v-chitra won awards under fi ve categories, including the “Best Creative Agency” Award, in the latest Crity Awards. What puts this company on the top?
Our motto is: Everyday is a new beginning. So for us at v-chitra, winning an award is a thing of the past. But awards do put more pressure on us, as our clients expect more from us. At v-chitra, we believe that everyday customers have new choices. Everyday our clients have to renew their relationship with their customers so as to remain the first choice. So, we strive to make that happen, everyday.

Which do you think is the best advertisement campaign and why?
My next campaign will be my best one. Every campaign I develop becomes a part of my learning curve. It helps me experiment with new ideas and presentation styles. So, after making a campaign, I analyse it in detail to see if it could have been better. I make sure that I implement what I find in my analysis in my next campaign.



 

What is the market share of v-chitra? Who are its major clients?
It is very difficult to calculate our market share in percentage. But what I can tell you is we are one of the fastest growing agencies. Our Major Clients now are the Chaudhary Group – Wai Wai and Rio; Syakar Group – Honda two- and fourwheelers, Honda generators and Philips; Pashupati Paints; Teletalk – Colors Mobiles, Yeti Travels, Rosebud School, and Balterio floorings, among many others.

Different sources have different estimates about the size of Nepal’s advertising industry. What is your estimate about the size of the ad industry?
Genuine figures about the size of the advertisement industry are not available. These days, different sources are making different estimates. But we cannot comment on any of the estimates or verify any of them.


 

How do you see the evolution of the advertising industry in Nepal?
It is growing at break-neck speed. Nothing can stop it. But there are some constraints. The biggest constraint is the shortage of professional human resource. As far as infrastructure is concerned, there is a great chasm between man and machine. The industry has invested in physical infrastructure but not in the professionalisation of human resource. Currently, a majority of talented youth is going overseas to study. The industry has failed to develop interest in the young talents towards advertising. At the recent Crity Awards, I was happy to see a category for the “Best Creative Youth.”But that’s not enough. We have to make an advertising career just as lucrative as a banking career.

Most of the advertising agencies play the role of a mediator between the advertisers and the media. Is that all an Ad agency is supposed to do?
The most important function in advertising is to create. Creating new concepts and ideas, to effectively sell the products and services is the primary objective of any agency. Everything else in an agency is support service. At v-chitra, we concentrate on providing creative solutions that are based on sound marketing strategies. Without a sound strategy, all creative concepts will fail.



 

With the demand for advertisements growing, there seems to be a mushrooming of ad agencies. What makes v-chitra stand out?
We try to create effective communication platforms for the products and services we represent. Our creativity distinguishes us from the competitive advertisements, making our products stand out in the media clutter and thus generate better sales. That is how we create the v-chitra brand. All v-chitra creative team members have only one thing in their minds – SELL, SELL and SELL.

 

There seems to be unhealthy competition among the major players of the advertising industry in terms of retaining the clients. What do you have to say about this?
The unhealthy competition is created by agencies that cannot offer quality services. In an effort to retain their own clients or even get the clients of others, some agencies lower the fees for their services to such an extent that it is not possible to compete with them. But the clients need to understand that they are causing a long-term, irreparable damage to their brands by associating themselves with such agencies.

In Europe and America, online advertising has come up really strong over the past few years. Why do the ad agencies in Nepal continue to ignore online advertising?
Online advertising will increase only when the base of computer and Internet users is wide enough. Clients like to spend on the kind of media that has a wide readership, audience or viewers. Having said that, I think online advertising, too, is picking up in Nepal. The growth is slow, but it’s definitely picking up.

 

What is the situation of the availability of professional human resource in advertising?
The youth have to be shown the rewards, financial or otherwise, for them to enter this industry. An agency can offer such rewards, only if it is itself rewarded. As of now, the clients expect many of our services free of cost; they think that 15 per cent media commission is enough. Even that is shared and stretched to the limits by corporate houses that see only their profit. But they need to understand that squeezing an agency beyond the limits affects them and their brands directly because it also affects, directly, the quality of service and creativity.

What are the challenges and problems of the advertising industry?
The lack of professional human resource is the biggest challenge. The industry needs more smart, young and energetic professionals. Alongside, we should generate new talents who will enhance the quality and scope of advertising in Nepal.


 

What do you expect from the government for this industry?
Advertising is self sustaining. It is purely an economic activity that survives on entrepreneurial initiatives. Businesses today have realised the importance of advertising. All that I expect from the government is to create an ideal business environment for the industries and services to flourish. Then the advertising industry will automatically sustain itself.