Corporate: With Lots Of Lowe... Yours Truly, Lintas

ADVERTISING
With Lots Of Lowe... Yours Truly, Lintas

Another global realignment sees the country's second largest agency changing its name...again.

By Nita Jatar Kulkarni

They don't go around advertising changes of name in the advertising business. Thus, in the last 24 months, Lintas became first Ammirati Puris Lintas (APL), when the New York-based agency Ammirati Puris merged with Lintas; then Lintas again, when Ammirati Puris International, APL's eponymous global parent merged with the Lowe Group to form Lowe Lintas and Partners (LLP) Worldwide; and finally, Lowe Lintas India (when the Indian subsidiary changed its name in mid-July, 2000). That marked yet another chapter in the local impact of the gradual global consolidation of the advertising business. Today, the global advertising (and marketing services) industry is dominated by conglomerates (or clusters) like wpp, Publicis, The Interpublic Group, and Omnicom.

The significance? Lowe Lintas & Partners will be represented in India through two agencies: Lowe Lintas, in which it commands a 49 per cent stake, and Enterprise Nexus, in which it holds a 40 per cent stake. Although the two agencies will function independently, Enterprise could try and leverage Lowe Lintas' expertise in the area of media-planning. The real impact, boasts LLP, could be in the area of creativity. Agrees Jerry Judge, 47, Lowe Lintas and Partners: ''Lowe's creative dynamism has already rubbed off on APL worldwide.'' The desi-version of that rub-off can't but benefit an agency that is considered richer in strategic rather than creative resources. After all, in India, Lintas is known for its workmanlike brand of advertising that achieves marketing objectives, not creative magic that wins awards. Softpedals Prem Mehta, 54, CEO, Lowe Lintas India: ''We have built some of India's best known brands.''

The (creative) influence, everyone hastens to add, will not result in a loss of the local flavour. Says Adrian Holmes, 45, Chief Creative Officer, LLP Worldwide: ''We wish to retain the very Indianness of the advertising.'' At the ground level, though, the new alignment is not likely to result in an increase in business for the Indian agency. Global Lowe accounts, like Sun Microsystems, that were being handled by Enterprise-Nexus in India will not move to Lintas.

Thus, apart from a change of name, and the fact that an international realignment has been dutifully reflected in the local market, the creation of Lowe Lintas India probably doesn't mean much. Only this time around Lintas splashed entire cities blue announcing the change and the 'creative' impact it would have.

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