“We are our clients’ extended arm and we are a partner in their growth”

Gourav Tandon, co-founded Apex Integrated Marketing in 2011 with his partners Vikas Bhambri and Naveen Paul. Gourav talks about the company's 12 year business journey in an interview with Aayush Mohanan. Edited excerpts:

Having just celebrated the 12th anniversary of Apex, what have been the highpoints of your business and what were indeed the big challenges that you overcame in these years as you forged ahead?

Last 12 years for us at Apex has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride. But one thing that has stayed with us is our spirit. And today, we operate as a fully integrated marketing/marcom agency. We understand the evolving needs of our clients and we do our best to fulfil them by adding more capabilities to our offerings.

As an agency, what are the USPs that you take to your clients, and how do you face competition from the big agencies in the industry?

Unlike larger agencies, we ensure each of our clients, big or small, gets personal attention from top management. We also believe we are an extension of our client's business – we live their brands and espouse their values. We are our clients’ extended arm and we are partners in their growth.

We understand that Apex uses its own planning tools for OOH. What makes your planning tool the ideal one for OOH and how are they addressing the client's needs?

India is a vast country and the OOH environment in individual markets are unique and compelling, so there was a pertinent need to make the campaigns more effective and capture value for the client in what they spend. We needed to have measurements using data for planning and marketing strategy, specifically for audience targeting. 

What value addition do you provide clients to ensure that your services are not commoditized?

With clear-cut strategies and consistently demonstrating our expertise, creativity, and ability to deliver tangible results, we are able to differentiate our services in the field of OOH advertising and prevent them from being commoditised. Some factors that help us stand apart from competition include:

• Location Intelligence: We leverage geospatial data and mapping technology to identify prime locations for OOH advertising based on foot traffic, demographics, and consumer behaviour.
  
  
• Integration with digital channels: We help clients integrate their OOH campaigns with digital platforms for enhanced reach and engagement, such as, incorporating QR codes, augmented reality experiences, or social media interactions.  
  
  
• Measurement and analytics: We offer comprehensive measurement and analytics solutions, and we provide detailed reports on key metrics to assess the performance and ROI of OOH campaigns and make data-backed optimisations.

With over a decade in the industry, how does Apex look at the future in terms of business prospects and driving innovation? 

OOH advertising has been evolving over the years, adapting to technological advancements and changing consumer behaviour. The future of OOH looks promising, as it continues to be a powerful medium for reaching consumers outside their homes and creating impactful brand experiences. I believe there are some developments that can potentially drive business prospects as well as innovation:

• Creative Innovations: Advancements in display technologies, such as large-scale LED screens, projection mapping, and augmented reality (AR) enable creative and immersive OOH experiences. Brands can leverage these innovations to capture consumers' attention, create memorable moments, and tell compelling stories through their OOH campaigns.
  
  
• Sustainability and environmental considerations: As sustainability becomes a key focus across industries, OOH advertisers are exploring eco-friendly solutions. The adoption of energy-efficient displays, renewable energy sources, and environmentally conscious production processes can help reduce the environmental impact of OOH advertising and align with consumers' values.
  
  
• Programmatic OOH: Programmatic buying, which allows for automated ad placement and optimisation based on real-time data, is gaining momentum in the OOH industry. This technology streamlines the campaign management process, enhances targeting capabilities, and enables more efficient media buying and planning.