• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

Rina Chandran

Mr John Goodman

Mumbai , Nov. 24

IT'S about continuity, not change, at Ogilvy & Mather India, where Mr John Goodman, CEO, India & South Asia, is set to assume office in January, when Mr Ranjan Kapur retires as Executive Chairman after heading the office for 10 years.

Mr Piyush Pandey, currently Group President and Creative Partner, will take over Mr Kapur's position while also retaining his creative position, and Mr S.N. Rane will continue as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, completing the "three-legged stool" structure that Mr Kapur put together.

"We have a great thing going, so I just want to maintain stability and minimise the change," Mr Goodman told Business Line. "Business as usual will be the most important part of the transition - boring as that sounds." He was most recently President of OgilvyOne Asia Pacific, which he led for six years and expanded into Japan and China.

Mr Goodman is looking to expand the 360-degree approach and also developing resources for O&M's overseas clients. "Already, 30 per cent of our revenues in India come from non-advertising businesses, and it's growing quickly," he said. "And there are opportunities to do more — perhaps in production or other areas - for overseas clients. Many businesses have looked to using India for BPO, why not communications services, too." The areas that hold the most opportunity are Direct Marketing, Public Relations — both of which are underdeveloped — and rural communication, Mr Goodman said.

Mr Goodman shares the optimism of WPP Chairman, Sir Martin Sorrell - who was in India last week - about the growth potential of the Asia-Pacific region, and particularly India and China. But Mr Goodman admits that balancing international alliances with local relationships will be a challenge. Most recently, O&M had to resign the Onida and Electrolux accounts because of a WPP alignment with LG worldwide.

"At present, 80 per cent of our business comes from local clients, and only 20 per cent from international alliances," said Mr Goodman, who describes himself as a `relentless optimist.' "It is a challenge to manage business when two parts of the world collide, but we're taking steps to manage it better." About 15 per cent of WPP's revenues come from Asia, and Sir Martin believes in working with strong local businesses that will become MNCs of the future.

Dismissing speculation that he was sent so WPP could exercise greater control over O&M India, Mr Goodman explains that it is a matter of getting the best results from the best people. "I'm not some foreigner who just walked into the office one day; we're an international business, and we believe in putting the best skills to use to grow our businesses," he said. "There are Indians in 30-40 O&M offices worldwide, so it's not a question of control, but of growing a profitable business further."

The big question now, is where O&M will go from here: "India is one of the few places in the world where big is not the opposite of good, as we're the best creative agency, and we're also among the biggest," Mr Goodman said.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication

Stories in this Section
Turner Intl unveils another channel for kids

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line