Impromptu: The Art Of Leadership

It has been a year of big wins for JWT under the dynamic leadership of Tamara Ingram, CEO, JWT Worldwide. From record wins at Cannes to increased focus on workplace diversity, JWT has built a trajectory that most agencies can’t yet dream of. One of its great successes has been its India operations on the watch of Tarun Rai, CEO, JWT South Asia. With 20 per cent increase in business, it has added 140 new clients, opening a diverse range of possibilities for new business partnerships and collaborations. In conversation with BW Businessworld’s Ruhail Amin, Ingram and Rai talk about the agency’s future focus.

The Changing Times
One of the biggest challenges for advertising leaders is the changing times and preparing for it, especially when everything is constantly evolving with new technological innovations. Sharing her strategy for this ever changing market dynamics, Ingram says, “Our priority at JWT is to continue to grow the company. We are going to focus on three things: creativity, diversity in talent, and diversification of our capability. If we can do all that we can grow our business and make it relevant for our future. I am going to do that through training our talent, having new talent, and of course, acquisitions too are part of that strategy.”

Bright Spots
One of the biggest success stories for JWT has been its India operations. The India unit has forged new partnerships that have paved the way for JWT in the subcontinent.

“This year has been fantastic as all the leadership positions have been filled up; we have a strong team now. There is commendable creative output. In terms of business performance, there has been a topline growth of 20 per cent since January 2016, and we have got 140 new clients in this calendar year. Attrition is down, and by the end of theyear, we hope to increase our numbers further,” adds Rai.

Ingram describes the role of JWT India in these words, “It has delivered beyond my expectations. It has been a fantastic performance with 20 per cent growth, which is much faster than the economy, which is one way of judging it. We have also made extraordinary strides in our digital work and our creative work, but of course, we always have more to do.”

Strategic Moves
Focus on right strategy has been the rallying point for Rai ever since he returned to JWT India after a hiatus of more than seven years. Explaining the calculated moves that have placed JWT ahead of its competitors, Rai says, “In terms of creativity, we are going full throttle. We topped Goafest last two years and won three lions at Cannes this year. The key reason is the leadership — we have got Senthil Kumar in place, as the chief creative officer last December. The most important job is to attract the best talent. Our focus on that and retaining it has been the key to performance. When I joined the company, attrition rates were as high as 35-40 per cent, but the rates have dropped to 18 per cent in the last six months.”

He further adds, “The advantage that I have is objectivity, as I was away from advertising for years. I noticed that agencies were missing opportunities as clients were working directly with media.”

Diversity At Workplace
Attracting diverse talent has been a top priority for Ingram ever since she took the big role at JWT Worldwide. Highlighting the importance of a diverse work culture in today’s times, she says, “When we look at our business across South Asia, we have almost 50 per cent of women leaders. We are doing a number of things; we are making sure that for every open brief, we have a list of diverse candidates. We are also looking at creating different partnerships and relationships to broaden our appeal.”

Defining hunger for good work and humility as her success mantra for JWT globally, Ingram says, “There are a couple of things that I want to emphasise. I want to emphasise for all of us, including myself, to be as hungry as we can be and yet humble. So we need a culture that encourages hunger and humility — humility to listen to our people, to treat them with respect and hunger for learning and for great work — to make sure that our clients’ brands are ahead of the curve. We are very proud of the work that we have done; in one year we have gone from 18 Cannes awards to 82 now. So, we are very excited about the emphasis on creativity and it’s very important to me to have divergent talent base to have different types of ideas.”

The Indian Story
The fact that India is one of the most promising markets for JWT means that the leadership position needs to be maintained in the time to come. This is where the unique approach of Rai comes into play. He has already chalked out the strategy to maintain JWT’s leadership position in the Indian market and across other key South Asian destinations. He says, “We are hoping for a couple of acquisitions next year. We have ensured that our group companies are collaborating with each other, which according to me is the best thing, because when we collaborate, we can offer fantastic services to our clients. Now all the companies are doing well, some of the operations are going at 60, 50, 35 per cent over last year and we can look for growing it, and add value to output.”

Heritage Of Excellence
Known for its rich heritage of excellence and promoting new talent, Ingram defines JWT’s essence in these words, “JWT is the oldest brand in advertising, over 150 years old, and we have been the pioneer. We have been making brands relevant to culture, making brand significant to consumers and giving them a sense of purpose.”

Creating Viable Business Models
For Rai, the idea of multiple revenue streams and integrated business solutions is critical for a fail-proof business model. He says, “There are three ways of getting revenue: new clients, new business from existing clients and acquisitions.”

Drawing from his stint at Worldwide Media, Rai says, “What we did in the magazine world was to interact with communities, through different platforms: the magazine, digital, mobile, or an event. Now suddenly, you have more revenue streams than one. The same is driving our growth now. I see JWT as the umbrella brand. We have three full service companies — JWT, Contract Advertising and ADK Fortune. We also have Mirum, a digital agency, Hungama Digital, Geometric Global for Shopper marketing, and Encompass which is the largest experiential marketing company in the country. When you can offer all the specialised services to a client, all the money comes to JWT. If you can drive revenue, costs can be managed and you can earn profit. From what I have heard, the industry is in mid-single digit growth right now, while JWT is in 20 per cent plus.”

Click here to read interview with Tamara Ingram, CEO of JWT Worldwide

(With inputs from Rupkatha Ganguly)