In the wake of the merger between Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R, Babita Baruah’s transition into the role of VML India CEO wasn’t exactly easy. In this interview, she spoke to Christina Moniz about the early challenges and how the newly formed entity will create differentiation while carrying forward the inherited legacy. Edited excerpts:
What is your plan to navigate the transition in the wake of the merger of two former WPP entities?
No transition is easy. We are in the process of integration and I look at this juncture as an opportunity rather than as a challenge. I believe that is the way to progress in such a situation. My focus is on how we can build on the strengths of the two erstwhile WPP agencies and create end-to-end solutions for our clients. I have spent a lot of time with our clients since taking over, and my conversations with them have been about the differentiation we offer and the integrated strengths we bring to the table. Internally, we are also having conversations with our own teams to help them understand what we represent and to give them a sense of belonging at VML. Building a strong culture of productivity, empathy and care is an important focus area for us, and we want our people to feel a sense of pride at VML. My vision, in a nutshell, is to make VML the preferred destination for brands and talent in India.
What does the new, improved VML bring to the table?
Our DNA is about building connected brands and that is no different for us here in India. The work we do for our clients straddles three broad areas — brand experience, customer experience and commerce, which includes e-commerce and retail. VML has brought together the best of two strong entities — Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R. We have a strong brand building legacy, and also have contemporary marketing capabilities such as creative tech.
Apart from e-commerce and retail, what other capabilities do you need to add given the changes the advertising industry is going through?
We’re not so focussed on adding new capabilities as we are about presenting a unified solution. Our approach to any brand is by first identifying the issues and problems that we can tackle for them. Based on the solutions we offer our clients, we identify the capabilities we need. The way I see it, a creative solution in the business today is not possible without a tech underpinning because that is what gives it scale. Creative tech is one area where we excel. It is directly linked with business growth, performance marketing and ROI. Whatever services we provide, we are clear that they need to be measurable.
WPP last year also announced its collaboration with NVIDIA to transform advertising services using generative AI and Omniverse. Generative AI brings in tech that offers advanced marketing and advertising solutions. The talent in our agency can only benefit from using new technology to improve internal efficiencies as well as to provide solutions for clients.
The Cannes festival of creativity ended last week, and there has been a lot of talk about India’s poor showing. Do you think advertising agencies run the risk of creating work that seeks awards and accolades rather than actual business outcomes?
I cannot speak for the whole industry but at VML, we are clear that we will not pursue anything that doesn’t put the business or client first. Having said that, the requirement from a client could be very brand-specific or it could be specific to a certain aspect of the brand. So, in some cases, the client may not be looking at numbers or sales as an outcome. It is important, as true brand partners, to be aligned with the client about the objectives of our work, whether the goal is brand or business metrics, or both. So, you will observe that all our entries at award shows have delivered on clearly defined goals. I believe that the same is true for many other award-winning Indian entries at Cannes and other platforms. Many awarded campaigns have proven to be strong business case studies as well.
As someone who has been passionate about encouraging women leaders in advertising, how would you summarise the industry’s progress in ensuring better representation in leadership roles?
As an industry, we must be conscious of the societal pressures that affect women. We have dedicated programmes for women such as mentoring not just at VML but across WPP such as Stella, which are aimed at supporting women leaders. As a result, we have seen some strong women leaders emerge across levels. I am optimistic that the number of female leaders in advertising will only increase in the coming years. Any good leader will encourage more representation of women in leadership positions. However, women who have made it to the top are in a particularly powerful place to be role models for upcoming talent. It is incumbent upon us to lead programmes to nurture future women leaders.
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook
