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Indian Advertising Marketing, Sales and Media professionals speak

The business of media, advertising and marketing is driven by one resource-People. In this knowledge driven industry, its people's ideas and accepted wisdom, which shape winning strategies and success stories and at times lead to major failures. So, it becomes imperative to study and ponder on what they say, when they say and how they say. Dialogue, exchange4media's interview of the week each time attempts to get into the mind of these honchos, to understand where media, advertising and marketing industry is headed.


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Don’t forget television also hikes its rates. In our industry, every time there is an increase in production cost, the entire burden shifts to the advertiser. We don’t pass on any burden to the reader. It is unfair to push the entire burden on the advertiser, who is waking up to the fact and asking ‘why should we be the whole subsidiser to your cost?’ and that’s a bit of a problem.
Hormusji Nusserwanji Cama, Director, Bombay Samachar & INS President - October 03, 08
Forget about it (measurement tool)! Don’t waste your time arguing over it. Either come up with an independent research tool or stop talking about it. Or go by whatever you have. I am not a big fan of research to begin with; I have never done research when I launched my magazines. When magazines don’t work in the market, people tend to blame the research and point fingers at its accuracy.
George J Green, President & CEO, Hearst Magazines International - September 26, 08
In India, the relationship between the client and the agency is somewhat casual because at times the agencies here neither get the required time nor the right budget that is needed to create and execute the idea. For example, some clients in India would buy a Rs 1 crore idea, but would want that idea to be executed in just Rs 30 lakh. But in America, the agency would ask the client to reconsider and come back with a new idea that fit the budget.
Bobby Pawar, Chief Creative Officer, Mudra Group - September 19, 08
In the last 15 years, I think the senior people have failed this industry, barring two or three people. When stalwarts of Indian advertising like Alyque Padamsee or Subhash Ghoshal moved out, the new leaders began working on new pressures. Agency heads began working on protecting their businesses rather than growing them. The charismatic leaders went missing, who otherwise attract people from outside the profession.
Thomas Xavier, Chairman & NCD, Orchard Advertising - September 12, 08
I am very happy with the Indian business. It is doing brilliant financially. Perception always lags reality and it was the case with Euro globally as well. What I heard about us four years back versus what people have to say now is very different. So, that would overcome itself so long as we keep doing the right things – that is, getting new businesses, doing great work – and it would be fine. We are very focussed. We have a brilliant manager there in Suman. We are looking at how we accelerate our growth curve by getting more talent on board and by acquisition of companies.
David Jones, Global CEO, Euro RSCG - September 06, 08
Pitch fees are not the solution, even if you mandate it. Even if it becomes mandatory for the agency to charge pitch fees, it is not going to solve the problem. The problem is going to be solved when agencies come to realise that they are a business and a profession that has a value attached to it and they must not discount that value. So, realising the value of the business is more important than the implementation of pitch fees.
Ranjan Kapur, Country Manager-India, WPP - August 29, 08
At present, if there is potential, it is in the Asian market. The main reason is that this is the one market where we have found independent marketing communications companies that have shown the ability and the business model to go international. It is time for Indian firms go international. India has the potential to go global and that is really exciting for us as we have the expertise to help the independent firms find the right partners. Another point is that the rest of the world is very open to Indian companies.
Andrew Kefford, President, Results International - August 22, 08
We are focused on what the consumers want and how to deliver that. The screens are incidental, it happens to be our delivery medium. Someday we won't have screens. Our whole business is based on consumer engagement. We believe that people don't sit and stare at screens while shopping. It's not about eyeballs, but engagement.
Dan Ginsburg, CEO, TAG Media Network - August 14, 08
Cannes is important because it means international recognition, but I have a problem with some people, who do not understand your culture, sitting and judging work and saying which is good or which is bad. It is very easy to create an ad for a small section of people. To my mind, the challenge that we Indians face is creating advertisements for one billion people, which these judges cannot relate to. Not too many people face the challenge that we encounter.
Ramanujam Sridhar, CEO, Brand-Comm - August 08, 08
There is always scope for improvement, and in Doordarshan’s case, there certainly is a case for improvement. We have made some changes recently, walked some distance, but these are early days. Not withstanding the constraints, I am quite hopeful that as time passes we should be making the forward movement more distinctly. But yes, we have to pull up our socks, we have to work harder, be more imaginative and more alert and sharp, and we are working towards that.
BS Lalli, CEO, Prasar Bharti - August 01, 08
Almost everything will be digital in 10 years' time, I think it will continue to grow. The end to the growth will be when everything will turn digital. The funny part is that some of the growth is mostly underestimated, because people always looked at shared advertising spend, which is all very little. Therefore, you need transformation of the whole media environment into a digital eccentric one, with the digital growing significantly.
Nigel Morris, CEO, Isobar - July 25, 08
Experiential marketing is a very general concept. It is a broad-based orientation. It does not work better or worse for certain types of categories. The touch points may be different, the way we create the experience may be different, but the most important thing about this is that it is a way of rethinking how marketing and management is done. It focuses on the customer rather than focus on the internal operations of the products. It is always important to understand the customer. So, you need customer research, and not just the traditional focus groups.
Bernd Schmitt, CEO, The EX Group - July 18, 08
The importance of a media agency in delivering a strategic output for brands or media planning has increased in the eyes of the client significantly in the last few years… Media function is the repository of all research that is done in India, and we as media agencies are at a position where we can value add to the brand planning much more than a creative person… We need to market ourselves better… We need to give media prominence, which is happening gradually, but needs to be escalated. Our time will come very soon.
Sudha Natrajan, COO & Joint President, Lintas Media Group - July 11, 08
"The readers market in this country (India) will grow substantially in the coming years and that is a huge opportunity for us. Magazines have a chance in this country to even be something like a status symbol. It is the size of the market in this country that is very promising. A niche market in India is bigger than the whole of Switzerland! We can one day get very significant circulation figures and advertising revenue from the Indian market."
Ralph Büchi, President, Axel Springer International - July 04, 08
In many ways, advertising awards, especially the international ones, are like p*****g in a dark suit. No one notices, but you feel damn good with the release. However, the most dangerous fallout of this is that today agencies are increasingly populated by young creative guys who don’t know how to create for the markets, their only concern is pushing the boundaries of lateral thinking in splendid oblivion.
Pushpinder Singh, Chairman, Saints and Warriors Communications - June 27, 08
"The next big step for Aegis Group in India will be to relaunch Posterscope. This time though we are going to relaunch Posterscope as an independent discipline. The OOH market in India is still very fragmented and I think it is going to take a long while before any measurement system comes into place. So, the key thing for Posterscope will be not only to prove that it can bring in all the modern technologies with regard to digital screens, but also convince clients to go for larger campaigns. Secondly, Posterscope will aim to consolidate the fragmented market with alliances and mergers."
Patrick Stahle, CEO, Aegis Media, Asia Pacific - June 21, 08
People keep saying TV advertising is dead, but that is rubbish. The reality is that TV advertising is an incredibly effective tool, and in some markets in Asia it is still very dominant. The reality is that there are many opportunities and that makes the industry so interesting. There a lot of changes, but there are many constants. A brand's best definition is a set of values and associations that exists in the minds of the consumer. The opportunity today to engage with your consumer is much greater.
Chris Thomas, Chairman & CEO, BBDO Asia - June 13, 08
Agencies need to have a case-to-case approach. One should not recommend something that does not suit the clients' needs. Agencies should work like doctors and suggest the most effective solution for the clients to meet their goals, rather than giving what they want. The marketplace is very complex. You have got the proliferation of media channels, and interestingly, there are new media coming up. But today, how many of us understand all the media?
D Rajappa, President, Everest Brand Solutions - June 06, 08
The most important thing for me is that are we are doing good work for the consumer. Winning at Cannes or anywhere else in the world is a secondary thing. It's a by-product. The time has come that we understand that we don't create advertising for Cannes. Whether we perform well there or don't is inconsequential. At the same time we should be able to learn what other people are doing. I am sure there will be some surprises this year at Cannes. But we shouldn't be disappointed if our performance at Cannes is going down. It's only a by-product of our work and it's not our focus anyway.
Prasoon Joshi, Executive Chairman & South Asia Creative Director, McCann-Erickson - May 30, 08
Our iris Delhi office has a distinctly Indian flavour to it. So, for us it is not about exporting the iris culture out of UK, it is about making the agency culture relevant and ownable by our team in India. The iris Delhi culture can be summed up in the great phrase 'Chak de phattey!', which I think really captures the winning spirit we have here amongst our team. I believe great agencies are built from strong and distinctive cultures, and that's what we are focused on building here in Delhi and in all our offices in the Asia Pacific.
Richard Bleasdale, CEO, iris Asia Pacific - May 23, 08
In India, there is a lot of competition, and the domestic news channels tend to have a very sensationalist approach towards news. You will see the breaking news tag almost continuously. That's not the way we treat our stories, we wouldn't want to copy any news channel. Breaking news is always going to be an on-the-spot judgment by the person who is in control of the newsroom at that particular point in time.
Anne Barnard, Managing Director, BBC World News - May 16, 08
Change is an ongoing process in The Hindu. One need not look at bringing about changes just because The Times of India has launched. The very fact that Times has taken so long to enter the market makes it clear that in their mind Chennai is one of the most difficult markets to crack. However, we welcome healthy competition as it would help bring all-round improvement in quality and value additions.
N Murali, Managing Director, The Hindu - May 09, 08
The media, especially when it comes to advertising, is of the belief that Mumbai is the only place. What they haven't realised is that not a single innovation has come from Mumbai, but from the agencies outside. Any media that deals with advertising must read trends rather than deal with the geography. Firstly, the industry is not growing in Mumbai, if you remove 4-5 advertisers in Mumbai, you will find that the place has negative growth. In Mumbai, you are a survivor, we would never have been innovators had we been in Mumbai.
Bunty Peerbhoy, Chairman, MAA Group Holdings Pvt Ltd - May 02, 08
The business newspaper space is cluttered. We do not have any plans now to enter this segment… General purpose magazines and sports magazines have lost their appeal. We do not have any plans now to revive these (Sunday and Sportsworld).
Dipankar Das Purkayastha, CEO, ABP Pvt Ltd - April 25, 08
On a macro level, the forces are still in place in terms of the demographics of the market, the consumption habits and penetration of the platforms on which the fortune of all these players rest. However, nothing moves in a straight line forever. Things have twists and turns, but clearly there has been through our experiences, sustainable growth at high rates, faster than anywhere else in the region, and that has provided us the capability to continue to invest and continue to stay on course for the long run.
Stephen J Marcopoto, President, Turner International Asia Pacific Ltd - April 18, 08
We use the word digital so often, but I think its potential has not been explored fully yet. Everyone is talking about YouTube, Facebook and online friends, but brands are not able to understand what to do with these to influence customers. Making an interesting creative site is not digital. We also need to see what is dying out. Telemarketing is one of them. Direct mailing is another, which is getting affected because of the costs shooting up.
Vijay Singh, Managing Director, 141Sercon - April 12, 08
We found the marketplace to be relatively conservative, businessmen are cautious with new ideas, the time it takes in transactional movement is longer than what we have experienced in other markets. But we have found that the clients' understanding of what we offer, and their ability to explain the business internally is second to none. The Indian businessman is extremely astute and comes to terms with a good financial offering faster than what we see in other parts of the world.
Gary Kearley, Regional VP, Active International - April 04, 08
We believe that India is a fast growing market in terms of advertising in digital and digital technology. With 39 million Internet users at the moment, which by itself is bigger than the UK, it is a formidable size. And the forecast says that it will double in the next 2-3 years. I think that traditional media, particularly TV, is losing its effectiveness with the pretty high inflation rate. Advertisers really see the need to expand the whole communication to something next and digital has to be a part of this. And Solutions | Digitas has to take advantage of this opportunity.
Alan Rutherford, CEO, Digitas Global - March 28, 08
It is the lack of understanding between the agencies and the client that leads to one agency paying off against another. Even though we all are competitors, we all are trying to do the same thing. We need to have an agreement in place… I can't understand why advertisers don't charge royalties. For instance, if I was an author and my book gains great popularity, I get royalty for that. One can make millions out of a creative idea, I can't understand why nobody is doing anything about this.
Jagdip Bakshi, CEO, Contract Advertising (India) Pvt Ltd - March 20, 08
It's a fish market out there in terms of trying to afford the right kind of people for the right kind of jobs. We are not in that game as we do not believe in 'buying' people to do our jobs. We at Saatchi & Saatchi India have witnessed the shortest turnovers in the industry, essentially because we have a very healthy environment that we create in the agency. I think our efforts are going to be driven more in that direction than trying to buy people over.
Kamal Basu, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi India - March 14, 08
I think advertising globally is changing. It's been going through this huge transition, and India is not far behind. Marketers are much smarter than what people give them credit for. Most of the clients that we meet, I think they are far more aware than most agency executives and the creative people. I think unless and until we as advertising agencies evolve fast, advertising might soon become extinct given the way we are going. So, for sure now is the time to change and agencies are realising this.
Raj Kurup, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Creativeland Asia - March 07, 08
It is not a business for the faint-hearted. Here, one has to go through a lot of highs and lows of the business; mainly lows initially, and a few highs. It involves a lot of attention to detail, so one has to be all charged up all the time and be nimble-footed. While identification of your target audience is very critical, you also have to remember that one should be able to monetise from the product because if you are not able to get your money from the advertiser or the subscriber, then you won't be able to sustain yourself in the long run. So, it's a roller-coaster ride and we here at UTV are enjoying every bit of it.
Shantonu Aditya, Executive Director, UTV Global Broadcasting Ltd, and, CEO, UTV Entertainment Television Ltd - February 29, 08
Also, I believe that most agencies stop short of generating consumer awareness and consideration for the brand, that is, build brand image and focus on attitudinal change. They are about getting consumers to think different. We, on the other hand, are uniquely poised and align ourselves to the business objectives rather than the marketing objectives of our clients. We are an agency that squarely concentrates on driving brand conversion, that is, usage, share and loyalty. Our focus is more on behavioural change. We are about getting consumers to act different.
Alok Lall, Managing Director, iris Worldwide - February 22, 08
MEC drives its business via communication planning not only in India but across all markets. This is with a view to driving revenue, and due to the fact that more and more clients are asking the agency to have an integrated plan that works across multiple channels of media. We also spend a lot of time and money on educating people and driving them along the curve of communication planning. It also helps in generating more revenue.
Alastair Aird, COO, Global, Mediaedge:cia - February 15, 08
The whole pitch system is obsolete and needs overhaul. This beauty contest model doesn't work. Clients should assess potential partners partly based on their work for other brands, and partly on how they would approach their business. You don't need six hours and 1,000 slides to understand that. A powerful insight can be shared in two words.
Mohit Dhar Jayal, Managing Director, Wieden+Kennedy - February 08, 08
There is a lot more know-how here, a lot more creativity. So, I think what India is doing here is quite exciting. Some of the organised retail markets are picking up tips from traditional retail. For instance, one can now get rice flour made in a food bazaar. So, it's an interesting and fascinating thing about the India as opposed to some other markets. The US has completely lost this connection between the old and the new.
Jim Lucas, EVP & Director-Shopper Marketing Div, DraftFCB - February 01, 08
The consumer is fragmenting between the different channels of communication. We have to know what the consumer is doing, rather than know what the media is doing. The trick for us is to stay a step ahead of the consumer; not too ahead, as then we would get it wrong. But you have to be a step head, and you adapt and build your business in that way then.
Charles Courtier, Global CEO, Mediaedge:cia - January 25, 08
We do feel like a start-up agency sometimes, but we are big - we are the third largest in Asia in the WPP network. Once you are a Bates person, you are always a Bates person. The gratification of the freedom makes you come alive, that is what entrepreneurial skills are about.
Jeffrey Yu, President, BatesAsia141 - January 18, 08
"Our editors run their businesses without any commercial considerations. Let me give you an example. It came to me as a compliment from somebody the other day. On CNN IBN, our film 'Welcome' (a film we've taken a large bet on) was reviewed by Rajiv Masand, on his very popular show. Rajiv said, "The film is so bad that anyone who goes and sees it and enjoys it, I will personally pay for his psychiatric treatment." This was his line, on our own channel, about our own film. There is no influence on our editorial."
Raghav Bahl, Managing Director, Network 18 Group - January 10, 08
"Mass media can't be replaced. It has its own strengths. New media gives a multiplier effect when used in tandem with mass media. Over the years media has evolved and new media helps to reach out to the target audience in a precise manner. Mass media will continue to drive the communication business. Perhaps the definition of mass media would change and, maybe ten years from now, the Internet would be an integral part of mass media."
Kunal Lalani, Managing Director, Crayons Advertising - January 04, 08
"I want to raise the creative bar not only of Bates India, but also of the whole of Bates' Asia market. I want to help them realise great ideas and ensure they are implemented beautifully. About the specific and immediate changes, I am not looking at changing anything here on an immediate basis. There is a bunch of young creative guys here, and I am looking forward to understand them closely."
Sonal Dabral, Chairman, Bates India, and Regional Creative Director, Bates Asia Pacific. - December 28, 07
We want to be the largest retail chain for digitally delivered products and services in the country. It is an assisted e-commerce model and whatever we would be selling through the 'assisted kiosks', the same can be transacted through the web and mobile. By building this large infrastructure of physically manned e-commerce kiosks and aggregating multiple products and services, we would be catalysing the growth of e-commerce in the country and would be creating an alternate option for consumers to transact on the Internet.
Harish Bahl, CEO & Founder, Smile Interactive, and Manish Vij Chief Business Officer & Co-founder, Quasar Media - December 21, 07
I think in general, you are selling your country a little bit short- I think Indian creatives should lighten up a bit more. If we look at the Thailand advertising community, they are quirky, funny, and they produce a lot more creative that appeal to the international juries. So, I think Indian creatives can look at the Indian consumers more closely and create humourous ads like we have seen internationally.
Kevin Swanepoel, President, The One Club - December 14, 07
"The Indian consumer and culture have changed. They have become more remixed, where we are taking some aspects of Anglo-Saxon and mixing it with Indian culture. I believe there isn't any other agency that is doing brilliant work of consistently talking to this new remixed consumer. Our opportunity is to be this agency that talks to this remixed consumer in the most relevant way and offer creative solutions based on the insights that we get from the remixed generation."
Suman Srivastava, CEO, Euro RSCG - December 07, 07
Our inspiration has come from the fact that today there is an overload of superfluous information, innumerable distractions and severe paucity of time. Our vision is to provide 'oxygen for minds' by making available meaningful, relevant, purifying, refreshing and energising content, all within the short time available to viewers on the move.
Rajendra Khare, Co-Founder, Chairman & MD, SureWaves - November 30, 07
"I don't make anything to suit my sensibility. I always created entertainment that people will like. For NDTV Imagine, we see the environment around, the programming around and the competition around, and get a sense of what we are going to do. It's not about knocking out anyone else's shows, but of being able to carve something for ourselves."
Sameer Nair, CEO, NDTV Imagine - November 16, 07
One thing that is a common denominator between what Sony has been doing over the years is about having a marketing-based approach. It is about listening to your customers, getting the right look and the feel for the channel. We are glad that we have been doing this throughout, and have been successful in taking the same philosophy into its overseas markets.
Rajan Singh, Executive Vice President-International Business, Sony Entertainment Television Asia - November 08, 07
"We have a younger and less loyal audience. I call them butterflies - as long as a site offers nectar, they'll stay and then they will move on. And once the Indian online industry matures and is willing to collaborate, we'll see gains all around. That's why we are seriously signing on content syndication deals, which traditional media might see as competition."
Dinesh Wadhawan, MD & CEO, Times Internet Ltd - November 02, 07
"Before we launch a magazine in the UK, we spend many millions of pounds in research, building up contacts with clients, the design, the editorial philosophy and branding. When you license a brand and adapt it to the Indian market, the risk factor is greatly reduced. So in a way, it gives the market a headstart, and it's then what the brand licensee or the owner chooses to do with the brand in the country."
Rupert Heseltine, Deputy Chairman, Haymarket Group - October 26, 07
Indian creativity is a beacon of light for us. Right now India is the highest award winning country for us. Ideas require leap and good strategic foundation. India is now exporting creative product, leadership and influencing our global platform.
John J. Dooner, Jr., Chairman & CEO, McCann Worldgroup - October 19, 07
"Whatever agglomeration had to happen has already happened. Whatever could be the impact and the consequences of that has already taken place in the market place. I don't think Omnicom is going to buy WPP. The most that can happen now is maybe say IPG can take its media agencies together. So, I don't see any development that can happen now that would make any material change in the way business would be transacted in future. There are four key players in India now and I think that is one too many – the rule of three will apply."
Sam Balsara, Chairman, Madison World - October 12, 07
The Government's job is to be a facilitator and not a regulator. Up till now, the Government should have ensured a level playing field as far as rating is concerned. There is no regulatory body to oversee the whole affair. There is no regulatory body like TRAI, which could ensure that the policies are being implemented by the broadcasters. The day-to-day monitoring should be done at this level. What is the use of a content regulator when there is no broadcasting regulator? Someone has to take a holistic view of the whole affair.
Anurradha Prasad, Managaing Director, BAG Films & Media Ltd - October 05, 07
We want to ensure that we are well-distributed and our brand resonates exactly the way we want it to, so our first areas of focus would be distribution and brand-building exercises. When a show takes off, you start analysing your programming strategies better. If that is taking time, you should let it take time in the beginning, and not fiddle around because your viewers should get used to your brands, and you must give them that much time. After four to five months, you will start seeing us working on FPC and programming like crazy again. By that time, we would know better what our viewers want. Until then, we have done our homework, and we know the results will come.
Zarina Mehta, CEO, Bindass - September 28, 07
"I think the obituary for mass advertising will be due soon because agencies find it so convenient to work with mass media, while clients are seeking below-the-line and above-the-line business solutions for their businesses and their corporates. An agency's future depends on this understanding, and defining its processes as a part of its growth. We surely do print ads and outdoors, but we need to explore other mediums of communication. Mass advertising will always have a future, but I am suspicious about the brightness of that future."
Swapan Seth, CEO, Equus Red Cell - September 21, 07
"There are Indian titles that have the potential to become global brands. I was at the Filmfare Awards in February 2007. I always knew that Filmfare was a good brand, but I never quite realised how big it was...That evening, I was thinking 'Gosh, we should have had a global vision for Filmfare.' The vision is clear - where there are Indian audiences for Bollywood films, Filmfare should be there, and if not, then we would be doing something wrong."
Nicholas Brett, Deputy MD & Editorial Director, BBC Magazines - September 14, 07
"Cricket is expensive in India but the English Premier League is very expensive too. The thing about sports is that it is unscripted. A win today doesn't mean a win tomorrow. But the unique thing about sports is the passion behind it. People want to watch it now and live. India's performance in the World Cup was very bad and the impact was huge, it was a national shock. That being said, look how shortlived it was -- India is back to being hero from zero!"
Jamie Davis, Managing Director, ESPN Star Sports - September 07, 07
"One big thing is that we have come to a comfort level with our own language and our own culture, and now we are doing it with pride. There was a lot of restrain in the early '80s, when people were following the West and sometimes people even thought that being too Indian was being downmarket. Today, people are doing it with pride. Indian advertising has its own look and feel. The other change is that from the mid-90s, advertisers have become a lot more open to fresher and newer advertising ideas, than pure information-based ideas that were the norm in the '80s."
Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and NCD-India & South Asia, O&M - August 31, 07
"One of the reasons why I have joined an ROI agency is because that's inbuilt in the philosophy of the agency. The ROI comes first and the creativity sometimes helps in delivering that ROI. Doing something brilliantly creative which does not promise any return is of no use."
Guy Abrahams, Regional Communications Director, ZenithOptimedia - August 24, 07
"Five years ago, there was no search advertising and now it is beginning to take the lion's share. We are on the verge of launching adver-gaming and in-content advertising and that is what we are trying to launch in Zapak, where we are pioneering this concept. Now with Big Adda, we want to pioneer the concept of in-video advertising. Those are the new value propositions that we need to educate the advertising fraternity about."
Rajesh Sawhney, President, Reliance Entertainment - August 17, 07
The Bollywood industry in terms of the younger generation is doing a lot of films, and the Bollywood market internationally is growing. However, it's still primarily the NRI market. I don't think there has been a Bollywood film that has attracted non-NRIs… Indian producers and directors have been talking about this for a long time now… All they need is good stories that appeal to the international audience, and it's just a matter of time when Indian filmmakers will have them.
Ashok Amritraj, Chairman and CEO, Hyde Park Entertainment - August 10, 07
"There has been amazing expansion in India that continues, and is becoming more ambitious in production quality, live content. There is tough competition in India, and in a bid to reach more people, I think Indian news channels are more tabloid in their approach than we are. What isn't breaking news? This may be driven from competition but people have to rethink this. Breaking news would lose impact if done in this fashion, what is the next level then... double breaking news?"
Richard Porter, Head of News, BBC World - August 04, 07
I don't think there exists any so-called 'ad agencies' any more on this planet. For the past few years ad agencies had to become integrated marketing agencies. They are all called brand agencies or integrated communication agencies. They needed to respond to the growing client needs. It's no longer just television but also direct mail. They have to sort of develop on all 12 keys of the piano and not just on one or two.
Erich Joachimsthaler, Founder, Vivaldi Partners - July 27, 07
"We are looking at growing further in different countries. We are looking at further strengthening our digital focus; we are already doing very well there, but we believe that this is the area that can do better with more focus_. Today, digital has great opportunities. It does not only mean the web, but it has become a medium that is working together with other media. Whether it is television, radio, cinema or print, all forms of media are moving towards digital, and the media landscape itself is changing."
Vincent Bollore, Chairman, Havas Group - July 20, 07
"I think that in comparison to India, China, Europe, London or any other part of the world, a lot of innovations come from the West Coast of America. What you tend to see in the rest of the world is a very fast imitation of what you see there, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. There are very strong technology businesses in India as well. It is smaller but that doesn’t make it boring, and the potential that the market holds makes it so much more exciting."
Mark Read, Director of Strategy, WPP, CEO, WPP Digital - July 13, 07
"It is great working with people who talk about doing something in the future and like to do it the next morning, as opposed to discussing it, and writing memos about it and pondering over it. It is a simple thing to do and it's a refreshing experience that makes you do a lot of work and ensures that you have great fun all the time, which is the idea of being in the media industry. If it is boring, you may as well be in another industry."
Mainardo de Nardis, CEO, Aegis Media Global - July 06, 07
"The divide between media and creative is one of the main causes of strife in the industry today. It often resembles an unseemly turf war, and that's something that clients rightly dislike. It means neither side can do their best work; and ultimately the client suffers. Naked bridges that divide, and it is one of the reasons why Naked is so successful. We have no agenda other than to create and orchestrate great creative solutions for our clients."
Mike Wilson, Managing Partner, Naked Communications - June 29, 07
"Now everyone in Bollywood knows our personality and before going on-air they say, 'Don't bajao us today'. People know that we won't have a boring clichéd interview. Over the past couple of years, people have identified this. Our entire positioning is that we are a 'station for expression'. And we come with a mindset that we can make things work. So it is a platform for people to raise issues. So we 'bajao' issues that impact the common man. It is a clear, honest, true-to-yourself station and I think that has been our biggest differentiator, and a personality is getting formed in our listeners' minds."
Abraham Thomas, COO, Red FM - June 22, 07
"You have to have a control over the in-store environment if you want to grow as a retail brand and if you have to give benefits to clients. What we are seeing in quite a few places today is that money is being taken quickly from advertisers but not necessarily in an integrated way."
Maureen Johnson, CEO, The Store, WPP Retail Practice - June 15, 07
"More and more agencies should ask for a partnership of equals rather than as suppliers. What ails the industry is to stand up and be counted as people who are delivering valuable inputs for the success of their clients. We believe we are not just suppliers of campaigns -- we want relationships that are fair and of equals. If we believe we are not going to get that, then it's not the business we want to be in. The unfortunate situation is that there are many agencies that are willing to work on less money."
Arvind Wable, Executive Director & CEO-Delhi,, FCB-Ulka - June 08, 07
"From the way I see it, 2007 is our year of experimenting with the business model. It is like doing a test launch, and trying to figure out what is right and what is not. In 2008, we will be more focused with mercenary targets. Then, finally, 2009 will be the year of results. So this year all of us are allowed to make lots of mistakes, and learn from them."
Mahesh Chauhan, President,, Rediffusion DYR - June 01, 07
"I think this is the perfect time for India to launch more channels, even though it may seem too many channels are already there. There is an insatiable demand for the information and entertainment via the electronic media. I have never seen a demand completely satiated anywhere in the world. So I think it is the right time in India to add some more channels in that space."
William Roedy, Vice Chairman, MTV Networks - May 25, 07
"As far as scam ads are concerned, they really should be condemned because they have stolen an ad that just may have gone to a more deserving entry...I know that the jury in various award shows are briefed today that there should not be any scam ads on the winners' reel. The jury presidents and festival heads tell them, 'Look at the ads from your country and be honest about it'. I know that scam ads are becoming fewer with initiatives like this. Cannes does it and I really think that other festivals should take this up also."
Donald Gunn, Author & Founder, The Gunn Report - May 18, 07
"We should stop thinking that the client is a devil and the creative person lives in an ivory tower, and that the two must never speak -- that is nonsense. We have to be friends and a team. My best work has come out with best relationships with my clients. In fact, that's a challenge I would like to try with BMB in India, and if it doesn't work then I would've failed. But I would still like to try."
Trevor Beattie, Founding Partner, BMB London - May 11, 07
"There are also a lot of training programmes that we are conducting 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."
Jed Beitler, Worldwide Chairman & CEO, Sudler & Hennessey - May 04, 07
"As a group, we are completely committed to make Prabhat Khabar grow from a 14-lakh readership, which has taken 18 years to achieve, to probably double that in the next three years by developing the existing editions and growing naturally into the neighbouring states. Of course, these will be governed by the economic viability of such ventures, but we are seriously looking into expanding the Prabhat Khabar brand."
Rajeev Jhawar, Managing Director, Usha Martin - April 27, 07

"We have found that Zed has created a good focus within the organisation and it provided a clear recognition to our clients. We got the best people in the digital space market. We are making the right investments to get people on board. Having Zed in the market, it allows us to have a focal point, which will help us to make acquisitions in this area. That's certainly what we have done in other leading markets: we have made significant and several acquisitions. By having a separate identity like Zed, it makes us much more adaptable and easy to have an acquisition we make."
Steve King, Chief Executive, ZenithOptimedia Worldwide - April 21, 07

"If I ask you to name the top 30 pieces of work you like and if you start listing them category after category, my bet is that of the first 100 brands, 50 or 60 would be works from JWT. That's the reality. I'm not saying O&M has not been doing good work. It's just that JWT has one of the highest numbers of brands and good creative work has been presented by JWT."
Colvyn Harris, CEO, JWT India - April 13, 07
"There is no question that real estate is the fastest growing and a big business. If you can imagine 26,000 executives wearing dark suits and ties, along the beach in Cannes, but working very hard - real estate is the most important area for us."
Paul Zilk, CEO, Reed MIDEM - April 06, 07
"I admire the DNA of our Indian operations and I hope to carry that forward. We are looking at providing more and more people with exposure to the Western markets. Madison Avenue or London is considered to be the seat of advertising in Western markets. We want to change that outlook as we believe that the world is changing and is moving to other centres."
Hamish McLennan, Global CEO, Y&R Advertising - March 30, 07
"We are very interested in India, otherwise we wouldn't be here. India is a complex country with various religions and languages. Entering Indian market primarily requires finding a very good partner who has some local knowledge and understands each market. Given the additional complexities in India, I think we have to go in with a partner."
Carel Limburg, President - Asia, Axel Springer AG, Axel Springer International - March 23, 07
"The way the younger generation wants to interact with brands has changed. It has become increasingly a two-way process. Consumers no longer just believe everything that is said. They want a better understanding; consumers are becoming proactive. India is a prime example. The youth often ask questions such as how will it change my life?... Today, even marketers and advertisers realise that there is less finance to spend. Every dollar spent needs to be justified."
Stephen Li, CEO, South & South-east Asia, Mediaedge:cia - March 16, 07
"People still don't look at advertising with respect. I don't think advertising is still designated as an industry. Industry status is required since advertising plays a very significant role in our lives. We hope to be earning respect for the industry, earning respect for its professionals. Shrinking revenues from advertising industry is another big problem that we are facing. It has to be addressed on an industry forum level."
Tapas Gupta, Managing Director, BEI Confluence - March 10, 07
"Today, a client is open to new media as long as it is relevant to the cause and to the idea. I think the need of the hour is for agencies to become more idea-centric. If it is genuinely an idea and not just an ad, it will be extendable. The problem is that very often we tend to confuse between an idea and an advertisement. A good advertisement could be a work of craft but not necessarily a good idea."
Nitish Mukherjee, Managing Director, Orchard Advertising - March 02, 07
"The online is real and here to stay. I see more media plans around the world, in the right markets, where digital becomes the foundation of the media plan and the traditional media gets to be on top to punch it up. When that starts happening, we'll know that we have evolved in the right world that is more digitally oriented. We aren't there yet and the only good news is that my competition is not there yet!"
Jack Klues, Chairman, Publicis Groupe Media - February 24, 07
"In markets like the US and UK, the focus now is not on the traditional media people but people who understand touch-point planning...You can't necessarily separate the big creative idea from the media -- it is not about having the big idea and then deciding on which media you want to put it. You can take the buying process away in an agency but the actual planning process should get closer to creative."
Keith Smith, President, TBWA\International - February 16, 07

India has got an enormous amount of talent. It has some very good people and strategic thinkers. This is testified by the increasing number of Indians in APAC countries and handling bigger responsibilities. I think when it comes to the operational level, the systems and processes that enable efficiency, that enable the culture of response and diligence is lacking. But as the blending happens and as more as more flatness comes across, those barriers have to disappear. It's a highly competitive market and India doesn't necessarily have to be competitive because of the low wages.
Vishnu Mohan, CEO, Asia Pacific, MPG (Media Planning Group) - February 09, 07

"Unfortunately, there are flaws in ILT. It measures day-after recall, which is equal to saliency; it's not equal to listenership. As a listener, you don't even know what the brand looks like. Typically, what gets picked up is salience, which really is the top-of-mind brand that you might have recently seen in an outdoor campaign. That is why you will see most radio stations do very lowest common denominator marketing - frequency and station name. But is that a way to build a brand?"
Apurva Purohit , CEO, Radio City - February 02, 07
"The challenges that the digital media is throwing up right now will probably get accelerated five years from now. Our openness to dabble in spaces which are not comfort areas for us but probably comfort areas for a fresh college graduate is going to define how well we shape up in times to come. These are days when one can learn a lot from juniors."
Sundar Raman, Managing Director, MindShare - January 27, 07
"I don't think a city limits creativity in any way. If you mean the kind of clients that you get to work on in Delhi, well, I think all clients want good work. Overall, the work being done for Delhi-based clients by agencies based in Delhi is good."
Karunendra Mathur, CEO, Montage Advertising - January 19, 07
Just because digital needs attention it doesn't mean that print doesn't - print needs the same amount of focus. We have to get into brand extensions today as we are growing into something bigger than anything in the past. You can see that magazines are adding more to the main magazine. Around the world, the reason why there are such initiatives of specials and supplements is because the consumer is impatient, he doesn't want the same thing. So, we are creating the illusion of doing something new - even though we are really doing the same thing.
Donald Kummerfeld, President & CEO, International Federation of Periodical Press - January 13, 07
I am extremely unhappy with the channel rate of Rs 5 under the CAS regime. We are being forced to sell in metros like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata at the same rate. We have requested TRAI to treat sports channels in a different manner and not club then in the same price bracket as that of entertainment channels.
R C Venkateish, Managing Director, ESPN-STAR Sports - January 06, 07

Today most youngsters want to do a poster, a mailer, a small book or a logo which will help them win an award. They have nothing to do with the brand, it's outside the jurisdiction of the brand, but they would do everything else for which they have not been hired for. That's a problem, and not just with us, it's a cancer that's going across the country. Unfortunately, a lot of good people who do good work on brands that gave them their bread and butter became disillusioned.
Prathap P Suthan, National Creative Director, Grey Worldwide - December 30, 06

One of the biggest things about Aegis is people don't want us to be bought by someone else, just as much as they want to buy us themselves. What really happened was Bollore (Vincent Bollore, Chairman, Havas) bought some stock - Publicis doesn't want Havas to get us, so they start talking to us - that becomes public. Sorrell (Martin Sorrell, CEO, WPP) then has a legitimate excuse to put his finger in it. He can't buy our media business because it's a conflict of interest, competition issues and because he is so bored with it and he has spent so much of money on each acquisition!
Robert Lerwill, CEO, Aegis Group Plc - December 23, 06

Disruption is not dependent on or linked to channels and mediums. Sure, the strategy has to be executed differently every time, but it is the strategy that has to be fresh. There is no reason why India should prove difficult for disruption… Disruption helps to a better strategy. For instance, what we have done for Bajaj Allianz is fantastic.
Jean-Marie Dru, President, TBWA Worldwide - December 15, 06