Is the Indian ad industry ready for media audit firms?
I just hope that Indian industry is ready for media audits. Few years back, we had invited global media audit expert Tony Ayers - who audits the Unilever account in the UK where Initiative is the AOR - to India. He met several top notch clients and gave their representatives a perspective on the issue. There was a lot of interest but there were doubts when he asked for a one per cent commission. Those were the days of 15 per cent agency commissions and I wonder how the fraternity will react in these present days of 2.5 per cent commissions. But, I guess the industry has matured and the media function has been separated out from mainstream advertising. I just hope that the Indian industry (both media/ad agencies and media owners) is open to the idea now and will not be scared to stand up to scrutiny.

What about the talk of fusing the account management and media strategy arms?
There is no need to fuse the account management and media strategy functions. The key is to ensure that both the teams give due importance to the overall communication task and strategic planning objectives. After all, media planners also have to don the mantle of orienting themselves to the various facets of strategic planning in sync with the core communication strategy.

What were the big ticket client gains in 2002-03?
In 2003, the big business wins were the consolidated ITC business as well as Maruti Udyog each of which was well over a 100 crores win (Rs 1 billion). These were the two largest pitches in the market this year, and we are happy to have won them both, we did not participate in any of the others. We also bagged other business such as Britannia Corporate, Tata Tea, Weekender etc. Recently, general insurance company ICICI Lombard has decided to retain Initiative Media as its media planning and buying AOR. The business was earlier being serviced by Initiative Media as a part of the full service arrangement with Lowe.

The point remains that we are keen on entering into long-term relationships with clients. In the last few years - especially during the dotcom boom - the advertising fraternity had got into this groove of not ascertaining the credentials of clients - especially the 'fly-by-night' operators. At Lintas, our philosophy has always been to pick up 'serious' clients; be totally committed to them and groom them. We expect a relationship involving two-way commitment and faith. The key is to ensure that the brand grows and so does the agency in terms of billing, experience and domain knowledge.

There is talk that the WPP Media group in India is thrice the size of its closest competitor. Where do the Lintas media divisions stand in terms of rankings?
There is no independent way of confirming whether the billing figures quoted by the various constituents of the advertising industry are accurate. Industry bodies like the INS (Indian Newspaper Society) and IBF (Indian Broadcasting Federation) supply certain statistics but there are instances wherein media charges are fused into other advertising costs. But, a lot of things are not really disclosed because several ad agencies merely reveal consolidated financials. Even so, I doubt anyone is thrice our size, when we continue to be the largest customer of the largest medium, print. It's quite laughable really, and I don't think any important group would really make such silly claims. As far as head counts are concerned however, we have always been top-rated due to the traditionally highest per capita billing our Group has enjoyed.

Have non-traditional media spends increased by leaps and bounds?
Definitely, spends on non-traditional media have increased phenomenally. However, one must realise that the growth percentage looks humungous because it's on a smaller base as compared to that of traditional media. Also, remember that the focus of our ad economy has shifted from FMCGs to services and durables. Clients in this domain understand the significance of 360-degree marketing very well. However, I still believe that the spends on TV, print and radio will increase simultaneously. The overall ad pie will grow.

For instance, a recent analysis showed that just two newspapers in the Hindi belt in India added 14 million readers over the last five years or so. As literacy rates rise, the market will continue to add readers every year. Similarly, cable and satellite industry will grow and our study shows that 12 million viewers have been added in the same period in these areas. The media fraternity hasn't given this phenomenon its due importance. The fact remains that India is still a media-starved and media dark market.

Tell us about the latest tools and techniques?
As far as tools are concerned, Initiative had an in-house session last month where we showcased our latest research techniques. For instance, ESPRIT is our segmentation tool that is cast on the IRS software. It is an audience definition tool that is linked to marketing spends. We also launched the latest version of Matrix Reloaded - our multimedia planning and buying tool. The older version had an awareness module (to check at what optimum levels ads don't add to awareness) whereas the new version is based on intrinsic modeling (with past information already factored in) and decay setting information. In association with Pathfinders, we also have our own TV forecasting tool. I must claim that we have successfully predicted the ratings of new TV programmes and we were pretty accurate in our predictions.

Tell us about Lowe Healthcare? What kind of opportunities do you see? Which clients have you bagged recently?
Along with telecom and insurance, healthcare is one of the fastest growing sectors in the economy. It is growing at 13 to 18 per cent per annum and more and more people are coming into the fold of spending on health-related products. In India, we haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg. The per capita expenditure on one's health here is as low as Rs 900 a year, which can only go up. Linked to that is the whole business of communicating what you have, be it a new OTC product or a herbal range or educating people about lifestyle diseases. There will be a lot more communication about keeping good health aimed directly at consumers or even addressed to the medical fraternity. The category grew by more than 20 per cent last year in terms of media spends.

Is Media Futures a next generation concept?
Media Futures is the brain centre of the media services group. It is a consultancy operation that offers a range of services other than planning and buying. For instance, media houses come to us for advice on how to market or price themselves. Media Futures would take up such work. Some clients come to you for a complete marketing consultancy, a large part of which includes the use of conventional as well as non-conventional media because sometimes the medium is the channel of distribution. Such work would fall into the realm of Media Futures.

How do you manage to juggle hectic work schedules with your Goa SPCA responsibilities?
I still manage to visit Goa during the weekends and spend time with the animals there. I wrote a children's book in April 2003 and the proceeds from this book are routed towards the hospital. We also organise camps and workshops for the benefit of people who wish to be a part of the SPCA movement. I am also a master trainer certified by the Animal Welfare Board. You always make time for the things you want to!