The Hindu Business Line : `Advertising needs to give proper lifestyle cues'

O&M Bangalore has to its credit some memorable advertising campaigns ... Remember the Titan television commercial with its signature tune from Mozart's Fifth Symphony? The watch brand was launched by O&M Bangalore. And it was O&M Bangalore again that launched IBM in the country. Today, the agency has several brands in its kitty including Louis Philippe, Allen Solly, MTR, Lenovo, World Space and Hutch.

Recently, O&M Bangalore won a bronze at the Asian Adfest for the outdoor advertisement for IBM Think Pad Notebooks. In the past too, the agency has bagged some awards including the Grand Prix at the Asian AdFest for its Birla 3M Post It campaign.

BrandLine spoke to Prateek Srivastava, Group President, Ogilvy & Mather - South, who takes us through the agency's journey from 1981 to now and how the advertising industry needs to gear up to face the future.

What have been the important milestones in O&M Bangalore's voyage?

The first major turning point in the agency's journey was in 1987 when we launched Titan. It was the first big brand here to use television extensively, signalling the movement towards TV from press. Our Allen Solly campaign too caught everybody's imagination. Then on, good advertising talent started moving from Mumbai and Delhi to Bangalore.

Again in 1987, O&M Direct (now called Ogilvy One) was set up in Bangalore to start with. This was the first professional set-up for scientific direct marketing in India.

The next significant milestone was in 1996 when IBM was launched here. It was a big business again. In 1998, the SAP brand came in. It was then that technology advertising started evolving; till then communication was not an important part of the marketing mix of IT companies. This was more relevant for Bangalore as most of the IT companies are here.

Today, TV is not the only medium. Following the global trend, we must get clients to look at other advertising. O&M Bangalore was one of the first agencies that recognised and recommended the need for 360-degree communication that involved an integrated approach encompassing advertising, retail signage, public relations, events and direct marketing.

Then on, we have had several successful campaigns for brands such as Brooke Bond, Allen Solly, SAB Miller and Hutch. Today we have a client base of about 25. We are also the largest agency in Bangalore in terms of size and quantity of work.

Can you list some of your recent innovative promotions?

Apart from ad campaigns for Titan, Lenovo (this was the first big launch outside China) and World Space, we did three interesting ones this year. One was for Hutch as part of the Ranga Shankara initiative (theatre festival) for which we organised skits on streets. We also ran a teaser `Lost and Found' campaign in Pune for Rohan Builders. It was about Rusty, a dog, and how a couple who loses it puts up posters and sends SMSes and emails requesting people to look for Rusty. Finally, the dog is `found' in their own big house, suggesting that Rohan Builders' houses are large. We also did an interesting outdoor campaign for Kathalaya, an organisation that promotes story telling.

Has the advertising industry in the South matured?

For a long time, advertising in India was Mumbai-centric. But not anymore. O&M Bangalore does work that is nothing less than what Mumbai does in terms of both quality and quantity.

O&M as an agency is the leader by far in this market. So the lead has to be taken by us if the rules of the game have to be changed. We started Ogilvy Dakshin because a lot of brands based in Mumbai have or want to have a huge consumer base in the South. Ogilvy Dakshin will create South-centric advertisements - not just based on language but also culturally oriented to connect with consumers. We are looking at Ogilvy South to pool in resources in Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad and see if we can provide better services to clients.

Although Indian advertising is getting noticed globally, Bangalore has not got its full due. We need to get Bangalore work noticed at international fora and win more awards.

How has Indian advertising changed over the years?

The changes are in response to the changing consumer behaviour and lifestyle. One cannot take the consumer for granted. Earlier, advertising was functional, rational. Today, advertising has to make consumers understand why you may be a better brand to buy. The consumer does not accept anything at face value. She will do her homework.

Advertising needs to be persuasive and informative. It needs to give proper lifestyle cues. Communication needs to talk to different family members. It has to understand that Bangalore is different from Lucknow, that mindsets are different.

Today, the definition of value is changing. Earlier, it was about the cheapest product. Now, it is not just the price but what one is getting in return. People are buying expensive items and want value for money. People are also travelling abroad more and are quality-conscious.

Technology has never been more important in advertising as it is today. With the growing reach and popularity of the Internet, advertising agencies are gearing up to create communication for this medium. We too have set up Ogilvy Interactive, which creates all forms of communication for this medium.

Isn't a lot of advertising urban-centric? How important is rural advertising?

Rural advertising is critically important in a country like ours where the bulk of the population lives in rural areas. Ogilvy was the first agency to take an initiative in this area when we set up Ogilvy Outreach, which specialises in creating and delivering communication to the rural consumer. Because of the relatively lesser exposure of the rural consumer, it is not just important to find vehicles to reach them but also to create communication specifically for them.

How would you assess the advertising industry in the country today?

A major challenge in the advertising circles is that of getting talent. People are moving to other industries, not other agencies. Particularly in Bangalore, where people are moving to IT. Although the attrition rate is not that high, we still need good people. We need to get good people, give them the right training and induction to get going. One cannot keep on poaching talent from other agencies. We need to get talent from other industries.

Indian advertising in quality terms is as good as international advertising. So why not have outsourcing of advertising? We are good in execution and technically much cheaper (it costs about 30 per cent less in India). Outsourcing of advertising is something one has to think about.

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