Professionalism must take centre stage

Relationships are the bedrock on which society has evolved. To exclude relationships from life would make life less liveable. What is hinted at however, without actually spelling it out, is the taint of illegal gain tarnishing the transaction. What perhaps is being questioned is the nature of the relationship rather than its rationale or role, righteous or otherwise, in a transaction. This hint is highlighted by juxtaposing it with'merit based' transactions. It is sought to convey that relationship- based business cannot possibly be merit based. This assumption is both misleading and dangerous.

If, by the term'relationship-based' it is meant that merit has no role in selection of sites and the same is based purely on personal benefit and gain of one or both parties, then there is no doubt that it deserves universal condemnation. Yet, effective partnerships do ensure the success of business initiatives and must necessarily be based on dependability. If the relationship is formed on mutual respect and trust it would automatically flourish and be strengthened by each successful transaction. It is impossible to remove the human element from society and it would equally be impossible to de-humanise relationships. The world would be a sadder, lonelier place and life would be sterile without the comfort, colour and warmth of friendships and relationships. What makes friendships is a shared history with all the ups and downs of life. What makes friendships and relationships are the accompanying emotions. To seek, to recreate equal friendships and relationships for every single person responding to a tender or offering solutions for campaigns would be as ridiculous. The other extreme of robotising the human element so that every transaction is measured only in terms of monetisation with a complete disregard for impact, value, emotional satisfaction and without any sort of passion for success, would be equally senseless. Viewed in this context of ethical relationships such transactions have not been bad for OOH business.

Looking at the word'relationship' through the prism of perfidy, personal profit and power plays however would cause havoc with the above conclusion. Naturally trying to make personal gain from a business transaction would breach all moral codes of conduct and its very intent would be criminal in nature. Such an activity would be considered fraudulent, corrupt and totally unacceptable. And yet transactions such as these flourish in the Indian OOH business process. Our cousins in the North are perhaps more guilty of being victimised by this fall in virtue, but being happily resourceful they manage to turn such misfortune into a considerably well-sized fortunes with a bit of fitting and fixing. And true to form our IT capital in the South is giving them a good fight, albeit for the dubious distinction of being the most dishonest victims.

Perhaps the answer lies in professionalising the OOH profession! It is important to note that by professionalising, I do not mean introducing self motivated professional outsiders. The introduction of this class of self-styled professionals, particularly in media buying companies led to massive crises in OOH which we are barely managing to climb out of now. Self-styled professionals are strongly motivated individuals whose goals have heretofore been to help themselves first, foremost and last. Their lasting contribution has been to add the colour red to our Balance Sheets which were happily in the black for decades before their invasion into the process of buying, selling, cutting, under-cutting, over-invoicing, under-invoicing, free displays, volume discounts, cash discounts, late payment discounts (for bothering to pay at all! I kid you not!), debit notes, credit notes and other such discordant notes which affected the very harmony of our OOH industry!

Professionalising means the establishment of processes and systems into what is traditionally a family business. It should not be confused with corporatising the business which is an entirely different proposition, and brings a different set of problems. When businesses grow they need specialised help in different aspects such as marketing, accounts, legal, statutory compliances etc. It is necessary to identify the exact areas in which professional help is sought. At a macro level, the OOH industry sorely needs the conservative touch of professional behaviour, etiquette and ethical conduct. Introducing formulas, equations and tables into decision making would be a definite improvement on the current system of testosterone fuelled, ego satisfying manic bidding game that drives most tenders into a sorry blend of unpaid bills, unfulfilled promises and debilitated bank accounts.

At the selling end, OOH media needs to embrace technology to clear out the grey areas of ownership, bringing transparency to the marketplace. Clients must be enabled to get all possible information on sites with a click to be able to take informed decisions. Media owners have for long bewailed the fact that agencies block access to clients and do not give proper value for their sites. At the same time we are showing a strange reluctance to give this information in the public domain where clients can freely gain the information they require and make correct, informed decisions! It seems we want to display our sites and clients messages in the public spaces but simultaneously want to keep the information confidential! This is both irrational and unprofessional. We complain about bulk discounts and cash discounts but when a campaign is dangled happily, throw out our sites at throwaway prices in a vain bid to stop the bleeding our overpriced quotations and bids have caused. We sorely need the discipline a professional approach can bring in finalising and insisting upon a standard operating procedure. While an entrepreneur brings with him the excitement and passion necessary to start a business it needs organisation, systems and procedures to ensure that it continues to deliver what it promises. While an entrepreneur can lead, it needs a professional to manage and ensure that the internal guidelines and rules are adhered to and meticulously followed. If OOH has to grow professionalism must take centre stage, to allow dispassionate decisions and insist that proper systems and procedures must be implemented and followed by all stakeholders. More than ever we need to stand by each other, tone down the flow of testosterone and insist on self discipline. We have so much to gain BUT if we bury our heads in the sand and ignore the common good we will have so much more to lose.