Agencies find new ways to beat cuts in adspend  ( November '15,2002, HBL)

TOUGH times call for innovative measures. The advertising fraternity in Bangalore has suffered, with the rest of the industry, as clients have cut ad spends and demanded more accountability of agencies.

Two agencies, Ogilvy & Mather Advertising and Mudra, have come up with creative solutions that have helped deliver shining results - including new account wins - in an otherwise gloomy environment.

For long-time client Titan, O&M had a lower budget to work with for the Edge collection. So rather than make conventional 20-second and 30-second TV spots, with a creative script and careful post-production, the agency made spots of shorter duration - 15 seconds, 10 seconds and 5 seconds. This way, the frequency of airing the spots was still maintained despite the smaller budget, said Mr Prateek Srivastava, Vice-President, O&M.

"Usually, 5-seconders have been used only to reinforce branding, but we used it to great effect," he said. "And viewers cannot really tell if an ad is five seconds long or 15 seconds - they only recall the overall message and branding. And when the frequency is high, there is no problem in brand recall."

With another set of clients, Deepam Silks, a large retailer in Bangalore, and Jewels de Paragon, a premium jeweller, O&M pitched the idea of a joint promo for the festival season. Customers who buy products worth Rs 2,000 or more at either store get a voucher that qualifies them for a lucky draw. The ad campaign for the promo, which the agency says is hugely popular, cost about at Rs 60 lakh.

The hardest part about the effort was laying down a set of rules that both companies were agreeable to, said Mr Srivastava. This included guidelines on the position of their logos, and communication that would do them both justice. "Once we all agreed to the rules, it was fine," Mr Srivastava said. "This is a great example of how two clients with one agency can work together. The promo would have cost them double had they done it alone."

At Mudra, an account planning tool, Springboard, is being used to help the agency come up with key insights that combine creative and strategy for maximum impact. The DDB tool, which was introduced in India four years ago, has been eagerly embraced in a tough environment where quantifiable results are so hard to come by.

The tool basically has you answer the question "what if... ?" over and over, until you arrive at a point of differentiation or a creative insight that defines the communication. "It could be that one phenomenal creative idea, a positioning stance, a marketing idea or a method of reach that will make your brand stand out," said Mr S. Radhakrishnan, Vice President, Mudra. "It helps us simplify the clients' needs, simplify the problem and arrive at a solution that works."

The agency used the Springboard to great effect in its recent campaign for Peter England. The five-year-old apparel brand from Madura Garments was given a complete overhaul, from packaging to positioning to advertising. For the TV spot, which has been received enthusiastically by consumers and the trade alike, the agency went through the process of asking questions to take off from the common objective of looking good to arrive at the mistaken identity scenario.

"The advertising has to work really well, now and six months down the line, as well," Mr Radhakrishnan said. "The tool is so relevant now because the advertising has to be so focused and impactful."