RANIL DE SILVA: LEO BURNET
"I strongly believe that advertising is on a decline globally and in Sri Lanka too,
the indications are visible. Client's are turning to events, public relations and
relationship marketing to support their endeavours. Although the Internet is not that
powerful a tool in Sri Lanka, this medium too is gaining its ground".
NIMAL GUNAWARDENA: BATES-STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
"We envisaged a "Marketing Services Company" - that would encompass
communications, research and consultancy. Though we have done a little bit of work in the
other two areas in an informal way, our business is still largely in the communications
area."
LILAMANI DIAS-BENSON: LINTAS ADVERTISING
" I look forward to a time when there will be several Awards schemes to choose from.
Set up and organized by say the 4A's, IAA, SLFI, the TV or Radio Channels. This means
Agencies can choose to enter what they consider are well categorized or run, or what they
can afford or like."
VIJITH KANNANGARA: Q&E ADVERTISING
"We don't accept fate as our destiny. We have many uncut diamonds in Sri Lanka.
Q&E is launching a graduate training programme in June this year. With Affno --a web
strategy, design, technology and engineering company-- we're gradually building an
integrated federation of related companies that will be able to offer truly integrated
communications solutions to our clients".
NEELA MARIKKAR: GRANT-MC CANNS
"Irrespective of the wide ranging transformation the ad industry will take on in the
next century, one thing will not change, in fact will continue to take centre stage –
the consumer. As such the Agency will take on an all pervading consumer orientation. This
orientation will be of even much greater intensity, considering that the consumer is bound
to become that much more elusive in the unfolding millennium".
ANDREW
SAMUEL: PHOENIX, OGILVY & MATHER
"Who really owns the brand strategy. In my view, it is owned jointly. …We in the
agency business have a much involved understanding of the consumer more so in developing
markets such as ours for the tremendous amount of work we do with them in trying to
understand their sentiments".
SANDYA SALGADO: OGILVY RURAL COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
"Most ad people and marketers are so scared to experiment with new methods in
marketing as well as out of-the-box ad ideas. Unfortunately, some of them know no better.
So the same boring stuff gets churned out".
ZAHIR AMANULLA, VISTA ADVERTISING
"The SLIM Awards should have a category for small advertisements or something
similar. This will encourage smaller agencies to compete on en even playing field, and
improve their creativity."
MIKE MASILAMANI: MASTERS ADVERTISING
If one was to agree with the prophets of doom that we are indeed going through a
recession, I think it is all the more important to demonstrate how we could make effective
use of budgets given to us by clients, and raise the bar of creativity."
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