We caught up with Kapur, who is also executive chairman, Ogilvy & Mather, India and asked him whether he had doubts that there are already too many players sharing the advertising pie and whether the slices are shrinking. Excerpts:
What was your Kathmandu trip all about? We were in Nepal to firm up our association with Prisma and assess the potential for growth in Nepal.
Does that mean you see a potential for more growth in Nepal's advertising market?
Nepal is exhibiting a strong potential for growth. This will not only come from advertising, but also from PR, direct and rural communications-areas Ogilvy India is particularly strong in.
But isn't there a danger that there are already too many players trying to carve out shrinking slices from the same pie?
Actually, we feel the pie is growing, and there are opportunities. The Nepali economy has shown tremendous resilience and the fundamentals for growth are inherent in the system.
How do you think has the advertising industry been faring business-wise?
As in most emerging economies the entrepreneur does well. I can only comment on Prisma,
which has grown exponentially these last couple of years.
Did you see much indigenous capacity for the creative and production aspects?
This is a very subjective area. Creative standards have some way to go, relative to India, but I believe Nepal has the potential to become an offshore production centre.
Doesn't that mean there may not be enough work domestically within Nepal to justify the entry of large advertising companies such as yours?
I don't think so, we have demonstrated that we are serious in our partnership with Prisma. Other large agencies are either there already or contemplating entry.
