If there is one thing that stands out in Bashab Sarkar, it's his cool demeanour. For the managing director of one of the three operating units of WPP Marketing Communications, Maximize India, such a trait may seem incongruous with his demanding job profile.

But in hindsight, this might be a key factor in sustaining the level of expectations associated with a media specialist of Maximize' stature. Maximize India, which is the biggest office of Maximize in the Asia Pacific region, started this year on a great note by winning the Hero Honda AOR (agency of record) account. The Rs 1000 million-account is by far the biggest win for Maximize since the launch of its operations in 2001.

Sarkar, with nearly two decades of experience behind him, started his career at Clarion Advertising (now Bates India) where he worked for three years. Next was a two-year stint with Contract (JWT - India) and nine years at McCann-Erickson (India). Sarkar joined Ogilvy & Mather (India) in July 1997.

All these years he was mostly in media except at McCann where he was general manager, head of Calcutta and Nepal, for four years and won 'The Best Agency of the Year' Award in 1994.

As managing consultant, head of Ogilvy & Mather's media division in North and East India, Sarkar was responsible for driving the media business both for Ogilvy clients as well those from outside. He was appointed as managing director of Maximize in 2001.

He is a visiting faculty member of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi School of Communications and MICA ( Mudra Institute of Communication Ahmedabad) for their MBA/ Communication courses. He is also a member of the steering committee of the Indian Railways' Publicity and Communications division.

Sarkar spoke to Ritesh Gupta about Maximize, and about emerging trends in the advertising industry. Excerpts:

How would you assess the performance of Maximize India since its launch?
We have won new business and grown on existing accounts. Many of the large existing clients have aligned their total media through us. We have been able to get the right people across all offices to meet clients' expectations and lead a team of professionals hungry for excellence.

How has it been part of the WPP Group, which undoubtedly has the strongest influence in the media industry here?
WPP has three strategic media business units (MindShare, Maximize and Fulcrum) and we are one of them. Each has its own defined role and we all enjoy being part of it, drawing resources from the pool of talents and knowledge under the WPP group.

The advertising industry has now close to 15 media specialists, multiplying from a mere one (Carat) till a few years ago. How do you think this has changed the dynamics of advertising?
Being independent in a competitive environment was a sea change for all of us. Each company had to establish its credentials, build relationships directly with clients and creative agencies and create avenues to showcase cutting edge media solutions. In all, it culminated in a 100 per cent plus commitment in terms of time, efforts and mind.

We had to transform ourselves overnight from media managers to business managers, always looking for growth in revenues with increased accountability and productivity.

Do you think, there is more emphasis on buying rather than planning? If yes, how do you convince clients that marketing communications is an investment not a cost?
It is not the emphasis which has changed but the way things are projected to the outside world. Every plan requires a systematic process which includes strategic planning, buying and implementation.

However, the planning part is not felt to have a real or tangible measurement of scale, hence, always gets tucked under the carpet. Buying, which is simpler to measure and easy to comprehend becomes the yardstick for evaluation.

Do you think there will be consolidation in the media industry in the near future? Do larger companies like WPP MC have an advantage?
I don't see a full scale consolidation in the near future. Larger companies like WPP MC will have an advantage as they would invest in people, research, training, systems and initiatives to provide better value to client and brand needs.

In one of your earlier articles, you had mentioned 'Advertising on TV has really come of age'. The same TV budget now buys a fraction of the exposures it bought for a brand a decade ago. So how complex has been planning for television with more than 100 channels?
By having a robust cluster of channels, first the consumer has got a wide option catering to individual's needs. This has not only helped in developing the TV industry but has also provided us in developing people's skills and techniques.

I believe complexity creates opportunities to arrive at the best option. A decade back, we were forced to choose from the channel angle (within a handful of channels being the only opportunity given to the consumer) but now, we choose the channels from the consumer's angle. This is more focussed.

Do you think radio, outdoor, cinema and rural marketing are optimally used?
I do not think these have been used optimally. Each medium, besides rural, has a definite role to play in the communication process but we hardly address them separately as today our planners are always pre-occupied with TV and press. Rural media emerges from a different need the client has.

Which campaign (print or television commercial) did you like most in the recent past? Asian Paints and "bees saal baad" from Hero Honda campaign on TV. Was it worth spending Rs 125,000-150,000 per 10 seconds during the World Cup?
I would say, a great opportunity has been well utilised. As expected, this event has been successful in terms of higher ratings (88 per cent avg. increase over the last World Cup and 100 per cent for India matches) and high recall for the brands (recall from Cricket is 100 per cent higher than from other programmes). We helped our clients through deals, scheduling for maximum visibility and the value-added services to break through the clutter.

It's worth spending on an event of such magnitude. There were packages being offered by Max as well as Doordarshan, and according to the communication needs they were chosen. However, to make the money work better, our plans and schedules were run through an opportunity analysis such as when (day match or day-night match, week day or a holiday) and with whom (India or non-India match) the match is being played, and other factors.

What are you expectations from 2003?
This year has given a good start with us winning a few new accounts. However, we would like to concentrate on adding value to our existing clients' business.

What is your favorite past time? Which has been the most satisfying moment of your career?
Listening to classical music both Indian and Western. If time permits travel for leisure. I enjoy travelling, driving and enjoying the landscapes in India and abroad. I am an ardent photographer of nature's beauty and monuments.

There has been many satisfying moments in my career. A couple I can mention:
a) When people trained by me have reached great heights.
b) When I win a business through sheer passion and commitment.