'Indian ad professionals are thought leaders'

Q&A/ Prasoon Joshi, executive chairman, McCann-Erickson India

As the Indian advertising industry attracts attention globally, representation of Indians as adjudicators at international awards has increased.

Prasoon Joshi, executive chairman, McCann-Erickson India, who will chair the outdoor and ambient media jury at the 55th International Cannes Lions 2008 in France to be held next month, talks to Ruchita Saxena about the performance of the Indian advertising industry at Cannes and his vision for McCann India.

What is your expectation of the performance of the Indian advertising industry at Cannes this year?

Earlier, advertising professionals abroad did not take much notice of Indian advertising, though we produced some great work in the past.

However, with the changes in the global economy and greater focus on India as an emerging market, all eyes have turned to us. Hence, Indian advertisements are more likely to win because of the visibility they get.

Yet, I do not want Indian advertisements to win just because there is a greater representation of India this time. Indians should win for the quality of their work. Award cannot be an end in itself, it is the by-product of the process of making a good ad. The craft of making ads has improved as per western standards.

What are these western standards for award-winning commercials? How has the Indian advertising industry evolved?

Finesse and sharpness of purpose in communicating are the basic parameters. However, people tend to think that Indians have learnt advertising from the West. That's not true. Long before advertising became what it is today, people were marketing their products. For instance, an Urdu poet Nazeer Akbarabadi sold his poems to a hawker to help him sell his products.

Advertising in India is as old as product manufacturing "" even word of mouth is advertising. What we have really learnt is the structure and form of operating as agencies to sell advertising. Our culture and art has its own unique subtleties, which have been communicated by artists in different ways all along.

What is the status of outdoor and ambient media in India?

The outdoor and ambient media has not grown to its full potential in India. In developed countries, advertisers use interactive billboards. Here telecom majors and broadcasters have used this media more effectively than the others to tap the local appeal of outdoor advertising.

Theoretically, it is a very unique medium because between each billboard, onlookers see real life. This causes an ad to have a very different impact.

You would be working at Coca-Cola's account in the United States now. What do you feel about Indian advertising talent going global?

Advertising professionals in India should be appreciated worldwide as thought leaders and not simply as service providers. Indians should be hired not because they are available for cheap but because of their talent, experience and thinking power.

What was your vision for McCann when you became the executive chairman and how much of it have you realised?

Our main task as an agency is to give a voice to our client's brand. We have worked on the same accounts for years and have been able to establish even newer brands like NDTV and Radio Mirchi. We'd like to expand our client base but not to the extent where people do not have enough time for each of their clients.

This is a way of working that has worked for us. We have grown rapidly over the years. McCann has emerged as the second largest agency in India from not even being in the top 20 a few years ago.

What is McCann's growth plan?

We are investing heavily in equipping ourselves in the digital medium. These investments would be put behind MRM, our direct-response agency, and Momentum, our event management arm.

This is because of the way Indian advertising is developing with a more holistic approach to different media, from being television- and print-centric.