Q. What is the purpose of your visit to India?
There is no specific or particular reason why I am in India currently. This is part of our routine. I have always felt that interaction between me and my teams in different places has helped us tremendously. It is not for nothing that we have become one of the top agencies in the WPP Group. These visits are only part of our internal relationship-building process - all of us are always there for each other. Also, these kinds of interactions help us in finding some of the best solutions. Often, we find that we have faced a problem elsewhere in another region, similar to what someone is facing here. We can then find ways to deal best with the problem at hand. These interactions are a great source of strength for us.

Q. Right now, what are some of the greatest challenges you face in the healthcare communication sector in India?

There isn't just one challenge, but innumerable ones that we face today. Since we do not work just as an advertising agency, but approach the healthcare communication industry as a whole, there are various facets that we look into. One of the most important things we need to tackle is the issue of Intellectual Property Right, especially given the kind of competition that is growing in the market. A great deal of cloning is being done, which poses a huge potential threat to original products. Secondly, in the under-35 market, consumers have just begun to grow and wake up to the sector. Today, people are waking up to the need of being aware of various options, and the need for a second opinion has come into the picture.

Thirdly, there are a lot of socio-cultural changes taking place today. With work schedules having increased and most people working 24x7, stress levels have risen considerably. This has given vent to various psychological concerns and issues in mental health, which need to be looked at besides just physical diagnosis.

Q. What are some of the methods you find best in trying to deal with bringing healthcare communication to the fore?

We are creating a lot of educational programmes and awareness campaigns, and are trying to get people to understand the concepts of healthcare better. There are also a lot of training programmes that we conduct for doctors. Earlier, the only knowledge that doctors received was from medical schools. But with times changing so rapidly, today adding to their knowledge has become a necessity. Probably 10 years ago, many doctors who had graduated from medical school did not know about AIDS. Training nurses, doctors and providing medical understanding to our clients' customers is an important step for us.

Our educational programmes and campaigns are trying to bring the consumer to a level of awareness such that he or she is at par in the understanding of medicine, just the way manufacturers are. Our aim is to allow this to happen, and when we do achieve this kind of a consumer understanding, we will consider our job done.

Q. What sections of consumers are you targeting in India? How was the selection done?
Currently, our focus is on the middle class population of India. The middle class is the one which is reaching out and seeking such facilities the most. They are also the ones who can afford most of these services and are far more forthcoming in partnerships and in entering a dialogue. At an immediate level, we are focussing on this section of society where we are functioning on a macro-level. At a later stage, we will look at a more long-term focus and work on building our consumer target in the much lower-income strata of society, which spends in smaller quantities. This would require micro-functioning and micro-level communication, especially when spends are far lesser, and therefore, the quantity of purchase is also much lower. This kind of an operation in the micro-health sector is not something we are planning to look at immediately, but we plan to do so at a later stage.

Q. What about the youth as consumers? Do you think that youth respond to the healthcare industry in a similar way as senior citizens or older people do? How are you trying to reach them?
Among the youth, there is a great potential to be tapped. As far as the youth is concerned, we are working on issues like smoking, ensuring healthier options in fast food, and bringing in awareness on preventive measures for various possible problems/ailments that could occur later in life, among others. Many youngsters are slowly beginning to realise the importance and relevance of prevention being better than cure.

Q. What are some of the strategies that you apply for your relationships with clients? What are some of your brand-building strategies?
With clients, we are currently trying to work on the generic value of products. There is a lot of competition in the market, and the value of products has reduced. Most products cannot be distinguished from each other because they have been made in the same way. So we advise clients to focus on the corporate brand more than on the product itself. The perception and services attached to the product are often what helps the most.

Q. What else are you looking forward to at S&H in the coming years?
I think that every time I hear someone mention proudly that they are working at S&H, our job is done. We are looking at building a long-term relationship with clients in India, and if we have succeeded at these things, then we will know that we've reached our goals.