Praveen Tripathi to head special projects at RK Swamy/BBDO

Praveen Tripathi has joined the RK Swamy/BBDO Group. He will head the agency's initiative in the consulting space and handle special projects.

Confirming this, Shekar Swamy, president, RK Swamy/BBDO says, "We have been looking for a senior professional to take charge of various special projects. Even the clients have been asking for it for some time now.”

He adds, "One major area is in the space of market mapping, which flows out of the RK Swamy/BBDO guide to the urban markets. We are already working with clients to help determine optimal allocation of resources across various markets and we needed a dedicated senior team for this. Tripathi's expertise and previous experience will be quite valuable for us.”

Other aspects of consultancy services, which are being explored, include development of marketing and media strategies, primarily at the strategic level in a media-neutral way.

Talking about his new assignment, Tripathi says, "The consultancy services of RK Swamy/BBDO in market mapping and development of marketing/media strategies will be unique. I am looking forward to my new assignment and look forward to build a stronger team to deliver this service”.

Just two months back, Tripathi had quit Mediaedge: CIA where he was the managing director. In September 2003, he had joined Zenith Media as its president, South Asia, and regional director, strategy planning, Asia. With the re-branding of Zenith Media to Mediaedge: CIA in May 2004, Tripathi was redesignated as the managing director of the operations.

In Sepetmber 2002, Tripathi had moved to Starcom China as strategic planning director for the agency's P&G business in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In his two-decade-plus experience in the industry, Tripathi has successfully juggled media, advertising and research with the finesse of an expert, and at times, even rewriting history. An IIT Kanpur and IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, he joined Lowe as a management trainee in 1979, becoming its first media recruit in the process.

At Lowe, Tripathi was responsible for conceptualising and developing the first-ever computerised media package, LIN-COMPACK, and at the same time, honing his client servicing skills with Lever brands - Liril, Rexona and Sunlight. He was eventually appointed account supervisor for all Lipton brands at the agency's Kolkata office in 1983, before opting out in 1986.

His next definitive stint was at Marg (now ORG Marg), where he spent 10 years from 1986 to 1996, accumulating a number of firsts to his credit. These included leading both the NRS 1990 and 1995 studies, establishing the first peoplemeter-based TV audience measurement service in India called C&STAM (now only TAM) in December 1995 as well as pioneering efforts such as the decision-makers media survey in 1987, children's media survey in 1989 and upmarket media survey in 1992.

In 1996, he joined Leo Burnett as associate regional director, media and stratgeic planning. And when the agency launched its media division, Starcom, in 1999, he became the managing director of the company.

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