O&M enters Nepal, officially

Ogilvy & Mather is crossing the Himalayas and entering Nepal. The agency will be in good company as some of the biggest Indian and international agencies such as Lowe, Leo Burnett and JWT (which operates through a 76 per cent stake in Thomson Nepal) have been operating in the country for some time.

O&M has signed an 'associate agreement' with Prisma Advertising Nepal, which is apparently the second-largest agency in the country. This arrangement makes Prisma the official representative of O&M in Nepal.

Speaking to agencyfaqs!, John Goodman, CEO (India & South Asia), O&M, said that O&M “will provide training, knowledge based support, network assistance and client referrals” to Prisma.

This is not the first time O&M is collaborating with Prisma though. A couple of years ago, O&M had got into a “very loose affiliation” with the local agency, Goodman recalled. “It was a vague arrangement under which they were doing some favours to us.”

Established in 1991, Prisma has clocked a healthy 60 per cent growth in its annual turnover and boasts of a client list that includes Coca-Cola, Kodak, San Miguel Beer, USAid, Unicef, Johnson & Johnson, Seagram’s, Samsung, Jet Airways, Marico, Western Union, Kumari Bank Limited and Kawasaki Bajaj, to name only a few.

“There was no need to go in on our own since we already have found such a strong local partner,” remarked Goodman. There is, however, a possibility on O&M making investments and picking up an equity stake on a later date “when the time is right”.

O&M’s interests will be represented by Ranjit Acharya, CEO, Prisma Advertising. “I am thrilled and excited to be part of Ogilvy. This association is more thrilling now as we have the opportunity to work with one of the most creative agencies in the world, “ he said.

Despite the turbulent times that the country has been going through, the time is ripe for the foray, feels Goodman. ”The main area of economic activity is the Kathmandu valley which is largely unaffected by the social unrest. Most of our major clients continue to operate there, and Prisma itself is a healthy and profitable business,” he adds.

Goodman further pointed out that the association, “completes the agency’s SAARC network, with representation in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal”.

© 2005 agencyfaqs!