Neela Marikkar, Chairperson / MD, Grant McCann Erickson

Ruwanthi Abeyakoon

Grant McCann Erickson celebrated 50 years of existence yesterday. Founded by late Reggie Candappa on April 1, 1958 it has come along way. A series of events will be held by Grant McCann Erickson over the next few weeks and months to commemorate its anniversary. Chairperson/ Managing Director, Neela Marikkar spoke to Daily News Business about the advertising industry and the achievements of Grant McCann Erickson.

Q: How did Grant McCann Erickson start its operations here?

In 1958 my father, Reggie Candappa ventured into advertising. It was little known then. He was working at Lake House as an Art Director and was in charge of the production department. In 1958 he was awarded a scholarship. He got the opportunity to be trained in different Grant McCann Erickson offices in US.

First we had the agency at home. It started small but within a short period of time it became the biggest agency. Since then it had remained at the top of the advertising industry. It is quite a challenge to be on the top as advertising has under gone phenomenal changes. We are reinventing everything so that we can stay young even after 50 years.

Q: How important is advertising to Sri Lanka?

Advertising is very important to a country. It is the barometer of the state of economy. There should be a vibrant advertising industry in a country. When there is a downturn in the economy advertising is the first industry to be affected. Through advertising several other developments are taking place.

They are interlinked. Advertising sector has grown enormously. Many new concepts such as tele- production have been built through advertising. If media has been sophisticated, advertising has contributed towards it. It also generates lot of employment. Thus advertising plays a major role in driving the economy towards development.

Q: What are the changes advertising industry has gone through?

As years went on people experienced the advent of the television, radio and direct marketing.

There were many newspapers. There were lots of choices for the consumers. Advertising became much more complicated. Reaching the consumers became much more challenging. Advertising is a science. It is a research of understanding the consumers, their trends and reaching the consumers.

Advertising has undergone phenomenal changes. It is recognised that advertising alone is not the solution to reach the consumers. So we created solutions within the group by starting Grant PR in 1997.

We also specialise in response marketing and event marketing. We also provide data base marketing. We have data banks for special targeting.

Q: How will Sri Lanka adopt new trends in global advertising?

Internet has done the biggest revolution. We are gearing up to meet this challenge. At present we have empowered consumers. They are informed consumers. So they will browse Internet, go to websites and compare before making a choice. Reservations are done online.

It is amasing. Sri Lanka is a little behind but will catch up with these trends fast. Sri Lanka has reached six million mobile subscribers within a short time, which is outstanding. In the same way people will embrace technology.

Mobile penetration has clearly shown how Lankans embrace technology. New technology is a challenge for advertising.

Sri Lanka is in the cutting edge of technology. In ancient times people conquered countries geographically. They fought wars to gain lands. But now it is controlling the market. European countries have come together and formed the European Union to capture the markets. At present the thinking is all about markets.

Sri Lanka has to recognise the need of accessing those markets to equal other countries. India has taken off economically. Sri Lanka must reach that place. We are capable people and we have talented people. We have a lot going for us.

Q: Are the Lankan youth aware of advertising?

Most of the people working with us are young. Not enough is known about the advertising industry in the country. Therefore youth who go to universities look for job opportunities in IT, finance or accountancy.

There are no courses on advertising. In Europe there are degrees in advertising but here we don't have enough courses. As a result youth is not exposed to the industry. Lot has been done by Grants to change this situation. As an industry we need to do a lot more for the youth.

We train the youth and encourage them to study marketing. Some have ended up in senior posts.

They have moved up to the level of creative directors. We send them overseas for training and to participate in workshops. Youth working with us get the opportunity to learn and they are in the hands of senior officers. So they receive a good grounding.

Q: How do you face competition in advertising industry?

I like the competition. It forces you to keep looking at yourself. You are always on your toes. Competition is very important without it you become complacent and lethargic. Competition forces you to do better in the industry.

At the same time we value reputation, integrity and ethics. We have maintained the values for fifty years and will do the same in the future. Our whole system is networked.

We have installed new software. Deadlines have got shorter. The demand is for a quick turnaround. We have installed a state of art production facility to do a quick delivery to our clients.

Q: What do you feel about being a businesswoman?

Being a businesswoman has been challenging. But it never held me back. Running a business with 130 staff and managing a home with two children was a challenge.

There is greater ratio of women in advertising. What matters in advertising is the capability. Women are capable. They are good managers. Women should transcend from being good managers to being good leaders. Men should support it.

Q: What are the future plans for Grant McCann Erickson?

There is so much change happening. We have long-term plans. The country's situation has an impact on business. In the era of digital marketing we are looking at running tighter.

Future is about the advancement of technology. We are looking at increasing the productivity. Grants McCann Erickson is also gearing up to handle more work with better technology.

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Profile

Neela Marikkar has more than 20 years experience in advertising, promotions, and public relations and is the Managing Director of Grant McCann-Erickson, a member of the international network McCann Erickson Worldwide, USA. She is also is President of Sri Lanka First, a powerful group of business leaders that advocates for a negotiated settlement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE.

Marikkar is Chairperson of the leading Communications Group in Sri Lanka in partnership with Mccann Worldgroup, USA. Marikkar has served as Chairperson of several key industry organizations. Currently she is the Chairperson of the Committee on Communication and Social Mobilization of the National Advisory Council for Peace and Reconciliation.

Marikkar is a member of Women Waging Peace Network and at their Colloquium was invited to be a speaker on the role of women in peace building at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.