THE PEOPLE
DIWAN ARUN NANDA, Chairman & Managing Director
D RAJAPPA, President (India & Sri Lanka)
GAUTAM TALWAR, Chief Strategy Officer
N PADMAKUMAR, National Creative Director
AMITAVA SINHA, COO (North, South, & East)
NEVILLE MEDHORA, Vice President (Branch Head - Mumbai)
BHAUTIK MITHANI, Chief Financial Officer
ROOPA BADRINATH, Group Head - Human Resources
THE PRACTICES/DIVISIONS
• REDIFFUSION DIGITAL
• TME – MPG ALLIANCE
• STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH EDELMAN FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS
RECENT ACCOUNTS & CAMPAIGNS
Rediffusion-Y&R saw a lot of organic growth coming from their existing clientele. For instance, recently, the Emami Group awarded the agency their entire pain management solution portfolio (Boroplus, Zandu, Mentho Plus and Fast Relief). Likewise, the Arrow campaign did well for the client and Rediffusion was rewarded with two new brands, Izod and Gant, from the same stable. Similarly, after Rediffusion won the mainline business of MTS, the client also awarded them the digital mandate. Rediffusion won biggies like SBI Mutual Funds and Lafarge at the beginning of 2012 - all despite stiff competition. Rediffusion-Y&R also has the entire Tata Group’s brand health and PR mandate.
THE STORY
One evening in 1973, three stalwarts of the advertising world came together to discuss the state of creativity in advertising. Increasingly, they had the sense that advertising and communication in the country had stopped evolving. There was a sense of inertia that seemed to pervade agencies and people.
The three visionaries - Diwan Arun Nanda, Ajit Balakrishnan and Mohammed Khan - came up with a game plan: Rediffusion, an agency that would be fearless, take ownership of the client’s brand, produce revolutionary creative work, and imprint its messages deep within a culture’s vocabulary.
Over the four decades of its operations, Rediffusion has done just that. It has remained faithful to its entrepreneurial origins and the fearless spirit of its founders. It has been responsible for some of the nation’s most iconic mass media messages for brands like Goldspot, Eveready Batteries, Jenson & Nicholson, Tata Tea, Telco and Airtel. Not surprisingly, today some of the biggest names in the field of advertising and communication are those who received their grounding and “learnt the ropes” at Rediffusion.
In the early 90s, Dentsu Japan and the American network of Young & Rubicam joined hands with Rediffusion in a symbiotic relationship to share synergies and assets, such as the Brand Asset Valuator® (BAV). A first-of-its-kind tool in the country, the BAV is a brand-health diagnostic tool that cuts across categories and segments to measure brand perception among real Indian consumers.
Today, the Rediffusion Group is one of the largest agencies in the country and includes specialized companies within its fold: Rediffusion- Wunderman, Sudler & Hennessey and Everest Brand Solutions.
THE NAME
The name ‘Rediffusion’ was proposed by Mohammed Khan, one of the founders of the company. The idea was that as a communication company, we understand the client’s communication needs and then rediffuse the required communication to the relevant audiences. It’s an integral part of what we do. Thus, Rediffusion was born.
The clients – Which key accounts does the agency handle.
Rediffusion has more than 50 clients across its locations. Some of the major ones include Amway, Arrow, Cadilla, Heinz, ITC, Lafarge, LG, MTS, SBI Mutual Fund, Taj Group of Hotels, Tata Motors, and TVS Tyres.
THE REACH
Rediffusion Y&R has approximately 450 employees across Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Bombay and Sri Lanka.
THE BUZZ
Over the years, Rediffusion has won many gold, silver, and bronze awards at the Abbys, the Asia Pacific Awards, the Bronze Lion at the Cannes Lions, and several at the Effies.
THE FUN
Rediffusion has created an empowering culture. Employees are constantly urged to push their limits and not fear failure. They are encouraged to challenge conventional wisdom, pull the tails of holy cows, laugh when something’s funny, clap when something’s great, enjoy what they do, when they do it. “We believe that somewhere down the line, work won’t be work and getting paid will just be a bonus. Because of this, our people have been able to create an atmosphere of deep trust and strong relationships, which then forms the basis on which they create their own moments of organic fun, companionship and light-hearted cheer, around the pool table or over a heated game of fuseball or carrom. Over and above this, we have regular initiatives that bring people together to celebrate birthdays, specially themed occasions, and more,” says Rajappa.
THE ESSENCE, ACCORDING TO D RAJAPPA
Q] What is the USP of Team Rediffusion Y&R?
We are the demonstrated thoughtleaders in the industry. We are bold, entrepreneurial and fearless of failure.
Q] How does the road ahead look like? What are the new frontiers the agency is looking at?
We have been focused on augmenting our planning and strategy capabilities over the last year. To that effect, we launched the Brand Asset Valuator® (BAV) to gain insights into brand health from real consumers across segments. Recently, we roped in Bugs Bhargava Krishna and Kamlesh Pandey—both veterans in advertising and mass media—to amplify our creative capabilities and mentor the young talent at Rediffusion. As a consequence, we are feeling really excited about the road ahead for Rediffusion as we take on many more new accounts and watch the results of our investment strategy and creative. We will continue to provide the best tools, processes and environment for our young talent, so that ideas can flourish and we produce the best work for our clients.
Q] What is the one word that sums up the essence of Rediffusion-Y&R?
