Adgully Exclusive | Be the change you want to be: TME's Divya Radhakrishnan

The client list of The Media Edge (TME), a division of Rediffusion Young & Rubicam, contains a vast chunk of the corporate aristocracy. Some of the clients who benefit from TME's media solutions are Parle, MRF, and Taj. TME's president, Divya Radhakrishnan, abides by Mahatma Gandhi's maxim: be the change you want to be. In an exclusive interview with Radhakrishnan, Adgully learnt that how that thought had governed her career, especially her stint at TME.

Radhakrishnan told Adgully that her professional journey began in 1987. "I used to work in ad sales with a guy who used to be a representative of various papers," Radhakrishnan said. "He had all the leading newspapers ” including those in Tamil, Punjabi, and Malayalam ” with him, and we used to go from agency to agency."

The satellite TV boom gave buying unprecedented sway. "My first AOR pitch was made to Tata Tea, against Madison," Radhakrishnan said. "In a while, Optimedia began handling many globally aligned clients in Delhi, such a Nestle. I found the going difficult because my roots are in Mumbai. I was not comfortable with Delhi or its work culture. At that time, Rediffusion TME was looking for somebody to head the TATA AOR business and I came on board."

The transition from being a young person who devoured vada pavs to beat professional boredom, to being entrusted with the stewardship of an important business must have been fraught with challenges. Adgully put that question to Radhakrishnan.

"Every turning point was a challenge," she said. "When I wanted to get into planning, I had no formal training in that function, and that was a challenge. The media industry boom presented its own challenges. I feel fortunate that I started my career in the late eighties; I have actually been part of the industry's evolution."

However, Radhakrishnan persevered with her career and her passion” indeed, her passion for the media helped her cope with family's doubts and career challenges. "I have always been a hardcore media consumer," she said. "I read five newspapers a day, I watch a plethora of channels and programmes, I listen to radio intently, and I am on the net all the time. So I consume media 24X7, literally."

Once Radhakrishnan's career acquired steam, memorable experiences began to pile up. "Once, we had to make a presentation for Godrej," she said. "And none other than Mr. Godrej himself was in the audience. Everybody had flooded the room with their fancy presentations and I was sitting in a corner. Mr. Godrej did not seem interested in it, but all of a sudden, he pointed towards me and asked what I had to show. People in the room thought that I would bore them with more numbers. But Mr. Godrej heard my case and then asked me about the plan. To me, that moment is unforgettable. I was so thrilled. It was the turning point in my career."

Indeed, Radhakrishnan's presentation to Godrej did contain numbers ” she considers research to be a vital part of her business. "You are talking about 22,000 crore rupees and not 1 or 2 crore," she said. "In the early days, if we signed a 1 crore deal, we used to throw a party. But now, we don't even touch a client with that budget. We are talking serious money, so you have to base your work on research."

Apart from research, Radhakrishnan contends that communication is key to her business. "Media is communication," she said. "Communication is the act of transmitting information from one person to another. Creative people create, but if I don't transfer that information to you, it would not be of any use."

Armed with those credos, Radhakrishnan is focusing these days on acquiring new businesses for TME. But for the distant future, she has a more relaxed assignment in sight. "I want to launch a spa," she said.