In India, TME will service all Dentsu-Young & Rubicam (DY&R) group company clients like Colgate-Palmolive, Citibank, BPL, Revlon, Maruti etc. It is targeting gross billings worth Rs 1,000 crore in two years.

With headquarters in Mumbai, TME has set up offices in the five metros. Says Divya Gupta, chief operating officer, India operations: ``For any company, media today is the second largest investment after raw materials. Today, there is a proliferation of media, but also a fragmentation, which results in higher spend to reach the same audience. Hence there is a need for special in-depth understanding of all forms of communication. We provide total media communication solutions to our clients, networking through partner companies.''

TME brings to the table its range of proprietorial tools like Media BAV (Media Brand Asset Valuator, the largest study on branding, which monitors 13,000 brands, including 1,500 media brands), global IT connectivity, the interactive marketing arm Brand Dialogue and Direct Response Media in partnership with Wunderman Cato Johnson. It provides a ready database of information to clients on major demographic, economic, psychographic, political and social trends.

Says Paul Woolmington, president, TME Worldwide,``We invest $40 million per annum worldwide on proprietorial tools, technology and research. Our clients will also benefit from our global reach and connectivity.'' Gupta explains that TME looks at media as brands and not as a commodity. It recognises the fact that media lends its own equity to the message, so the manner and conduit is as important as the message itself.``We marry the proposition and message with the vehicle and can then negotiate better for the brand,'' she says.

--MM