Waggener Edstrom Worldwide continues its expansion in India with presence in Delhi and Bangalore

"India is today one of the fastest growing markets globally, across industries. It presents both a challenge and opportunity, to constantly diversify, innovate and create new approaches in engaging as well as influencing audiences. As a company, we have always challenged the conventional formats of communication to ultimately drive real impact and solve business problems. We strongly believe that this is one market that will continue to evolve and shape this," said Melissa Waggener Zorkin, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide CEO, president and founder.

This continued growth is also supported by a new survey commissioned by the agency. The study interviewed over 50 marketing and communications professionals as well as 200 consumers across India. Conducted by Blackbox Research, it reports on recent shifts in the Indian media and communications landscape, particularly in the wake of growing influence of social media platforms.

The study revealed a growing shift away from print as digital media continues to gain influence among businesses ” 94 percent in 2011 versus 87 percent in 2010. Digital spend is also expected to continue rising over the next 12 months with key areas of investment being corporate websites, social networking platforms and online news media.

At the same time, the study also suggests a significant disconnect between communications professionals and consumers about the power of real-time negative feedback on digital platforms. While consumers and communication and marketing specialists are in close agreement about the impact of positive communication via digital channels, 63 percent of consumers believed it has a major impact, while only 46 percent of communications professionals think the same. It is also interesting to note that although 69 percent of communications and marketing specialists agree that they are now more vulnerable to consumer backlashes because of social media, 60 percent claim that they are adequately prepared to cope with the potential impact.

"Our expansion to Delhi and Bangalore is integral to the long-term India growth strategy. The market response to Waggener Edstrom's differentiated strategy in seamlessly integrating traditional platforms with digital influence platforms has been very positive. In less than a year of operational launch we already have three retained clients in India, in addition to many other projects," said Madhuri Sen, managing director, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, India.