<p align=justify>Indian industries should first look inside at the organisation's culture and what has been set up there. There are companies that ask how should we do this across the entire organisation because we are in marketing and we do not talk to sales. If this is how companies work, then they will be sitting in one space for a long time and not move forward. Companies that are making fast progress are collaborating with clients to get their RoI straight. All the departments in an organisation have to be in sync.

exchange4media Staff Sep 9, 2006 12:00 AM

Three of the biggest properties on the Internet – Google, Yahoo and Microsoft – are betting their future on paid search or contextual advertising. We are doing the same as an agency… The industry is so dynamic that whatever one says during the day may be obsolete by midnight.

exchange4media Staff Sep 9, 2006 12:00 AM

Our programmes are very interactive. We make the listeners feel very important. We are sensitive, patient yet humorous when talking to those who call in on our programmes. We try to keep our language simple, the kind used in our day to day lives. We don’t say anything that might make our classy listeners cringe nor anything that might have someone running for the dictionary!

exchange4media Staff Sep 8, 2006 12:00 AM

<p align=justify>"I believe very strongly that as India moves forward with the young population we have, which is the aspirational population, there will be people who will move and say I don't want just saas-bahu, I want something which is more entertaining but informative. So, we will move to that space."

exchange4media Staff Sep 1, 2006 12:00 AM

As far as opportunities are concerned, there are plenty of them. PR consultants are better informed of the trends and are more experienced to sell stories. MNCs and a few Indian corporates have recognised the role of PR and its relevance to the core scheme of company strategies. There is a greater demand for specialisation. Also, viral marketing, blogging, and video conferencing are the new trends in the Indian market.

exchange4media Staff Aug 28, 2006 12:00 AM

I feel there has to be an individuality that women need to be puffed up about. It’s all about a need and filling that need gap. We felt almost no one in the women’s magazine genre upheld this freedom of self and the freedom of expression. We believe in experiencing and expression, so there has to be a line that symbolises that. That’s the core editorial focus that we will raise the bar and we will reassure and help the Indian woman be her individual self.

exchange4media Staff Aug 28, 2006 12:00 AM

<p align=justify>The clients want to partner with an agency who has domain knowledge but how can I have domain knowledge if I don't handle your competitor? Do you really believe that agencies go around leaking information? Look at the people movements from client organisation as well as agencies, so where is the secrecy? The junior people are moving anyways and there is no rule to say that competitive organisation would not hire them. It happens all the time, so much for confidentiality!

exchange4media Staff Aug 25, 2006 12:00 AM

<p align=justify>We are like a newborn baby who can only devour energy and grow. In the process, we are using technology, generating state-of-the-art knowledge, data bank and policies. We will be building and consolidation our network to tackle legislative issues across the country, and all this without sacrificing any cash flow.

exchange4media Staff Aug 21, 2006 12:00 AM

<p align=justify>Digital is the way forward. Having said that, it is also true that it calls for large investments. Only a company with global bearings or a player with sufficiently deep pockets can cash in on this trend. Two forces are in play – on one hand, there is consolidation happening, and on the other, global players are infusing a quantum change. Together, these two developments will determine the course of the OOH medium.

exchange4media Staff Aug 21, 2006 12:00 AM

<p align=justify>I really wouldn't mind if we have it (pitch fees) in place as a system. It's not so much about the fees but I don't think it is a good idea for clients to go on fishing expedition with their agencies. I think that is bad business even for clients who have certain expectations from the agencies. If there is a way to officially avoid agencies from being exploited, then we should try and follow it.

exchange4media Staff Aug 18, 2006 12:00 AM

<p align=justify>The elements of a strong brand include name, logo and all the marketing activities that go around that. In terms of creating brands in a market place, it is about creating the right kind of awareness, image, performance and functions. Also, make sure that you create the right kind of relationship with your customers too.

exchange4media Staff Aug 12, 2006 12:00 AM

<p align=justify>We have constantly upgraded our approach. From a production driven organisation, we have become a marketing driven company. Also, our focus is on customers. Customer is the god. We believe in customer services. Secondly, for any brand, we have always identified a target market and categorising a particular brand has always helped. We offer good after-sales service and maintain feedbacks. Also, we stress on rural marketing as 50 per cent of the potential car market is in rural India.

exchange4media Staff Aug 10, 2006 12:00 AM

<p align=justify>India is seeing a very fast pace of change. There are new buildings, airports, new infrastructure coming. We are seeing the country and the economy changing but how are the people changing? In some ways, they don’t seem to change at all and in some ways, everything is changing – so there really is a lot of guess work there. One big challenge is to understand this changing consumer and we have made major investments in that area.

exchange4media Staff Aug 4, 2006 12:00 AM

<p align=justify>Noise can be heard only when you make it. People are talking about awards won at Cannes - for ads that no one has seen! I haven't seen the ads in the media. We don't want to make this kind of noise.… We expect Dentsu to be among the top three media agencies in the country in the next 18 months. As the next few months unfold, expect some very large media initiatives from Dentsu.

exchange4media Staff Jul 29, 2006 12:00 AM

<p align=justify>We have been very clear about what we are trying to do. Rajat Sharma personifies the India TV brand. He has built his reputation for standing up for issues and people, unafraid; being the voice of the viewer and of people in general. That continues, that's our content guideline. A lot of work that we do reflects that. We often pick up stories that many people agree a lot of channels wouldn’t have the guts to. A number of stories that we do are relevant to the everyday lives of people.

exchange4media Staff Jul 21, 2006 12:00 AM

The key to successful integrated marketing communications is to treat all marketing disciplines as equal. All key players, advertising, PR, promotions, direct marketing, online marketing, and event marketing collaborate as equal partners to develop the best strategy for achieving marketing objectives. Euro RSCG is committed to the ‘Power of One’, and when we pitch for a new business, Euro RSCG Advertising, Euro RSCG PR, 4 D and MPG all strategise together. Closing the credibility gap is the biggest value add PR brings to the 360-degree marketing solution for clients.

exchange4media Staff Jul 18, 2006 12:00 AM

<p align=justify>Viacom Brand Solutions is priority. We have to get the channel environment perfect and authentic client endorsements added to that. We have to get the house in order first and get the business model right. We have to leverage what we already have. We are taking steps in the consumer products division and the digital space to get these models right and going too. I am very proud of the MTV brand and very excited about what can be done with it.

exchange4media Staff Jul 17, 2006 12:00 AM

<p align=justify>Explain what are the options that the industry has today? Margins are down, show me one client in the last seven years who has actually increased the percentage commission levels on an increased spend. The moment a client doubles the budget, he halves the agency's commission. If you are not going to reward your agency well, how do you expect an agency that goes to the same management school, has the same talent pool - wherever the talent pool exists - to pay a comparable salary to the people you are hiring? My clients and we go to the same management school, but they pay thrice the salary that I pay.

exchange4media Staff Jul 17, 2006 12:00 AM

Children have a natural attraction to media and this is a universal fact. We come with the belief that television is the most powerful teacher. Now we can argue whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but it is a reality. So, the question is not just television teaches, the question is what does it teach. What interests me is that despite huge economic challenges, television is reaching millions and millions of people in India, and if you can use it to promote some of the popular agendas that we have created here with our partners, it has the potential to have an enormous impact.

exchange4media Staff Jul 15, 2006 12:00 AM

The whole media industry of today is self-obsessed. Mainstream media is in a crisis around the world. People don’t trust it as they used to. There are many examples of corrupt practices, journalists lying, media stories going wrong. Interesting media blogging is just a symptom of this crisis in mainstream media. To some extent, it depends on the individual journalists, individual organisations to find out ways to engage with bloggers. But it requires the will power of the journalist or the publication to make a difference. And there may be some resistance to that as well.

exchange4media Staff Jul 11, 2006 12:00 AM