Mehta-Balki spat not good for agency’s image: Alyque Padamsee

Alyque Padamsee lives the mantra that youth is a state of the mind. Advertising and theatre are Padamsee’s well-known passions. But one firm handshake with the man and tuning in to the youthful exuberance in his voice, you are pushed into the realisation that actually, Padamsee is passionate about life itself.

Credited with transforming Lintas into a top class advertising industry in India, Padamsee last held the reins of Lintas as its managing director. Among many other things, he was responsible for bringing in an innovative bonus scheme and for turning around the agency’s fortunes.

The recent spat between Prem Mehta and R Balakrishnan (Balki) has grabbed much attention, especially within the industry. Just about a fortnight ago, Prem Mehta, chairman and managing director of Lintas India, was lauded by employees for directing to them the proceeds from the sale of Lintas India’s stake to Lowe. But the bouquets turned to brickbats when employees deemed consultants (including Balki) realised they were not to get any of the funds.

Padamsee was in town to launch LeagueOne, a BTL video service, and he delivered a resounding performance prior to the launch. On the sidelines of the event, agencyfaqs! sought his opinion on the goings on at Lintas. For a split moment, the “guru of advertising” refused to be drawn into the controversy and offered no comment. Then he came up with a quick observation: “Obviously, this was unwanted and should have been handled internally and professionally. It was all brought out into the open. It is not good for the agency’s brand name.”

Padamsee then shifted his focus to LeagueOne. According to him, the idea of reaching out to consumers through an audio-visual system and establishing POS contacts within the stores is not new. Countries such as the US and the UK have been doing it for long. Says Padamsee, “Advertisers have wanted to impact customers with audio-visual force while shopping. Obviously, this concept has taken very long to enter India. It is now gaining momentum and gradually becoming popular, so better late than never.”

LeagueOne advertises brands inside retail stores using television screens and audio. The other players in this category are Future TV and Live Media. However, Future TV provides its services only to Future Group entities such as Big Bazaar and Pantaloon.