‘The issue is one of ethics. And the AAAI is soft on it’

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Sandeep Goyal, Dentsu Communications chairman, tells Vilasini Roy he is in the fray for the 30 July AAAI poll on a proactive agenda

What do you think is wrong with the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI)?
The AAAI is still living a cocooned existence. All of its official statements and documents still hold that this is a 15 percent world! We have to grow beyond such make-belief. I am all for opening up debate on net versus gross billings to clients, for discussing and debating ownership of media inventory by agencies. I am for an open debate on overriding commissions, bulk discounts and pre-payment discounts. The point is everybody indulges in some, or all of this, covertly. How long can this continue? Basically, the AAAI is living in the past. It needs far more energy, enthusiasm. It definitely needs to have a proactive agenda for change.

You have one contender against you. What is this fight about? 
The status quo is 60 years old. There have been no elections in this body for as long as anyone can remember. There is no debate and no discussion in open forums. A few well-connected upper echelon agencies sit together and decide on the future of the rest of the industry. The other industry bodies like the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) and the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) have far more teeth and aggression. The AAAI is getting marginalised. I am the status challenger. It is a difficult slot when all the big daddies of the business are arraigned against you. But, so be it. We have managed to create the necessary debate.

What do you hope to achieve, if elected?
Many ask me why I am contesting. I tell them the AAAI needs a shake-up. Too many past precedents, practices, old suppositions and old habits need to be challenged. The world around us is changing. Our industry is changing, but the AAAI seems bound by boring old conventions. I represent change. Disruptive change. And change for the better. I am willing to give the next one year of my personal and professional time to lead the AAAI. There is a lot to do and I will try my best to do it.

Why do you think Colvyn Harris is not contesting for a second term?
Well, it is for Colvyn to answer. He says he has work pressures and cannot contest the election. My guess is he did not have the stomach for a straight fight.

The core to this crisis is the controversy that messed the show at Goafest 2010, right? 
Every one of us, all our clients and our entire media ecosystem, is aware of the entire negative PR that has been generated by the Goafest controversy. The simple question we are all asking is: What really happened with the self-voting and how come we have not heard of any action taken? Were tainted awards withdrawn? A major issue like this cannot be swept under the carpet. Cheating cannot be tolerated. The awards have to be above reproach. The critical issue is one of ethics. And the AAAI cannot be seen to be soft on ethics.

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