MUMBAI: Group M's media agency dedicated to planning and buying for Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL) MindShare Fulcrum is in an overdrive mode. The agency is looking at moving towards a fully integrated unit in 2005. "Fulcrum will raise the bar on providing greater accountability to client's investments along with providing end to end communication solutions" says MindShare Fulcrum general manager R Gowthaman.
While the agency's focus last year was to provide channel neutral solutions to its client, this year the spotlight will be on making clients' investments more accountable. The core team of Fulcrum has Pat Vinayak who heads buying for HLL, while Amol Dighe handles TV buying and Himanshu Shekhar is in charge of non-TV buying. Planning on the other hand is looked after by Madhusudhan. Fulcrum Bangalore has a five member team driven by Heman Desai.
Gowthaman asserts that MindShare Fulcrum has realigned itself as an end to end communications services by focusing aggressively on print, television, activation, rural activation, outdoor, cinema and online advertising.
The focus this year will be on activation and non-traditional media, since the clutter level in the television space is very high and one has to look beyond television. Creating new channels like tie-ups with new channels across eating and drinking, entertainment, education etc., increasing brand awareness and brand benefits will be the way forward. "We will also be focusing on channel neutral solutions and are on the lookout for a research professional whose knowledge resources can scale up our projects," informs Gowthaman.
Accountability is another aspect that the agency is strongly focusing on. "We now have a clear structure in place and the accountability factor at Fulcrum has evolved over a long period of time. We have further crystallised it over the last three to four months," says Gowthaman.
Stress is being laid on generating more accountability in the television space. "We will be developing new ways of looking at rates and will be looking beyond gross rating points (GRPs). Secondly we will also be pondering on the important question - When should one stop advertising on television?" he added. The problem only got aggravated with the number of new channels coming in, thus leading to fragmentation.
After taking on Fulcrum's reins from Vikram Sakhuja mid last year, Gowthaman rearranged the team so as to increase accountability levels in the agency. That will be the natural progression this year and the way forward for MindShare Fulcrum.
