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What was your breakthrough moment in the
media and advertising industry? |
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Thanks to great teamwork, there were many small and big small
moments that I have been part of, but in their own time. Today,
as a professional I feel the expectations have moved beyond
and I still wait for that big break through moment to happen!
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What has kept you going in this industry for so many
years? |
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As goes the Chinese wish: ‘May you live in interesting
times’, the media industry has been as interesting as
it could get with its several twists and turns. And I guess
this experience just grows on you.
The other fascinating aspect of media planning and buying is
that if you are game for it, the challenges that work presents
each day keep you fit and an agile as you were probably 10 years
ago (at least in the mind). And then you find that even our
iconic industry stalwarts seem to reflect the same passion in
their work. That’s what keeps me going. |
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Where do you see yourself five years hence? |
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Somewhere in the industry acquiring new skills, attending
to tasks and hopefully working to make another bigger and better
breakthrough moment happen… (God-willing, with the agility
and good health of a teenager!) |
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Who are some of the people from the industry that
you think have played a role in shaping your experience here?
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The list would be fairly long to mention... but I have had
the privilege to work with some of the greatest minds in the
industry and am really grateful to them for having significantly
contributed to my experience in media. |
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You are amongst the industry professionals who have
seen the industry in absolute boom to this present slowdown.
What were the first signs of slowdown that you noticed? |
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The first signs came when we heard of what the Western world
was facing, however, we did not know how soon it would affect
us. Like most of us would have, we all noticed that some of
the prime outdoor sites in the city were going blank as we passed
them by. There was a series of news articles that were doing
the rounds.
I think we all noticed that from the ‘thud’ they
caused early in the morning as they fell at our doorstep, the
morning dailies had lost a few pounds. |
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What are some of the steps that you are taking now
to help your agency brave the situation? |
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Our understanding of the situation has enabled us to recommend
the right set of actions in a downturn for clients. In my opinion,
the conditions demand that we rise above our conventional media
role and bring true meaning to what we call client partnership.
With all the negative hype around, I find that in some aspects
the bark that the situation has created has become worse than
the bite. It’s important for us, therefore, to segregate
the fact from the fiction and think of creating the right solutions.
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What do you attach most importance to:
a. Numbers - Viewership - readership
b. Quality - Environment
c. Impact – buzz |
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In my opinion, right quality and impact are what matter most
and the numbers are what enable the creating of the same. So,
one can’t be seen in isolation of the others.
While viewership and readership may be seen as hygiene, there
is no shying away from them, especially today where ROI is
a key expectation. It may sound clichéd, but measurability
is what brings accountability to our business. |
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What are some of the biggest changes that you have
seen in the advertising and media industry in your time spent
here? |
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The media industry has only evolved for the better with superior
technology and research. We find more and more clients deeply
engaging and looking forward to the all that media has to offer.
We could have never imagined the kind of media investments we
see today even till about five years ago. Today, as a trend
in the industry, it’s most heartening to find great conviction
and belief in advertising beyond mass media. |
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Any experience that you really would want to go back
in time, and change? |
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No, in fact, if you ask me, it’s the experiences of
the past that we’ve had in media that at times make us
appreciate the present. |
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What would you say was the most proud movement for
you at work? |
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I find each day of work interesting and challenging. For me,
the happiest moments are those which help us to excel in meeting
challenges and that work towards meeting client goals. The icing
on the cake is of course industry recognition. Some of the work
I have been involved within Lodestar Universal has given all
of these. To just give a couple of examples:
i)
It was a really proud moment for me when my team won Emvies
on work done on Nerolac Impressions across Media Strategy, Integrated
Strategy and for Best TV Innovation.
ii)
More recently, being involved with the media responsibilities
around the Tata Nano launch has been thrilling and a privileged
experience. |
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What is the motto or the guiding principle with which
you lead your team? |
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I help them to believe that work done well, will speak for
itself. |
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The GenNext Media magnate is chosen by a
committee comprising the exchange4media editorial team in consultation
with Raj Nayak. |
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Archive |
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GenNext
Media Magnate: Andrew Williams Group Brand Manager, Asian Paints
Ltd |
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GenNext
Media Magnate: Nitasha Narad– AVP – Marketing Communications,
Tata Teleservices, Mumbai |
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GenNext
Media Magnate: Divya Gururaj – Making a difference, not
a nest |
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