. While some broadcasters have stopped using the current rating system for measurement, as advertisers we support it and will continue using it till another credible measurement system is made available. Any action taken which is detrimental to the measurement system would be detrimental to the industry at large. “An industry-accepted rating system is the need of the hour and ISA is working with rest of the industry to ensure this is in place and any action to the contrary will have an adverse impact” – Hemant Bakshi, Chairman, Managing Committee, The ISA and Executive Director, Home and Personal Care – Hindustan Unilever Limited.

     

    AAAI view: TV could lose popularity with advertisers

    Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has expressed shock at the decision of some channels, supported by the Broadcasters’ Association, IBF to decide not to subscribe to the only TV Ratings service in the country – TAM. TV ratings provide the currency based on which thousands of crores worth of advertising time is bought by advertisers with confidence. Ratings also provide the basis on which media agencies do sophisticated analysis and arrive at sharply targeted plans for a brand’s target audience to minimize wasteful advertising and improve advertising effectiveness.

     

    An established rating system augurs well for the Advertising and Marketing Industry, because it enables advertisers to invest large sums of money in advertising with the confidence that they are reaching the right number of desirable audiences. It has been seen from experience in India and other markets that an established media research study on an ongoing basis leads to rapid increase in advertising spends in that medium. Those media which do not have such a system have not grown in India. Also, the current TV ratings system has thrown up real leaders in each of the genres based on the audiences they deliver and enables such leaders to command a premium price based on such ratings, rather than advertisers and agencies having to rely on perception. And very often perception is different from reality.

     

    AAAI will hold broadcasters responsible for deliveries as per signed agreements based on the TV Ratings System. Says Arvind Sharma, President AAAI, “The move by broadcasters to discontinue with ratings is ill-advised and not in the interest of advertisers, advertising agencies or broadcasters. It will lead to overpaying and underpaying of advertising time, both of which will lead to a collapse of TV as an advertising medium. The ratings from Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) are yet some time away and until they are released it is critical to continue with the current system. Most broadcasters all over the world have some issue with media measurement systems but that does not mean that the system must be abandoned. Instead it must be improved and identified gaps must be plugged”.

     
    Wtf! Why can’t all stakeholders sit together and clear the mess?
     

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    The media industry is captained by grown-ups, wise and mature men and women. We propound theories on ways the world should be run on our news channels and send social messages via our soaps and shows. But, wtf, why can’t broadcasters, advertisers, advertising agencies and measurement/ research firms sit together and clear the mess?

     

    With BARC having invited proposals by issuing a global RFP, a new system can be expected to be in place this time next year. However, since there is a year to go and much business to be sought, can we do the following:

    1. Get a third-party to study the problems and come up with a white paper superquick? A consulting firm like Ernst & Young could be asked to do it. Or KPMG. Or PwC. Or whoever can do it without getting influenced by any of the stakeholders. We could ask the folks at BARC to do it. Let the three stakeholders plus the government-owned Doordarshan commission this soon.

     

    2. Let each stakeholder appoint a representative to have a Measurement Steering Committee which will work in the interim. These could be from amongst people running BARC currently.

     

    3. Alter the method of funding research. Although no one was willing to come on record on this, there is a sentiment that the broadcasters have a dominating influence on BARC (and now TAM). This has got to change (the perception and if it is indeed a fact). Currently, since it’s advertising which drives the broadcast business, the ad agency and the advertisers are the primary users of the data.

     

    Hence, the stoppage of subscription revenues going to TAM (and later BARC) can derail the entire system. And have a significant impact on the TV trade. Perhaps the South African model of a small percentage of all advertising revenue going to fund research may work.

     

    These are three immediate measures that may work. There are various other minds at work… one hopes we will eventually see reason.

     

    Whatever be the way out of the mess, it’s clear that the industry can ill-afford a system without a measurement system. TAM, in this case. And it’s also important TAM understands the problems of broadcasters and corrects all the problem areas.

     

    That’s the only way to go.

     
  • At AIMA's 3rd World Marketing Congress, Apollo Tyres bags AIMA's R K Swamy High Performance Brand of the year Award

    It’s an era of brand experience, not of product branding: D Shivakumar

    By A Correspondent

     

    All India Management Association (AIMA) kickstarted its two-day 3rd World Marketing Congress in the capital. The congress, themed Marketing Myopia 2.0, aimed to explore the future of marketing and to identify the challenges that marketers face due to the changing market scenario.

     

    Srinivasan K Swamy

    Inaugurating the event, the congress chairman and R K Swamy BBDO Chairman & Managing Director Srinivasan K Swamy said, “The consumer today wants more for less and quickly, which is making product lifecycle progressively shorter. Also, there is a lot of media today but not enough consumer engagement. The marketers face significant challenges in this age of digital media.”

     

    The congress took up several marketing issues for discussions, including the new age customers and grabbing their attention, extending product lifecycles, defining business based on customers and not products, using the internet to gain competitive advantage and the rising importance of earned media.

     

    Making a presentation on the occasion, D Shivakumar, President, AIMA and Senior Vice President, IMEA, Nokia Ltd, said, “Marketing has changed fundamentally. It’s an era of brand experience and not of product branding. Also, today, space is no longer only the physical location of business but any space where consumers can access it.” He also stressed that marketers could no longer treat the digital media as a niche. “In fact, digital media is becoming the main media to reach out to the youth,” he added.

     

    Mick Gordon, CEO, Ipsos highlighted that with digital platforms converging, it is important that brands start dreaming in digital. Anisha Motwani, Director and CMO, Max Life Insurance was of the view that brands need to connect with consumers every day. Concurring with Ms Motwani’s view BCCL President Arunabh Das Sharma said, “In the digital age, the concept of product life is dead and thus, one should focus on brand life cycle and values.”

     

    Gyan Gupta, CEO, Dainik Bhaskar, Digital Business, IMCL said, “The need for news has not changed, only the way people access the content has changed. Paper is not the mainstay, it is the content.” He further added  brands need to adapt themselves according to how the consumer wants to see the brand.

     

    Talking about earned media and paid media, Bhaskar Sharma, Director and GM, Red Bull India said, “Earned media for any brand remains distinct and credible, it is cool to share on all platforms. It results in high level of reach and engagement. The only issue being there is no control on how, and where it would appear.” Suhel Seth, Managing Partner, Counselage India said, “Earned media is about hinging on credibility of the brand. Earned media adds as a short buffer. What is more important for brands is that they remain relevant to their brand promise.”

     

    More than 250 marketers attended the Congress on its first day. The highlight of the event was the presentation of the AIMA’s R K Swamy High Performance Brand of the year Award, which was bagged by Apollo Tyres this year. Rajesh Dahiya, National Head, Sales & Marketing, Apollo Tyres received the award. Speaking on the occasion, Rekha Sethi, Director General AIMA, said “It is perfect time to debate marketers’ response to the revolutionary changes in the technologies and consumer behaviour.”

     

  • The inaugural awards for media, ad and marketing professionals tomorrow is to be followed by a star-studded Colors party

    IAA Leadership Awards: Stage set for big night for Indian media & marketing

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    All roads will lead to the Grand Hyatt tomorrow. Situated in what’s the new centre of Mumbai, the hotel will play host to the first ever awards for the country’s marketing, advertising and media fraternity. Organised by the India chapter of the International Advertising Association, there are 19 categories, nominees for most of which have been announced.

     

    Manish Tewari

    I&B Minister Manish Tewari is the Chief Guest and he will give away the awards. Colors is the sponsor of the awards. The awards presentation will be followed by a party celebrating four years of the channel.

     

    Although the organizers haven’t revealed too much about the entertainment acts during the show or who is going to emcee the evening, what we do know is that some of the biggest stars in Bollywood and television will be in attendance. As of course all the people who matter in the media, advertising and marketing fraternity.

     

    IAA’s commitment to the cause:

    Srinivasan K Swamy

    Over the years, the IAA has indeed been spearheading activities towards the environment and sustainability. Said IAA President Srinivasan Swamy: “The IAA in India has always organized marquee events. Events that are not just big, but also meaningful. Many will remember the Lighting a Billion Lives campaign we created and ran to create awareness and raise money to install solar lamps in dark villages all over India as a part of Dr Rajendra Pachauri’s project. Many have been a part of the Olive Crown Awards for we launched two years ago. These remain India’s only awards for excellence in communicating sustainability.

     

    We have recently launched a large gender sensitization program which consists of a seminar to create awareness about gender nuances amongst content creators and a national communication campaign on the evils of eve-teasing  and we will roll it out soon. We see it as our duty to ourselves and to the women in our country. I believe all these initiatives endorse IAA¹s commitment to the communications industry and to society in general.

     

    In a similar vein, IAA Leadership Awards is a major initiative. These awards salute the most distinguished from the marketing, media and advertising functions… the silent warriors, who had made their companies and brands rich and famous.

     

    This is the first year of the IAA Leadership Awards and I am extremely pleased with the overwhelming response we have received from the industry. There may have been some categories we may have missed out this time due to time constraints like Digital, Radio etc and hopefully we will include it in Year 2.

     

    I must add that we found in Colors a great partner to not only finance this important initiative but to put their entire organizational weight behind marshaling the event and sweating out the million details. We are very grateful to Raj Nayak and his tireless team.

     

    Raj Nayak

    Said Raj Nayak on the eve of the event, “This is an award that the India chapter of the IAA had always wanted to do. The idea was seeded  almost a year-and-a-half ago when Kaushik Roy was the President, and Sunder the vice-president. The IAA board has been fully behind this initiative and the only thing that stood in the way was the resource to make this a reality. We at Colors saw this as a great opportunity for us to engage with our all the stakeholders of our industry and use this platform to bring the entire industry under one roof. Besides senior  professionals from advertising, marketing and media, the evening will be followed by a Colors party wherein we will also have the film and TV fraternity rubbing shoulders with the corporate world.”

     

    So is it a one-off sponsorship or a longer commitment? “We have a long term association with the IAA for this initiative and we plan to dovetail the Colors party along with it to make it an annual event,” said Mr Nayak, adding that his only regret is that “after these awards I may become a little unpopular as given the capacity constraint of the venue we had to limit our invitations and have had to say no to so many requests.”

     

    The organizers also point out the “wholehearted” support they’ve received from the fraternity. Apart from ads and mailers from trade sites such as MxMIndia, the print, television and outdoor media has also helped promote the event. “Honestly, the support we have got from or friends in media, whether it is TV, print or trade websites, the response has been fantastic. I am truly grateful to all of them,” said Mr Nayak.

     

    Meanwhile, the IAA has released nominees for another 5 categories of Leadership Awards

     

    The International Advertising Association (IAA) India chapter has announced the nominees for another five categories for the first edition of the IAA Leadership Awards. The nominees have been shortlisted on account of their outstanding contribution to the fields of Marketing, Advertising and Media.

     

    Besides the below, IAA has also constituted special six categories for Editor of the year, News Anchor of the year, Mediaperson of the year, the Brand Endorser of the year (Male and Female) and the IAA Hall of Fame.

     

    Nominees announced for five more categories: 

    The following are the list of nominees revealed today across five categories to win the IAA Leadership Awards:

     

     

  • The IAA Leadership Awards will recognize outstanding professionals across Marketing, Advertising and Media

    Top marketing & media agency bosses in first nominee list of IAA awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    The International Advertising Association (IAA) India chapter has released the nominees in the first 10 categories for the first edition of the IAA Leadership Awards. The nominees have been shortlisted on account of their outstanding contribution to the fields of Marketing, Advertising and Media.

     

    The IAA Awards will honour the individuals across Marketing, Advertising and Media under the same roof.

     

    The following are the list of nominees revealed from an initial list across 10 categories to win the IAA Leadership Awards:

    Media Agency Head of the Year:
    Name Organization
    Shashi Sinha Lodestar India
    Sam Balsara Madison World
    Rajesh Jain Prachar Advertising
    Vikram Sakhuja Group M
    Jasmin Sohrabji OMD

     

    Marketer of the Year: FMCG – Food & Beverages
    Name Organization
    Deepika Warrier Pepsico
    Chandramouli Venkatesan Cadbury Kraft India
    Krishan Kumar Chutani Dabur
    Anuradha Narasimhan Britannia
    Geetu Varma HUL

     

    Marketer of the Year: FMCG – Personal Care
    Name Organization
    Satyaki Ghosh Loreal
    Arun Srinivas HUL
    Kainaz Gazdar P & G
    Arvind Chintamani Colgate Palmolive
    Devender Garg Dabur

     

    Marketer of the Year: FMCG – Consumer Durables
    Name Organization
    Divya Rao Sony
    Rahul Saighal Samsung appliances
    Nivedita Mandal Whirlpool
    Sunil Tandon Videocon
    Sarthak Seth Panasonic

     

    Marketer of the Year: Household Products
    Name Organization
    Sukhpreet Singh Kansai Nerolac
    Ajay Arora D Decor
    Amit Syngle Asian Paints
    Kumar Pillay Ultratech Cement

     

    Marketer of the Year : Telecom Products
    Name Organization
    Anuradha Aggarwal Vodafone
    Bharat Bhambawle Airtel
    Gurinder Singh Sandu Tata Docomo
    Rahul Saighal Samsung Mobiles
    Rahul Sharma Micromax Mobiles

     

    Marketer of the Year: Auto 2 wheeler
    Name Organization
    Anil Dua Hero Motor Corp
    Mr. Vijay Kaul Yamaha
    Mr. Sanjay Saraswat Bajaj Auto Ltd.
    Yadvinder Singh Guleria Honda
    Atul Gupta Suzuki Motorcycle Company

     

    Marketer of the Year: Travel & Hospitality
    Name Organization
    Deepa Harris Taj
    Manish Kalra Make My  trip
    Gajendra Kumar Incredible India
    Manish Dureja Jet Airways

     

    Marketer of the Year : Banking
    Name Organization
    Manisha Lathgupta Axis Bank
    Sujit Ganguli ICICI Bank
    Karthi Marshan Kotak Mahindra Bank
    Mahendra Kumar Rekhi SBI
    kalyanaraman S. Bank Of Baroda

     

    Marketer of the Year: Insurance
    Name Organization
    Chandramohan Mehra SBI Life Insurance
    Yateesh srivastava Aegon Religare
    Rita Bhattacharya LIC
    Ajay Kakar Birla Sunlife
    Manish Dubey ICICI Prudential Life

     

    Srinivasan K Swamy

    Speaking on the nominees, Srinivasan Swamy, President of the International Advertising Association, said, “The IAA Leadership awards are an attempt to honour the contributions of individuals in the field of Marketing, Advertising and Media. Each of the nominees from across categories have burned the midnight oil to make a positive difference for the brands they work for. May the best professionals win.”

     

    To ensure that the recipients of the many awards are determined in a fair and just manner and to ensure the process is seen as transparent, IAA appointed the experienced marketing research company A C Nielsen to execute the nomination and voting process. Further Ernst & Young has been appointed to conduct audit and validate the entire process. The winners will be decided in a two-stage selection process; the first stage will include nominations and shortlisting by seasoned marketing, media and advertising professionals; and the second stage will be the final selection of winners by a voting process among the shortlisted nominees, by respective senior industry peers.

     

    The first edition of the annual awards is scheduled on February 2 at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari will be the chief guest.

     

  • IAA India chapter President Srinivasan K Swamy on the IAA Leadership Awards will be different from the Impact Person of the Year and the attempts to keep the selection process transparent

    Jaldi 5 with Srinivasan K Swamy: IAA awards will recognize successful marketers, agency and media professionals

    The International Advertising Association’s India chapter announced the IAA Leadership Awards yesterday (Monday, December 17). The objective of the awards is to recognize individuals in the fields of marketing, advertising and media, who have made enormous professional contributions and delivered business success to their companies. The inaugural awards are to be held in February 2013 with I&B Minister Manish Tewari as Chief Guest.

     

    In an interview with MxMIndia, Srinivasan K Swamy, President of International Advertising Association and CMD, RK Swamy BBDO, spoke on the awards, the intent behind them and how they will be different from the others.

     

    01. Personality awards always get ‘political’. Why did the IAA get into this activity?

    Company or Brand Awards do not recognize adequately  individual’s contribution. If the process is transparent, which is what we will ensure through Nielsen research team and audit by Ernst & Young of that, we believe we can avoid all controversies. The IAA membership comprises individuals from advertisers, advertising agencies and the media. It is therefore most appropriate that IAA honours individuals from these related fields in a common platform.

     

    02. How will you ensure that every one from amongst the fraternity participates in the voting?

    There can be no guarantee that everyone will vote. But efforts will be on to ensure that many votes will be gathered to ascertain the true winner in the chosen category.

     

    03. In many ways, the award appears to be quite like the Impact Person of the Year award, run by the exchange4media group. The selection process is similar. They had AC Nielsen earlier and now IMRB. You have Nielsen. IAA of course has E&Y to audit and validate the process. Your comments?

    The Impact Person of the Year chooses only one individual. We will have many CMO winners from various marketing categories, best advertiser CEO, best creative agency CEO, best media agency CEO, best news anchor, best news editor etc. We believe there has been no attempt so far to bring so many successful marketers, agency personnel and media people together and applaud their outstanding contribution.

     

    04.  Will there be a ‘lifetime achievement award’ too?

    There will be a Lifetime Achievement Award. More on that on the awards night!

     

    The AAAI used to have one, but it appears to have discontinued…?

    AAAI has not discontinued it.

     

    05. On a lighter note, why did you award Nielsen and not Hansa for the initial research process?

    Isn’t it obvious?  Why create an impression of conflict of interest?