IMPACT Annv Spl: 7 lessons Pratap Bose learnt from competition

Pratap Bose, COO, Mudra Group and CEO, MudraMax/ Ignite Mudra, writes about the seven lessons he has learnt at the University of Life, most of them, from worthy adversaries.

e4m by Pratap Bose
Published: Nov 18, 2011 9:34 AM  | 5 min read
IMPACT Annv Spl:  7 lessons Pratap Bose learnt from competition

I vividly remember how we celebrated wildly on the last day of school. We were happy that it was all over and done with, and all we had to do was enjoy life like no one else had before. College went by in a similar vein. Whichever way you look at it, life is a great school. Every time you think you know it all, and there’s nothing else left to learn, it spanks you with a failure. The only difference is that, here you pick your teachers. And funnily, when given a choice, you don’t pick a teacher you can have a crush on. You only pick the best : only the best, even if it is your competition. So here I am … writing the 7 lessons I’ve learnt at the University of Life, most of them, from worthy adversaries.

The game changers take the cake: Twenty years on the trot could make you a beloved wife, but in our business the client always (always, always) has a choice. Take the JWT example. A huge agency in Delhi with a star- studded line-up of loyal clients that include a Pepsi and an Airtel. JWT is one giant cake that has a cherry on top – a Cannes Grand Prix. From the cake pops a young beauty eager to please the client, does a mind-numbing belly shake. The client forgets
the cake, takes the girl. Lesson: To beat the new girl, be the new girl. Always stay hungry, more so if it’s a long-term relationship.

The goal posts never change: Operating profits are the goal posts. Maradona could get fat. Beckham could go shopping. Messi could be in a mess. Recession could rear its ugly head. Clients could stop spending. The goal posts will never come closer, just because the conditions are tough. WPP is an Alex (Ferguson) in the field of financial discipline. He could laugh with you, he could cry with you – but at the financial review, he’ll plead amnesia or at best show you the financial corridors of freedom. That’s one thing I have learnt from WPP … OP margins are sacrosanct and financial control above all else.

Client is your Goliath: Pitches are not like the presidential debates. They’re like the David Letterman show. Plenty of punch lines, punctuated not by periods, but by music from the house band. It’s always about how my tools are bigger than yours. Most often in a pitch, it’s not the agency with the mightiest of weapons that wins. It’s the agency that figures out that the competition is not the other agencies, but the client himself. I’ve often come out of ‘the’ sexiest pitch, feeling we’ve nailed it only to lose to a lesser David – the David who’s carried a weapon that suits Goliath, a slingshot.

Pandey for CFO All of us were coached to thrive in
a culture of creativity. We were asked to democratise creativity. Everyone is creative, so we were told … the peon,
the chai-walla and the entire accounting function. Right, except accounting beat even the creative guys.
When the creative started tasting plain vanilla, the accounts guy saved the day with some creative accounting.
The books swelled with profits, even when the chest didn’t. Ogilvy’s lesson was different
– just make good ice-cream. The accounts department then wouldn’t need a Pandey. Good work became the glossiest calling card.


5
Friday ka hero If it were to be one Friday, Kumar Gaurav could get the Lifetime Achievement award for the box office burning Love Story.
Audience is ruthless. You can’t win big, because you ‘were’ good. Come Friday, you’re staring at Square One. You might have slain a few Lions, swept Goafest, and scaled the Spikes.
But this year is another year. Come Friday, Rocky
2’s toughest competitor is Rocky. You are your biggest competitor. To create history, we’ll have to always start from the first page. It’s sad to see agencies that have painted the award functions black (their house colours), become a blot the next year. Lesson learnt. In Black. Bold. Helvetica.

6
Facials > Pedicures. All of us spend more on facials than pedicures. Let’s not blame
the clients for paying more attention to the face than to what’s below the line. Dig a little deeper and you’ll hit a treasure chest - at the bottom of the pyramid, at the IPL, Sunburn and the IIFA, at the foot end of the advertising
spectrum. Agencies like Percept and Wizcraft make more money in a single property than what the bottom 30 ATL agencies
earn in a year, combined! The face is taken; the opportunity is at the smelly feet. Fair & Lovely, for feet. May be.

7
300 2. That’s the movie 300, Part 2. Starring Josy Paul and his small team at BBDO. Maybe he would chide me for not calling it 30, instead of 300. Ditto for Taproot. While we
sing ‘har ek employee zaroori hota hai’ and build armies
to conquer the world, these
30-somethings with agencies probably the size of our cafeterias, are winning hearts. What matters is the size of the fight in the dog, not the size
of the dog in the fight. Thus proved.
The lessons are many more, but sharp is the scissor that edits the text. That’s a lesson I learnt too.

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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