The Hindu Business Line : New face at AAAI

The venerable Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) is the apex body of advertising agencies in India. Though it has just about 80 members, these agencies apparently account for some 75 per cent of the total ad spend of the country. And that's what makes the AAAI so important.

S. K. Swamy (Sundar) of R. K. Swamy BBDO will soon be taking over as the President of the AAAI. This is one of the rare instances where service to the industry runs in the family. His late father, the redoubtable R. K. Swamy, played a solid innings for the industry. People who know Sundar (his brother Shekhar is the Mumbai face of the agency) say that once you get past the evidently formidable exterior, he is a pretty gregarious and accommodating type.

The AAAI has been headed by the who's who of the industry and headquartered as it is in Mumbai, the capital of advertising, will now have to get used to a President who lives in Chennai. And no, unlike the Republic of India, the modest AAAI does not have a Rashtrapathi Bhavan that Sundar can shift into.

Industry watchers acknowledge the important role Sundar has been playing as Chairman of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) — AAAI committee. These two major associations have been living in harmony despite several contentious issues that could have snowballed into problems.

Congratulations Mr Swamy, enjoy the Chennai-Mumbai shuttle.

AAAI awards

A recent press report spoke about the new improved Triple A awards. Readers of this column were aware of these some time back. Mr Swamy will now have his hands full providing impetus to this activity.

Sumo Victa

The colour advertisement for the new Sumo Victa was an eye-stopper. One just could not read the reverse body copy. And before you scream "poor reproduction" one checked three newspapers and decided it was time to pay the optician a visit. I wonder if the guys at the agency (O&M) read what a certain gent called David Ogilvy once said about long reverse body copy. I must admit the long headline was clear to read and most interesting. I was happy to read that "Govind is his father's son." (I am also unnecessarily thinking of those who aren't.) The baseline says: "What you drive is who you are." Hey, at last, even I could be a testimonial model. If father's daughters are included.

Kingfisher

The sultan of style, Vijay Mallya, is said to be launching an airline called Kingfisher. A recent commercial for Kingfisher beer (might have been for their mineral water, same difference) which unveiled a new logo said: "Kingfisher. Now it flies". Well, this could be the beginning of a new trend. One headline fits all. New logo, brand extension, and all that. With Kingfisher now the name of a beer, a mineral water, a fashion line, a swimsuit calender and an airline, who cares if liquor advertising is banned!

As another wise man noted, the brand extension shows how far a bottle of beer can go.

Damania

It is said that Pervez Damania would be looking after the Kingfisher airline. Mumbaikars will remember Pervez as the flamboyant poultry farmer who founded Damania Airways. He might have lost his airline and the Lok Sabha seat he tried for, but he retained his Jaguar and his panache. Please don't accuse me of making comparisons that are odious. I am not. We are sure the Mallya-Damania combination will have the most colourful launch since Branson launched Virgin. We are waiting with bated breath.

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