On an expansion drive: Meenakshi Madhvani, Spatial Access

Meenakshi Madhavni, Managing Partner, Spatial Access, says people are scared to ask questions. She has the knack to explain the value of numerical data to help decipher the big zeroes that marketers add to their investments. In an interview with Adgully Madhavani talks about the art of breaking even and expansion plans for the firm. Excerpts:

Adgully: Can you point out some of the key developments of Spatial Access over the last two years?

Meenakshi Madhvani: We have seen a phenomenal change in the market in terms of the way markers look at the whole area of marketing investments. There is an increased need for accountability amongst marketers. They are closely looking at what is happening in their media unit, their BTL activities, their investments etc. And there is this understanding that at the end of the day a lot of extra value can be extracted from the entire process. Marketers are also becoming more and more conscious of the value and they are willing to move away from having a cost focus into having a value focus. Since the past seven years of our existence we have been telling our clients do not look at the cost. Cost is an uni-dimensional way of looking at things. Value derived out of the investments made should be more important.

Ag: How did you go about making clients familiar with the whole process of audit?

MM: I have always loved sharing new ideas and concepts and getting people to look at things differently. So this was personally very motivating for me. End of the day positive feedback from the people I interacted with also made all the more difference. Eventually there were clients who started seeing value in our work and ended up saving on a lot of money. Today we work with around 120 clients and 1/3rd of our clients have come in because somebody has moved from one organisation to another organisation. Moreover, gradually even agencies have taken to using the same terminology and words that we use.

MM: First of all be clear about the reasons for which you want to enter an industry. Do not be scared to work, work hard. I feel a lot of kids today want all the rights without having to take responsibilities. | By Prabha Hegde [prabha(at)adgully.com]