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The Omnicom Group comprises three global advertising agency networks - BBDO, DDB and TBWA. In India, the presence is through RK Swamy/BBDO, Mudra and TBWA/Anthem. Omnicom Group Inc's Vice Chairman and President & CEO, Asia Pacific, Michael Birkin spoke to BT's Krishna Gopalan on the way forward for his conglomerate in India. Excerpts: What is your outlook for the Indian market? India is a dynamic market for brand building and the environment does not restrict creativity. Our philosophy has been one of, "let our brands do the talking". It is important for us to take a robust view of advertising and marketing services. At this stage, India is an important market and it is necessary for us to develop a position of market leadership like what we have in North America. How much does India account for the overall revenues from the Asia-Pacific market and how do you see India fitting into your plans for the region? I am not in a position to share numbers. All I can say is that China, Japan and India are our most important markets here. In the case of India, over the next few years, we will get into the process of broadening and deepening our services. This could, for instance, be through our sports and marketing properties where we are quite strong. At this stage, each of these markets is different and we need to adopt a different approach for each of them. For instance, Japan loves brands and is rigorous about trademark protection. China is a market with a very robust growth while India is an extraordinarily creative market. I think some of the work we have done for Standard Chartered and Adidas are very good. You are not such a big player in the media planning and buying scene here while other larger players have moved on quite rapidly. How do you plan to correct this? There has also been some talk of you looking to acquire Madison. As a market, the media spend in India will change vastly over the next seven to eight years. I really think the list of top advertisers in India then will be different from what it is today. There will be new brands in IT, financial services and healthcare. These are sectors where we are likely to see some significant spending. On our own plan, all I can say is that OMD enjoys a strong position in Asia. We have always taken a long-term view of the markets that we operate in and our primary goal is to attract the best talent in industry. We have just launched our new strategic planning and buying media tool, PHD, which will come to India some day. On issues related to any buyouts, I will not comment on speculation. Globally, what do you think is your USP? We are all about brands. We pride ourselves in our strong knowledge of the markets that we operate in. Advertising is not a factory and one needs to keep experimenting. I really think we continue to provide tailor made solutions for our clients. Globally, as an organisation, we think we are innovative, creative and influential. You have a 10 per cent minority shareholding in Mudra. Is there a possibility of you looking to divest that? Mudra is a class business. All I can say is that we are not here to dispose off our interests in Mudra.
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