Mumbai, Oct 12: The 39-year-old CEO of Euro RSCG Interactive, Probir Roy, has a singular goal: to break even by July 2000, the first year of operations. It may seem like mission impossible--after all, the best of Internet companies are yet to turn in a profit--but he claims he has a well-defined strategy in place. It relies on buying small Web solution outfits to meet the creative needs and infotech tie-ups for technological needs. But first, Roy--who has moved from Nuclear Power Corporation to Star TV to Euro RSCG and now Interactive--has to graduate from setting up business systems for other companies, to getting his own start-up generate business. In an exclusive interview with The Financial Express, Roy gets interactive:On Euro RSCG Interactive India
Set up in July this year, it is a 100-per-cent subsidiary of global Internet consulting major Euro RSCG Interactive. The company aims to offer the gamut of Net-related services right from strategy and consulting to design and software development, to Indian corporates. Even though it is a subsidiary of Euro-RSCG Advertising, it will handle independent accounts too.
On the positioning
We are positioning ourselves as a full-fledged service company which will offer an over-all brand communications strategy. Our core expertise is in the area of branding and providing integrated marketing communication.
On getting clients
We have already done work for Intel Europe as well as Davidoff Cigarettes, a client in the Middle East. They are clients of Euro-RSCG Worldwide. Also on the cards is a site for Mercedes Benz India Ltd which is completed and waiting for approval from the parent company in Germany.
On business prospects
We intend breaking even in the first year of operations. We expect to have about 10-12 clients within the period.
On the gameplan
We have a focussed strategy in place. We are not going to spread our resources thinly. Actually, we want to concentrate and keep focussed clients. And our positioning will differ from client to client. While talking to our overseas client, we will use our technology advantage because they don't have the expertise there. While for the Indian clients the focus will be on offering branding and marketing on the Web because that is what they are not good at.
On challenges on the Net
In an Internet project what is important is delivery and engineering and that too within costs. So one should look at project management skills. The problem with clients is that they are new to the Internet medium. So clients need to be educated. Managing the user expectation and keeping pace with technology is also a challenge. The problem with many an interactive company is that they are technology-savvy but not technology-friendly. That has tobe changed.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.