When he was 16 and growing up in South England, Chris Thomas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BBDO, Asia, started a mobile discotheque called Husky Frog. “I had the single largest vinyl disc collection,” he boasts. The earnings (especially during Christmas) from Husky Frog were good and enabled him to travel a lot during his teen years, including six weeks in Rajasthan and Peru! At 23, when he finished university and joined advertising, he sold the Husky Frog franchise and the whole vinyl collection. “That was my very first brand sale,” he says.

Since then, the BBDO chief has been part of a great many brand stories.

In 2005, Thomas made the move to Asia, which he calls “the most dynamic part of the world” on Omnicom's request, after it lost out to WPP in a crucial HSBC pitch. Thomas was given the huge task of beefing up the agency's presence in the “growth” continent. Since then BBDO has opened shop solo in India – though it continued its long-standing partnership with R. K. Swamy as well. BBDO India has come up with campaigns that influence conversations globally, says Thomas. BrandLine caught up with Thomas on the sidelines of the recently-held AdAsia 2011. Ask him where he's based, Thomas, quick on repartee, says he's based in Singapore but his home is Singapore Airlines! Excerpts:

For BBDO where is the growth coming from? Is it China or India? Are you now focused more on Asia?

Well, more than growth, my focus is always on ‘have we got the very best talent in the country, are they doing the best work in that country?' In BBDO India, we have got an organisation that has in just three years risen into a world-class agency. It is doing fantastic work that is being acknowledged in creative awards shows around the world as well as in India. To me, if you get that right, then growth follows.

Obviously, there is faster growth in India, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam than in other markets of the world. But you only secure an unfair share of that growth if you don't focus on the growth. If you instead focus on the people and the work, the growth will come.

But how do you coexist with a dual structure in India? You have BBDO alone and you have R.K. Swamy BBDO? Do you compete against each other?

Well, we compete and we collaborate. We have a long-standing relationship, and it remains a fantastic relationship. We changed that three years ago. The strategy behind it was that we wanted two flavours of BBDO in India. We wanted to provide a differentiated offer to our clients. And it would enable us to get a bigger overall growth in market share. And that's precisely what has happened.

But you are not looking to buy more stake in R.K. Swamy BBDO?

Well, we went from a majority to a minority stake. And they have an investment in BBDO in India.

So there is no conflict of interest?

No, the way we structured it, there is a confluence of interest. So it benefits R. K. Swamy BBDO and BBDO India as well.

The work done by BBDO now, couldn't this have been done by R.K. Swamy BBDO?

If you look at the portfolio of work done by both our clients, they tend to be different. The work that R.K. Swamy BBDO does is highly regarded as well. It just means we have a different blend of offering and talent base in India.

Are you looking at any acquisitions in India?

I never rule out acquisitions, but I think we are seeing fantastic organic growth in this market through doing what we do well, which is having great talent doing great work. The only reason for an acquisition is if it fulfils a strategic need, or if there is talent you want to bring in the group, which you can't get in some other way.

But at the moment our focus is on organic growth.

Are you ramping up talent and what are you doing about retention?

We have this phrase that culture eats strategy for breakfast. We put a huge emphasis on our own internal culture, beliefs and values. And a huge emphasis on making sure that we are the No.1 creative and effective network in the world. If you can do that, you can create a culture, talent will want to come to work for you and stay in.

When I am travelling, I spend most of my time concerned about whether we have got the best talent, are we training them enough, is there anybody in the market we would want and how can we get them? It's a huge focus. The biggest driver of retaining talent is culture, and belief in the organisation that allows them to give their best.

Do you see people from other parts of the world coming to work here in the Indian industry?

I think interestingly there are fewer expats here in the Indian advertising industry than in China, because I think Indian industry is a little bit more mature in terms of creativity and strategy. In fact, what I see are fantastically talented Indian practitioners becoming expats in China and the US. So India is a net exporter of talent than importer in advertising. We have fantastic Indian talent in Singapore, for instance.

Are there situations where R.K. Swamy BBDO and BBDO work together on a brand?

Well, yes, as I said, we do collaborate. We have done various activation programmes together. R.K. Swamy has a unique strength in social marketing and we leverage that. For Procter & Gamble, a BBDO India client, we worked with that team. That's the point of having two models.

What are the global trends you see on slowdown and how is it impacting the advertising industry?

We focus on delivering growth for our clients' business. If we do that well, our business will prosper. And really, we think on a quarterly basis about what's happening in the industry, and sometimes you adapt or adopt a strategy for your clients depending on the economic circumstances. We saw that happening post-Lehman Brothers, we saw consumers delaying purchases, we saw different pricing models emerging, so obviously you have to be acutely aware of the environment, and also how it is shaping consumer behaviour. So that will shape your strategies.

For me, the shorter answer is in times of uncertainty understand consumers and what needs they have from brands, and if you do that, then the economic and fiscal uncertainties look after themselves.

How do you like working in Asia?

This is one of the most dynamic parts of the world. Incredibly fast-moving. Phenomenally smart, stimulating people. Every day I wake up, I say, ‘Wow! I am lucky to be here.'

And have you kept tabs on what's happened to Husky Frog?

(Laughs) Oh, I think Husky Frog has probably retired now.

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