Nandini Dias, Vice President, Lodestar

“Silos within media houses are largely unsuccessful in creating specialist planners. They only manage to tunnel vision and curb knowledge amongst youngsters.”

She has spent more than 15 years in the business of media; her words reflect her understanding of the industry, her extensive knowledge of the tools and technologies and her readiness to accept every assignment as a challenge.

In a conversation with Anushree Madan Mohan from exchange4media.com, Nandini Dias (Vice President, Lodestar) speaks about her journey in the world of media, the trials and triumphs that Lodestar has faced over the years, and the problems inherent within the advertising industry. Excerpts….

Q. How has Lodestar evolved over time?

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Over the years, Lodestar has evolved in more ways than one. And perhaps a lot better than we had hoped. We had taken some radical decisions in the last couple of years. Thankfully they’re paying off now. An instance would be the start-up Lodestar Lab Centre (our research unit division) – our exclusive research unit that was established much before other media houses conceived the same for them. Hence, in the present day, while all the other organisations are still trying to get their act together in terms of research and adaptation of international tools and techniques, we have gone way ahead.

Brand strategy has to be the centre of focus in the decision making process. Today, many of the media independents have created umpteen ‘profit centres’ within the media agency. Each profit centre is worried about its profitability. Thus in most cases, brand strategy winds up as the scapegoat. If awards are considered as yardstick of success, bagging the Emvies Agency of the Year Award in 2002 and Runner-up agency in 2003, and emerging as a Cannes Finalist are no mean achievements.

Q. Which are the tools and techniques that Lodestar resorts to in order to generate efficiency in planning and buying?

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This is one area, wherein we have devoted considerable time and energy. Our focus is on developing tools and techniques, which will allow clients to save more, through better planning. But the real differentiating factor is that we have to ensure that all the media planners use the tools. They are not used only for pitches. They are meant for generating genuinely better plans and buys. For example, Mediagraphics – a precision-targeting tool that is based on NRS is installed within the planning package SESAME.

Q. What according to you is the key differentiator for Lodestar? What sets you apart from the proposition that’s offered by all the other media agencies?

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We deliver impact. At Lodestar, it is the senior management that strategises on brands. We have been at the forefront of innovations and out-of-the-box thinking.

Q. According to you, do conflicting accounts really impact the quality of work? What do you think about the majority of media units branching out into sister concerns, in order to handle conflicting accounts?

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It’s indeed a strange situation. In any other business if one has prior experience or learning about an industry, it is taken as a positive point. For example, you have consultants who specialise in the auto sector. They are sought, by all of the auto companies. Consultants like McKinsey handle conflicting clients all the time. They create groups who handle different clients in the same space and at the same time, are trusted to keep things confidential. So I do not understand why a conflicting account is considered to be such a big thing in Indian advertising. Hopefully, things ought to change in the future.

Q. Looking at India's performance at global awards ceremonies… our creative output seems to be getting there to some extent, but media is nowhere in scene. Would you attempt an explanation to the same?

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That’s not completely true. As I sit before you, you can catch a glimpse of the Cannes award for the best media innovation that we received in the sphere of outdoor. I would agree that the number of international media awards that India has won is indeed limited. That’s not a reflection of the quality of work that’s produced by Indian media specialists. It could be attributed to the fact that most media houses in India, just don’t send in their entries.

Q. In the media buying game, besides TRP, do qualitative aspects play a role? What tools do you use to gauge the behavioural aspects of the case?

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Looking at the way most media houses are structured, it doesn’t seem like it. Evidently, the media buyer’s deliverables are lower effective rates and lower Cost per TRP.

He is not involved in the qualitative aspect or the strategic aspect. We on the other hand are trying to avoid such a situation, which is why we are structured differently. Our planners also get into buys. This is to ensure that not only does the client get the lowest rates but more importantly he buys what the tools and techniques suggest, keeps himself to the media posture and strategy and takes the right qualitative decisions too.

Q. What is the process of recruitment of a media professional? In order to be assimilated into an agency such as Lodestar, what kind of academic qualifications hold ground? How do you seek young talent?

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At the trainee level we go to advertising and business schools for recruitment. At the campus the students answer a small test. Students, which get a stipulated amount of points, are short listed for an interview. We have been recruiting 25 trainees every year for over 20 years now across the FCB group of companies. Recruitment process for experienced people is quite different. The organisational matrix structure ensures that at least three senior management people meet the person before we take the person in.

Q. If you were given the chance to change a few things about the media industry, what would they be?

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Well, I seriously believe that silos within media houses are unsuccessful in creating specialist planners. They only manage to tunnel vision and curb knowledge amongst youngsters. Team leaders on their part, just don’t devote enough time towards the juniors. These are aspects, which I would ideally like to change.

Given a chance, I would want to stop commissions from being negotiable. I think that the industry has landed up in a real mess, in the desire to driver in more and more business. Once the principle got established that commissions were negotiable, clients on the pretext of calling for a pitch started pressurising agencies to reduce their commissions. I was told that a big FMCG company (which had recently changed its media agency) was allotting just one per cent commission to the previous agency.

I dread having to think about the commission rate, that the new agency is managing to encapsulate.

Q. How relevant are global tools and techniques for India? Are the tools customized for the environment here?

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The principles of media planning may not be very different worldwide, but customisation in terms of software, handling the databases, etc is a must. LabCenter was set up to ensure that we customise the global way of thinking and develop our own tools, techniques and processes. For example, reading and noting studies have been done worldwide but the notice ability of page-three in Times Of India; Mumbai can be gauged only when the study is done in the country. It cannot be predicted by picking up a software or database of an international market.

Q. Would you say that the pitching process these days has become a lot more sophisticated than before, more so in media? According to you, what gives you a visible high… preparing for a pitch or putting a media plan in place for an esteemed client?

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Yes, the process is far more precise today. But I am glad it is so. At least the smokes and mirrors created during the presentation are minimised. However, the credit for the precise brief does not go to the media houses. I guess most clients have gotten their hands burnt at least once till date and have improvised themselves. Strategising on the brand clearly gives me a much greater high. It’s real and there’s far more ownership on the brand.

Q. How would you rate the performance of Lodestar? What are your targets for this year in terms of turnover or billings?

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Like I said before, if awards are any indication of performance, then it must be remembered that we have been the Emvies Media Agency for the Year 2002, Runner-up 2003 and have also received the Cannes Award in Outdoor category. The organisation never sets targets for the media agency. The day you start setting targets for the growth of media, you can be sure that the clients will not be getting cutting-edge media-neutral solutions. The media plans will reflect internal targets in place of realistic recommendations.

Q. How did you begin your career in media? What are your views on media emerging as a separate entity?

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I have been in the media industry for around 15 years now. I was in Lintas for the first five years and was looking after Bombay III accounts. At that point they had accounts like Johnson and Johnson, Cadburys, Marico, Bayer, World Gold Council and Walls. I joined FCB almost 10 years ago. And, Lodestar was started in 1995.

Advertising is one of the single largest investments done by any company. A larger component of this expenditure happens through the media functions. I am not surprised that media has emerged as a separate entity. It was a natural consequence of events.

Q. What is your take on non-conventional media services, such as public relations, direct marketing, events and promotions?

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One finds a steady consolidation within media agencies, with most bringing it all under one umbrella. Consolidation is expected here. It is normally a 10-year cycle. We have had everyone going around with the fragmentation story for around 10 years now. The business got fragmented in the name of specialisation and now it’s time to consolidate it in a 360-degree frame and come up with holistic solutions.

Q. In the gamut of communication, which do you think plays a larger role- creative or media?

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I think their roles and deliverables are dramatically different. It’s like asking – in a marriage, is the husband more important or the wife?