| A Mandeep Malhotra, Sr. V.P, Wall Street, has straddled many roles in the advertising business and has proved to be a leader in his various roles. Malhotra started working in 1996 at Nirula's in-house advertising agency. Soon after, he left for Melbourne to pursue a post-graduate course in advertising. He worked for Total Media in Melbourne before he returned to India to work for 'Asian Age' as a marketing executive. Prior to joining the division, Malhotra spent two years at OAP and headed its Hyderabad & Bangalore branch. Undoubtedly, he helped add new dimensions and width to Wall Street’s portfolio.
In a candid conversation with allaboutoutdoor.com Malhotra, shares his views on the media industry in India, the challenges faced by an agency, the innovations done by Wall Street and more.
Excerpts from the interview are as follows:
1. We all witness formation of a new agency every year. What in your opinion should be the differentiating factor for a client to select one?
• Research
• Cost effectiveness
• Operational efficiencies
Research and operational efficiencies is what I would look at if was a client, for the simple reason i.e. ‘Cost@work.’ From an agency’s perspective, I would say that an agency should stay focused on brand attributes upon which the client can build. We at ‘Wall-Street’ recommend to our clients, what is right for the business, i.e. supported by logic, research, and solid, strategic thinking; that which differentiates our clients’ brands, from their competitors’. Only then can an agency cut through the clutter and attract the interest and attention which the client needs, to grow his business.
2. Generally it is seen that big campaigns shift from one big agency to another but seasonal campaigns are being done either by small/ new agencies or being done directly with media owners. This put together is a critical mass of business which recognized agencies are losing by the day. How do you safeguard this negative growth?
As an industry, there is no negative growth. Yes, clients for tactical campaign look for the cheapest partner without really checking on the intent of plan. If the requirement is maximum area in least cost, a 2-3 people organization can do it. But there is no guarantee that display was put up for the entire month intended. With larger agencies, that is not the case as they have monitoring systems in place. I am sure there would be a few gaps hear or there with larger agencies as well but the chances are grim. Also, I would like to mention that larger agencies have grown from being small at one time.
3. How are your offerings to the client different than the competition, your USP?
We at ‘Wall Street’ believe in a few fundamental rules which every advertiser must follow. First and foremost we try to understand the brand in hand. For such an understanding, we ask questions and we ask smart questions such as: What are its core equities? Who are the brand’s consumers? etc. Thereon, we try to understand the consumers and observe how well that brand fits into their lives and their day to day routines. In this way the insight becomes brand centric. The pre-requisite for the same is ‘Observation’ which according to me is our forte.
4. What positive changes you would like to drive while pursuing your career in OOH?
I only have a single point desire, that is to add to the existing standards of Reliability, ROI, and Quality, so that Outdoor gets the status of an Industry in its truest form.
5. The industry faces a major challenge with respect to information. How far are you successful in ensuring correct information for yourself?
In a fragmented industry like ours, sources for authentic information are very difficult. We get our own team to physically check info on ground every month, with or without the consent of the client.
6. Kindly share some details of innovations other than Reebok done by Wall Street in the recent past
• Reliance – General insurance
• Idea – What an idea!
7. What are the areas where OOH has an edge over other mediums?
Outdoor has a definite edge over other mediums, and the following points would justify that:
• Outdoor media is a 24X7 medium, which unlike any other medium - TV, Internet, Radio, or Print cannot be ignored.
• It’s the medium which allows the brand to directly interact with its TG on every touch point of life.
• It reaches remote areas, with stand all whether conditions and most important of all- It breaks the barrier of language, making it more relevant than any other medium.
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