The hare and the tortoise

The R K Swamy Hansa group is the last man standing when almost all its home-grown peers have thrown in the towel

About two weeks ago, when the news filtered in of a split in the 37-year-old relationship between R K Swamy, an old advertising warhorse from Chennai, and BBDO, one of the most well-regarded creative agencies and part of the Omnicom group in the US, it didn’t make the headlines. There was no rancour or hushed conspiratorial whispers from either side. Its clients and employees didn’t seem overly bothered either.

For those in the know, that wasn’t exactly surprising. The R K Swamy group has always preferred to keep things low-key. It seldom jousts for creative awards, preferring to focus on its