Ali Merchant, Director, Triton Communication
<p align=justify>“I don’t think there will be any change in the low agency commission structure. The low agency commission system was started by multinationals; Indian agencies or Indian advertisers didn’t start it. The low commission as well as fee system came with multinational agencies and their clients to make more money.”
“I don’t think there will be any change in the low agency commission structure. The low agency commission system was started by multinationals; Indian agencies or Indian advertisers didn’t start it. The low commission as well as fee system came with multinational agencies and their clients to make more money.”
Triton Communications, which was started in 1991 by two advertising professionals – Munawar Syed and Ali Merchant – today manages a whole host of big clients. Perhaps it is just one of the few truly Indian agencies which is successfully making its mark globally. Ali Merchant, Director of the agency, spoke with Pritie S Jadhav of exchange4media about Triton’s vision and growth plans. Excerpts: Q. Who are the new client’s that have come on board?
BPL Sanyo is a huge win for us. We have also bagged Air Freight, Venkys, Kumar Builders, and Wagh Bakri. We are also working on a new product from the Parle stable.
Q. India is a relatively less expensive country. Where do you see new business coming in from?
New business will come from the Middle-East and Pakistan. In fact, all neighbouring countries are looking at the Indian market as it has proved to be very beneficial for them and for us as well.
Q. Is Triton looking at going international?
Yes, we are looking at going international. It is very much on our agenda.
Q. What are you doing to change this perception?
The work that we do for our clients speaks volumes and this is what will change the perception. But again I am stating that it’s the work that you do for your clients that needs to be high profile.
Q. What has been your growth rate?
We have grown by 15-20 per cent as far as revenues are concerned, and we want to maintain this growth rate. It is not as if we have grown by 40 per cent, so we will definitely be able to maintain the growth rate. If you ask me about billings growth, then it would be around 30 per cent, but mind you, growth in billings is not an indicator, because you can get billings, but your revenues could still go down.
Q. Triton is perceived as an agency that has consciously maintained a low profile. Why is it so?
Yes, that is true, we have maintained a low profile. In fact, there are several agencies in India who maintain a low profile and there is nothing wrong in that relatively speaking to one or two other agencies. The reason is that agencies have realised that it is better to maintain a low profile about themselves and maintain a high profile for the clients.
It is not as if I don’t talk to the media about our work but, yes, if you were to ask me, I would say that we don’t proactively try to maintain a high profile.
Q. Of late, there have been a couple of senior executives and some others who have moved out of the agency? What do you feel is the reason for that?
Better prospects. I wouldn’t say that those who have left the agency have gone as enemies; they have moved on for better prospects. But, with new people who come in and with people within the agency who show the effort to take on newer, bigger roles, it provides a certain amount of newness, freshness, and thrust in the agency.
Q. What would you say is Triton’s strength?
I think Triton’s strength is the ability to provide outstanding big ideas. It again stems from the fact that if you can spring up brilliant ideas that work wonders for the clients, then you are doing well.
Q. What is Triton’s vision for the New Year?
Consolidation and steady growth is going to be our vision for the coming year. This is because a few people have gone out of the agency, so we will now need to consolidate. We don’t want to run around for people and get Rs 200 crore worth of business because then your culture would be disturbed. We want steady growth.
Q. While there has been a lot of talk about the low agency commission bit, do you foresee any change in this structure?
No, I don’t think there will be any change in this. The point here is that the low agency commission system was started by multinationals; Indian agencies or Indian advertisers didn’t start it. The low agency commission as well as the fee system came with multinational agencies and their clients to make more money. There are, however, still clients who believe in you and pay you your full 15 per cent. But they are very few. So, I don’t see this structure changing.
Q. Do you feel the time has come for Indian agencies and advertisers to make their mark even stronger in the international market?
Definitely. With clients foraying into global markets, you could also be part of that going global process. No doubt, it’s a long process, but it’s possible and is happening. In fact, we do a lot of work for a Dubai agency here and the format works very well. If you go to South East Asia, say, Singapore, or even the Middle-East, you will find that most senior guys and creative guys are Indians. But the idea is to do work here, because it doesn’t involve any cost to set up new offices and other overheads.
Q. What will it take to move from where you are now to where you aspire to be?
Doing exactly what we have been doing for our clients, that is the way we want to proceed further.
Q. How would you rate Triton on the creativity barometer?
Very good, and this is because consumers say so and not because the Ad Club awards say so. There are two measurable parameters and the more important is the consumer and his opinion and, secondly, when clients feel you help increase their sales.
Q. If you were to pick out one of the most cherished works from Triton’s stable, which one would you pick?
There are several. Recently, we had done some very good work for ‘AfterBath’ skin care. Then there is Zingaroo, Sand Piper, Aqua Guard and Fortune. We have also done some good work for Outlook magazine and Samsung Mobile.
Q. Where then do these big ideas come from?
From the society, from strategy, from creativity and from business building. There are people who can build businesses, which may be an idea out of strategy and out of communication. So, we try to get into the client’s business and try to be a partner in the client’s work.
