Rediffusion founders step back from day-to-day management; Sandeep Goyal back as MD

Diwan Arun Nanda and Ajit Balakrishnan, the founders of Rediffusion have decided to step back from the day-to-day management of the 48-year-old ad agency. However, Diwan Arun Nanda shall continue to mentor the agency and will stay on as Chairman. Balakrishnan also will step back from all day-to-day operations here, but focus his attention on Rediff.com, the technology world and public service, and will be always available to Rediffusion for any guidance it may need going forward.

Sandeep Goyal, a past President of Rediffusion (1997-2001) will come back as Managing Director.

Set up in July 1973, even today, Rediffusion is touted as India’s largest independent full service ad agency. Over the years, the agency has created some of India’s most iconic and memorable advertising for brands like Jenson & Nicholson, Eveready, Parle, Garden Vareli, Godfrey Phillips, Tata Tea, Lakmé, Telco (Tata Motors), Colgate Palmolive, Citibank, Maruti Suzuki and many others. Rediffusion also launched brand Airtel in 1995. The agency currently works with Tata Sons, Parle, Tata Trusts, Tata Motors, State Bank of India, Liebherr, Larsen & Toubro, Brookfield, PGIM, Orra, Eveready, Dey’s Medical, Sulekha, Danone, Sun Pharma, Dr. Reddy’s, Audi India and many more.

Diwan Arun Nanda, Chairman, Rediffusion, remarked, “Rediffusion has been known over the years for ‘advertising that became famous and part of the language and the culture of the people’, and helped brands build long term, and lasting equity with consumers.”

‘Whenever you see colour, think of us’ for Jenson & Nicholson was a path breaking campaign. So was ‘Hum Red & White peene walon ki baat hi kuchh aur hai’ for Red & White cigarettes, ‘Annu taazgi de de’ for Tata Tea, ‘Gimme Red!’ for Eveready, and the recent ‘Isko laga dala, toh life jhingalala’ for Tata Sky. Rediffusion was also responsible for creating the cult ad film featuring AR Rahman, with the very memorable Airtel brand tune that has had the highest number of downloads in history.