Sanjay Thapar, Group President - North & East, O&M India

The truth is that Mumbai leads and dominates the creative arena. However, having said that, it does not mean that Delhi does not have talent. Some of the best names have emerged from this market. Also, if you see the International or Effectiveness Awards, Delhi has been showing a steady and robust performance, so one wonders why this perception is so acute… While in pure size Mumbai is still a bigger market, Delhi is one of the fastest growing markets in India. But as of now, Mumbai is bigger.

Sanjay Thapar began his career selling shoes with Bata India Ltd in 1987. A solid three-year grounding in sales, followed by three years in brand management, Thapar spent the last couple of years managing the Retail Merchandising and Store design for Bata in North India. Having spent a little under eight years on the client side, the service industry bug seemed to bite and Thapar joined Ramms India, a retail merchandising solution provider and a subsidiary of MAA Bozell, based in Bangalore. A start-up at that point of time, the company grew three-fold and expanded from a one-location office to a company with offices in Mumbai and Delhi as well. Thapar moved on to mainstream advertising with Mudra Communications in 1997 as Branch Head Kolkata, and thereafter to Ogilvy in 1998.

After a successful four-year stint in Kolkata, Thapar moved to Delhi in 2002 and by 2004 went on to take care of Ogilvy Delhi’s 360 interests.

He is currently a member of the Ogilvy India Board and looking after the North and East operations, along with being charged with the responsibility of setting up the agency’s Retail Communication Practice.

In conversation with exchange4media’s Pallavi Goorha, Thapar speaks at length about the advertising scene in Mumbai and Delhi, Ogilvy Delhi’s plans for 2009, and surviving in times of the economic slowdown.

Q. While several sectors are seeing either job cuts or recruitment freeze, is the Indian advertising industry, too, facing such a scenario?

I do not know of others, but at Ogilvy Delhi, we are cautious and are holding any recruitment as natural attrition takes place, unless it is necessary.

Q. How is the advertising market in Delhi different from Mumbai?

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Fundamentally, both Mumbai and Delhi have a healthy mix of multinational (global) as well as Indian (local) brands and businesses. In addition, Delhi being the political capital provides us with additional business opportunities that come from the initiatives that the Government undertakes from time to time.

Q. Any impact of the economic slowdown on O&M’s business?

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Every business has got impacted in some one way or the other. How can advertising or we be any different? When our clients feel the impact, we do too. So yes, we too are feeling the impact, but it’s not that it cannot be dealt with and managed.

Q. Any change in strategy till then?

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We are following the principal of ‘Realistic Optimism’. We continue to be cautious in our approach and are monitoring the situation more frequently. One of the tricks in managing the slowdown is to be flexible and open at all times.

Q. What are the challenges before O&M Delhi in 2009?

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2009 is a tough year for everyone. The challenges are the same for Ogilvy as they are for other agencies or clients. In Delhi, we are focusing on investing and setting up new practices, which will help take us to greater heights. We are constantly raising the creative product. We are forging a business partnership relationship between us and our clients and delivering effective 360 solutions to build strong brands and businesses.

Q. Which, in your opinion, are the three best creative agencies in the country today?

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This may sound like boasting, but clearly Ogilvy is still the very best. In different years, some of the others have done well, but thus far, no one has been able to show any consistent performance on brands on a regular basis.

Q. How best to cope in such times of financial crunch?

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The best way to cope is to help your clients through this time. Don’t panic and take hasty decisions. It’s important to keep a long term focus with an eye on the short term. Be flexible. Nothing is fixed or a given. Manage your talent well.

Q. In addition to new businesses, where else do you see growth for O&M coming from?

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As I mentioned earlier, 360 brand building capabilities is one of our core differentiators. This helps us in looking at growing our business across various communication needs that our clients have. Growing our share with existing businesses and clients is our primary objectives.

Q. Do you think Delhi has caught up with Mumbai in terms of business/ billings?

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While in pure size Mumbai is still a bigger market, Delhi is one of the fastest growing markets in India, and if the growth continues this way, who knows what might happen. But as of now, Mumbai is bigger.

Q. Despite Delhi doing so well, don’t you think that in terms of creative talent, Delhi is overshadowed by Mumbai?

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The truth is that Mumbai leads and dominates the creative arena. However, having said that, it does not mean that Delhi does not have talent. Some of the best names have emerged from this market. Also, if you see the International or Effectiveness Awards, Delhi has been showing a steady and robust performance, so one wonders why this perception is so acute.

Q. How important are awards for an ad agency on a whole?

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Awards are the benchmark that shows how good you are as compared to others in the field. Clearly, they have a place in the heart and mind of every agency.

Q. On this issue, the overriding opinion is that a client should first approach the media agency and then go to the creative agency. Do you agree with this school of thought?

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Not at all. I personally think that the best for the brand comes when partners work in tandem, feeding from one to another and building solutions through interactions and debates. It is not about who is spoken to first.

Q. How much of the new business has been contributed by the Delhi office and what has been winning strategy behind it?

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A new business is fundamentally a part of any agency’s business plan. In Delhi, we follow a strategy of growing and building share from our existing businesses as well as pitching for new businesses. Why we win, well it takes a great combination of all things – consumer research, strategic planning, creative idea and 360-degree implementation.

Q. The advertising industry is beginning to see the impact of the economic slowdown. What, according to you, are the major implications of this slowdown for the advertising industry?

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During any downturn, businesses and brands who manage their talent and investments well stand to gain. Ogilvy is a strong brand and continues to invest in the right businesses and talent, and there is no reason why Ogilvy will not emerge as even a stronger brand that will gain from this slowdown.

Q. What is the target growth percentage for 2009?

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Unfortunately, this is a detail that I would not like to share.

Q. How’s the Meridian branch in Delhi doing?

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Meridian in Delhi is less than a year old. I think we need some time to say how well we are doing.