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Rediffussion DYR: All eyes on being No 1

Published on Sat, Feb 09, 2008 at 13:18 | Source : CNBC-TV18

Updated at Fri, Feb 22, 2008 at 16:15

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Mahesh Chauhan, President, Rediffusion DYR

Nifty

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Winds of change have been blowing across Rediffussion DYR for some time now. There's a new business and creative team at the helm, there are new accounts to talk about and the goals are clear, reports CNBC-TV18's Ramya Ramamurthy.

Mahesh Chauhan, President, Rediffusion DYR said, "Our target clearly is number one, this means getting the right talent on board, continuing to do the great work which the team has now become used to now and raising the bar." Meanwhile, Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar, Rediffusion's National Creative Director said, "At the end of the day, we know we are going to compete with agencies like O&M, Lowe, JWT etc. If we play their game, there's no chance we will win. So it's about redefining that game, we are still working on that."

Winds of change have been blowing across Redifussion DYR for some time now. There's a new business and creative team at the helm, there are new accounts to talk about and the goals are clear. The 35 year old agency wants a crack at the top five. So will all this effort add up to critical mass in 2008?

With more than its fair share of churn - three Presidents in twice as many years - Rediffusion's aim for higher billings and a higher profile will depend on internal stability.

It's make or break time for one if the youngest presidents in the business. If that's how competitive Mahesh Chauhan gets about pool, you can guess how aggressive he can be about the Rs 600 cr agency that he needs to revitalize. The mandate is coming straight from the Chairman and the objective is clearly bold brand campaigns, rather than just bottom lines. What will set the ball rolling is if Rediffusion moves up the agency ranks.

Mahesh Chauhan Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar , NCD, Rediffusion DYR said, "It's about redefining the game. At the end of the day we know we are going to compete with agencies like O&M, Lowe, JWT etc. If you play their game, there's no chance we will win that game. So it's about redefining that game and to be honest, we are still working on that."

"Even if we know the strategy, we won't tell," added Ramajuj Shastry , NCD Rediffusion DYR.

The agency is re-enforcing its strategy and planning department to provide 360 degree solutions to clients, and it seems to be working. In January alone, the agency bagged Rs 400 crore worth of new business including LG and Titan Xylus and says it will grow 60% YoY, this fiscal. Currently, the total revenue is estimated at around Rs 60 crore. What's driving the agency's ambitious plans is the support from long standing clients like Tata Steel and Tata Motors, Colgate Palmolive and Eveready. Topping it is the new wind, the LG account that the agency Young and Rubicon, won globally.

In India, as LG ups its spends to Rs 200 crore, it's looking for creative and consumer insight from Rediffiusion.

LK Gupta, CMO, LG India said, "It's a younger team, there's a lot of energy that you see in this team. The important thing is that the focus on consumer and brand building and the focus on giving a 360 degree solution to a client is something that Rediffusion is trying to work towards. I think that's quite welcome."

The new energy has to be balanced by past experience. With the agency going through three presidents in twice as many years, the only continuous leadership has come from Chairman Arun Nanda, by default. The real challenge for Rediffusion is to ensure that the new team is in for the long haul.

Rediffusion DYR's Former President Preet Bedi said, "The first thing it needs to do is to figure out how it wants to enter the top five. You want to be a big agency, nothing wrong in that, you can be, there is a position for that. You want to be a creative agency, good. Then be very edgy when it comes to creativity. I think the first thing is they have to figure out how they want to reach there. The second thing is that now that they've got a team in place, there should be stability. These are the only two things they need to fix."

Innovations, like the newly instituted design cell and a rapidly growing network in Delhi and Banglore, may help. But if Rediffusion wants to pose a real threat to O&M, Lowe and JWT, who are sitting pretty at the top, the agency will need to win new business and grow the old ones, all the while plugging further churn.