AgTalk | Creating culture of success and achievement: Milestone Brandcom's Bhattacharya

As the world goes gaga over the constantly evolving digital advertising space, one of the older and primary advertising platforms – Out-of-Home is making the necessary efforts to be in pace with the changing ad-landscape.

Put up as one of the prominent players in the OOH space, Milestone, servicing over 70 national & multinational brands with 250 crore turnover(in rupees) and growing 100% Year on Year has pulled up their socks to ‘change-the-game’. The agency service portfolio has expanded from OOH communication to offer a full-fledged through-the-line integrated solution that includes live events, experiential marketing, brand promotions, sports marketing & last mile retail solutions.

Recently the company has launched a ground breaking audience measurement eco-system ‘Milestone Optimizer’ that, according to agency personnel’s, is set to change the Indian advertising industry forever.

Adgully caught up with Nabendu Bhattacharya, MD & Founder Milestone Brandcom, who spoke about the new measurement system, strategies, plans and more.

Adgully (AG): You've launched Milestone Optimizer - first of its kind audience measurement tool in the OOH space. What was the need gap that stimulated the creation of this tool?
Nabendu Bhattacharya (NB): I think that the need typically was that clients used to keep asking you that how should we spend money on OOH Advertising and what is the delivery of a plan.  It was all of a question, that something was done on OOH but what actually happened no one had the answer. To get approval from multinational clients is a task as they look at delivery number of other mediums and doesn’t offer this medium.  We’ve been in this field from 20 years and know that this medium works, we know various situations. Now, we are moving from commoditized medium to value driven medium which we deliver. This Milestone Optimizer is completely scientific, it delivers number and has been done in more robust manner. Milestone Brandcom has invested over 5 Crore INR in developing this apparatus and has covered top 10 towns in India which account for 75% OOH advertising spends. The cities include Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkatta, Pune, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Ludhiana.

AG: Please brief us about the Milestone Optimizer and how you planning to take it ahead?
NB: The Milestone Optimizer is a culmination of countless hours of hard work, research and scientific planning by our team. We have invested a great deal in the tool in an attempt to make OOH planning a lot more organised and scientific in the industry. Through the use of the Optimizer, brands will soon grasp the scope in this 1900 Crore INR sector and understand how underutilized it is in the country. The GIP measurement matrix is a complete scientific measurement solution that will redefine the OOH Industry. This is another benchmark in Milestone Brandcom’s journey.  The Milestone Optimizer tool was developed with the support of Industry veterans, media owners, marketing and brand managers across categories and brands. IRS iLAP (Hansa Research); TGI (IMRB Research), Traffic Study (Gfk Mode); Technology Partner (Unikov Technologies) are few of credible databases used in developing a robust scientific planning OOH Tool.

AG: Since your forte lays in OOH, what are some the challenges the medium faces currently?
NB: The first and foremost challenge is to rise up the ROI against the campaign. The second thing is moving from the commoditized medium to a value driven medium. The respect which OOH medium should get is restricted today because thinking process of the clients and the brand managers, or media planner is that, being a medium does this medium deliver what we want in right price! Price is the only mechanism which determines which is good or bad campaign. OOH industry will get its own recognition with the measurement system, as measurement was the biggest disadvantage of this industry.

AG: Can you please shed some light on some of the trends you have noticed in the industry?
NB: Trends comes from what a medium is doing for your brand. Typically with all the data which was available like IRS iLAP (Hansa Research); TGI (IMRB Research) and Traffic Study (Gfk Mode), at least with this initiative you’ll get a new trend from OOH medium. Trend measurement is their which talks about ROI which is comparable with other media metrics.

AG: Where does Indian OOH industry stand viz a viz its international counterparts? Also, what is Milestone's share of the pie in the industry?
NB: Internationally the OOH industry is comparable to other mediums, that market is much more organized and standardized mediums are there, with technology and research available on the medium. The growth in some of the market like Australia and China is growing at 17-18 percent where in India according to KPMG report it’s growing only at 6 percent. So, the international market is delivering more and is much more measureable.

AG:  If you have to pick up 3-5 best works/campaigns of Milestone, which would those be?
NB: We work with 100 brands and all brands that we have done I think we have done the best.

AG: The industry seems to be quite fragmented with no precise mechanism in the industry. How do you as a player in the industry plan to tackle this situation?
NB:  With growing India and fragmented consumer segments challenge is for marketers to reach to larger segment with apt communication and messaging. From GLOBAL to LOCAL to HYPER LOCAL targeting – OOH suffices the best fit for marketers to reach the desired consumers segment.

AG: Though wavered, the industry has evolved over the years. If you have to highlight a few spikes that the industry has face in India and globally, what would those be. Also, any downsides that you would want to share?
NB: Spikes is that when the economy is growing and everyone start investing and OOH investment also grows but when there is downturn the maximum cuts is been bared by OOH medium  because it’s mot measurable. Non-measurable media always get heat in the challenging time and measurable media all the time gets benefit.  Today there is so much opportunity in OOH medium and we will be the one who stepped ahead and spend time and money with this initiative and this will create a different dynamics.

AG: How have spends in this industry changed with time? Any specifics you would want to share with us?
NB: It has changed. Because the moment the trend changes , and when your cities becomes urban and when youth population becomes more literate, transit media improves and modern airports and metros comes in. what I am not happy with is inorganic growth which will happen only when we will work on challenges which we are facing. There are other stakeholders which will understand the challenges with the challenge of measurement and will make OOH an interesting industry.

AG:  How has Milestone's journey of growth been so far?
NB: Journey has been fantastic as we’ve move from zero to be and established brand today. We got some of the largest brand in our portfolio, we’ve won loads of industry awards across industry places and happy to be the creative and media agency of the year in. In Goafest 2014 we were in top of the charts in the media awards category. It gives us real satisfaction and also 200 people working with us. From small office in Andheri to office in Lower Parel gives us high, and over 70 trophies which are lying. We have created culture of success, achievement and we celebrate every moment. Measurement Optimization was on milestone I always look forward to it since the day we started Milestone. I was committed to it that we will challenge and will bring in something which will make big difference in the industry. Many entrepreneurs looked at us and tried things by thinking that nothing is impossible. We take everyday as challenge and want to continue in this form.

AG: What according to you are some of the success mantras that one needs to follow to make space for itself in the industry?
NB: Feet have to be in ground. If you have large vision you can achieve it you have to be at it. There is no chance of relaxation and creating new benchmark and milestone.

AG: What are your plans for the near future?
NB: There are loads of plans. Next we are looking at digital OOH as our focus because OOH is dynamic space. Technology as a strategic medium is something we are looking at and we want to deliver.  Also we try to cover remaining 25 cities in next 18-24 months and data updation once in two years to ensure better ROI for clients.

With stellar business experience, Nabendu has redefined every leadership position that he has held in his corporate journey of 18 years. A bold visionary, Nabendu had the ability to develop creative solutions for mature organizations facing changing industry dynamics or consumer tastes with the launch of Milestone Brandcom. Within two years of his entrepreneurial journey in 2009, he has already earned a reputation as one of the most successful OOH business entrepreneurs in India today. With over 18 years of out-of-home journey, he could easily be called a passionate ‘Out-of-Home Man’ always on the move to make a difference.