 We have a quick session, but you know before I start I'll tell you why I am very always very excited whenever I have to have a chat with churches I because you know in last seven eight years We have had this trend that everyone wants to see the questions in advance whether it's politicians or even Everyone in our industry as well. He's the only man brave enough to always tell us We don't I don't want to see the questions ask me. Whatever you want to ask So I'm actually looking forward to this conversation He's he's not just brave. He's also very smart. He also knows how to answer and not give the answer That's another reason why he has given me that liberty. So that's another art. We have to learn from Shashi sir today So you We've had this wonderful presentation by Sam this morning where he said that globally now the digital numbers have gone to almost 77% Early this year there were reports that said that digital is almost 50% and you know by end of year it will be exceeding it can Be the main Platform and we'll leave TV behind. We're almost we are in October. We are in middle of the festive season What are the numbers now? Have we left television behind has digital already in terms of addicts? I presume you mean and I don't know since I'm sitting on stage. I also do a job for TV in print I think I must protect their interest. I was not listening to Mr. Balsara, but I must say I And I must say this That you know, I was seeing a presentation from Kantar the other day And I don't know if anyone in the room was there in that presentation Mr. Going Capri going covers there and two of us were listening to a presentation Where my perception was that in UK, which is probably perhaps the most evolved market for digital And this is something which we still have not to solve. Maybe my age I can't because I have the numbers or maybe I'm not a traditional media person. I've came in from servicing into media. Whatever the reason so Kantar who runs both the digital panel and the TV panel in UK and lookie UK I said is the most evolved market where people say I don't know 77% but at least 50 plus percent is Digital rest of TV in terms of addicts is what is publicly said And as you know digital CPMs are lower than TV CPMs What they showed was viewership of TV is still about 70% viewership of digital is 30% I mean the in the cross panel so these numbers I can reconcile now digital has a very strong performance part and I don't know whether that should be counted when we look at addicts in the conventional sense the way it is So it is a classical data thing, you know, it's like our TV channel saying we are number one 15 of them play We're number one because they look at different time cuts and time bands, you know the same thing here So I'm seeing something quadrillion. I'm not sure What a digital addicts is because there's no way to measure offer that matter TV addicts. There's no clear way to measure But I still believe there's a lot of juice left in television to that extent and so to print So I would not in a round over the answer your question I'm not sure whether digital is fashionable to say digital is one past, but I'm old-fashioned so But we are here to talk about Future, you know, we are discussing the agency of future Wrong guy to ask what future mr. Balsala and maybe all of the business in the future comes in, you know So you know as the young people before the panel before there are given the future No, no, we want to learn from you what all things we need to do to get our future, right? You you know measurement you you also you don't know how to measure whether digital or TV which one is Doing better a lot of people in our industry are struggling with measurement measurement is a Problem and you very bravely are Heading bark and mr. You see so, you know Let me explain before you finish your question Mr. You see is a very happy job. There's no problem. There's no measurement. There's no irs. So it's a very happy job That's what I wanted to ask you. When is the artist irs coming back? There's no problem Let me tell you the robust those who don't like the numbers, you know, it's like this one of those Anyone school used to find a flunky sitting there everyone are going to tap and go away So bark is doing tough one way one channel big network has got a lot of bark for the knowledgeable They know why they've got a lot of bark about five six days back or four days back They request the data run come tomorrow. So they did not coming tomorrow But everyone who's knowledge in the room knows why they have gone out Something called co-location new word. I heard about co-location. I don't know what that word means So I'm allowed to educate me. This is a standalone code In the process, there's a lot of support to bark and that, you know, TRP scam white paper has not come Or a TRP scam happened two years back Some government agencies have come and exonerated someone on paper We are not in the report in that fight on national TV that they missed a lot as a thing But there's fight happening between two channels again bark is drugged in so this measurement bodies, you know It's like anyone like I told you No, I know it's it's a difficult job, but how do you handle it? I mean, it's not easy everyone coming in You know putting everything on you. So, you know, what are what exactly are you doing to very easy to salvage the situation? Very easy when it suits you You say, you know, when you want to answer you answer when you say when I was a CEO I'm just a chairman Operating team No, but jokes apart jokes apart. I think there are certain so to be seen as for a short while That I think there are certain steps which need to be taken to rectify the situation in terms of sample size in terms of Technology methodology these are long haul processes and genuinely I think all of us are involved want to make a difference And we should make a difference, you know So cross-media measurement in terms of quality of meters that today meters We have seen which can measure which can be very cheap and last-skill ramping up can happen So that you know this interference which happens in India. It's not about L levels reducing this is a which I will explain that just by putting one meters I don't want to use they are what they are but the interference will go away, but that is time But is there any timeline like how much time because you know, they've been hearing about all it's not a support It's a it's a board-managed company that stakeholders each stakeholder many sits on the board has his interest in mind Also, it's a very peculiar organization You know, it's not because the stakeholder wants something done and then there's funding issues So it takes you can't any substantial survey of a country with size can't be done in two months or three months or four months So they're challenges and it's like a Flying plane which you're trying to refuel in the middle So you know one fellow comes in like I says, you know fire the rocket at you from below So there's a whole which comes you start leaking that by the time use you're thinking long term But everybody you're finding one day landing page one day co-location something third new thing will come up Then one fellow is reducing volume in Which only I think Munna will understand this joke which I'm cracking we lost in you know in Let's bring all so the watermark is not picking up Also all these kind of things are happening. So if you get if you get a peaceful runway, you can take off But the enough snipers on the runway time to pull you down At least some are having fun you see Mona laughing others. I don't understand or not Coming back broadcast in this room will laugh. I thought we're also somewhere Coming back to our you know topic about future agency, you know again In the morning session and otherwise also been during conversations. We had that you know margins are reducing Profitability is going down Sam mentioned that now media agencies are not able to you know Get people from IMM You know big management institutes because the kind of packages that bigger consultancies are able to offer media companies are not able to Offer so you know, how do you define profitability in in your business and? How will the future agency manage this issue? I don't answer your question. How will define profitability profitability is very simple to find as you know There so how do you manage profiting in the long run? Yeah, considering that it's going down that the margins are shrinking I'm not sure margins are shrinking Again, I'm known to be outspoken Pika sitting there He will endorse what I'm saying margins are not shrinking that him say margin are shrinking then I'll agree so Is this the picture you give out? So I have never given that picture out your global companies You know, it's embarrassing to say margin or shrinking you see pick up the global balance sheets of all companies I don't think companies in communication companies. I think margins have been reasonably study What Sam is saying is bang on that talent is not coming in because that talent is being we have been outpriced It's not about much. So they're two different things that we our margins are shrinking. I By margin, I mean that you know margin at which you get a new client No, no, so so our margins are not shrinking. We are robust then I would as the industry They robust what's happening is to the talent point which you made there to be so many Opportunities so many new avenues and those people are paying a lot of money Which was not being paid before when we wanted to advertising Mr. Balsara Vikram all of us were advertising The salary difference because there were no cuts in the companies and the salary differences are not much and some also Our passion got into advertising today. There's a huge difference when you start upset. Whatever they think so the ecosystem has changed So they're two different points. How do we address it? I don't really need to address it whether there are a lot of bright young people coming in You know, I don't necessarily matter to be have an IM degree I'm firmly of the belief that you know, they are a lot of bright kids So not getting into the IMS will still come into advertising and people are passionate about the business Our business is a bit of left-brain and right-brain and you get talent there You know, you pick talent don't necessarily mean that you're getting IMA graduate They you really what does not attract too many people from the IMS They do but they lose the best to the consultancies so it depends on how you pick and pick and choose You know, you find on color college campuses, which are graduate college campuses getting very good talent Do you think these consultancies have become a threat for media agencies? Not at all the ability to do The kind of work the volumes which we transact which became Mr. Balsara or our companies transact and I'm not missing him Or so that he and feel left out. So, you know the volumes which we transacted the margins that we transact I'm not saying profitability at the margin transact they and their grandfather can't do See we are used to operating at large volumes at margins Which they can just cannot transact that that will never go away from us But a lot has changed in last few years. There is this complete digital transformation So if I talk of this agency of future, what what do you think would be some pillars of transformation? Like what are the things that we must do now to keep pace with time? Tough question to answer give a philosophical answer that as long as you are passionate people in the business who enjoy the business You know, we're not seeing it as a meal ticket. You like what they're doing. They will find solutions So previous panel the great discussion happening where you know, they were talking about integration and they were talking about specialization Both are right. There's no right answer. It is the state of the mind, but passionate people I was quite impressed because all of them, you know Including Shantanu my colleague Shantanu very passionate. I have never seen this passion in office today. So I have been operating, you know So it's extremely passionate. So I think as long as people believe in the power of advertising Look at our prime minister. He believes in the power of communication advertising. So why not this business? This isn't going to go very far. It's not going to go anywhere. It's here for many years to come but you know passion is just one of the things but you know if practically like at the Execution level if I have to ask you what a cup some of the things that you must do to you know, upgrade your agency and keep it fashionable things to say So I won't go that path, you know, these are buzzwords internationally. I keep saying the simple thing you have You know for me life as by now you understood Life is very simple. They're not very complicated in my life So you have people who enjoy you have decent leadership and you create a good environment and a good culture What is definitely happening in our business that the passion and the fun versus the pain and the pain has many manifestations, whether it's long-working hours, whether it's client pressure, whether it's insensitivity to handling people it's common as long as you get the balance in the positive direction all is good if people enjoy the work They're putting out of the proud of what they put out, you know, whatever it is So all that is that is the final thing that everything else is a means to their end that means could be in the You know, this whole business of integration not integration Specialization all those are all peripheral in my opinion Shashi sir, I'm not going the way you wanted her to go but but that I that I told everyone right in the beginning that you have to learn the art of giving the answer without telling much that you want to so You know what You are you know kind of an example of this that this industry runs on relationship, you know It's the entire media industry the building relationship Networking is very very important, but you know the way things are changing now everything is pragmatic AI driven etc So how much important will it be in future like this relationship building and having this client see Let me give you a philosophical answer which I believe in strongly Relationship means what you know So this is a word which I tell my children because you know telling people at office But at least my son and my daughter a captive audience so I said listen what is trust what a relationship relationship on trust, you know Trust is in a combination of two factors So if you have integrity people believe in you, what does trust me? obvious answers integrity Believe you but that's not enough. Will you trust a donkey or why why my line you're on key will you trust a fool? You will not so you need capability. See if you have a combination of capability, but applied by Integrity that's what trust is. That's what builds relationship. So I think Even AI not AI someone has to have trust if those bots are being served you'll never ever believe in You know, whether you trust this guy So I don't agree with this relationship I will not take a name but the client turned around and said to me the other day and I put pressure and again Poor shantanu gets the heat and we're doing a meeting on Monday with a client He said listen we are getting into e-com and this and that but today has specialist agencies on e-com So as a why you're asking me telling me I don't know this I just barely know to spell e-com. So why are you asking me? This is the reason I'm asking you because Yeah, I've known you for so long be you manage a large part of our relationship We've been worked together for very very long. So when you come in, I'm sure that things will not go wrong At least you ensure so that is trust not just because if you translate that to mean relationship That you know, I know the person for 20 years. That's not trust trust it Maybe something I've done the past as a pattern that you know that I may not understand AI But I'll get people in the table who understand AI or I'll get or other all the fancies of YouTube. So all that would change Whatever technology comes in whatever comes in someone as you translate into that Someone knows it. You have those people you build relationships I may not know everything which is there to know I don't profess. I don't want to know the only small but only that much can go in. So I Simple life is just filter out everything. Whatever it means And I think but it is that you give down little overdose of trust and that's the reason you're pulled into bark you're building to MR you see and Before because I only have I have zero minutes left now I want to ask you my final question when we do have when will we get the next IRS? Till the time I value my peace of mind No, mr. Sakuja the right man to answer the topi is on his broad shoulders and his Bald head, you know, he has to decide what how do we get the next IRS going and how do we get fellows to fund? Problem is not about capability in this country in every research or any organization probably is about Managing stakeholders and putting money in the table Thank You Shashi sir