Adfactors becomes first Indian PR firm to set up overseas subsidiary

Mumbai: Adfactors Public Relations, has become the first Indian PR firm to set up a subsidiary abroad with the incorporation of Adfactors PR Pte Ltd, Singapore. The company is simultaneously in talks with the Dubai media authorities to set up another subsidiary in Dubai's Media City free trade zone. So far the Indian firm has had a representative office in Dubai. Incidentally the firm recently opened an office in Toronto, Canada.

"The first two were a part of a strategic purpose, while Toronto was more by chance than design," explains Madan Bahal, managing director, Adfactors Public Relations, who co-founded the PR firm along with Rajesh Chaturvedi, chairman of the PR firm in 1997. Priot to that the two ran Adfactors Advertising, which Bahal started in 1981, taking Chaturvedi on board in 1985.

"Singapore and Dubai are the first steps in providing a global delivery capability to our Indian clients who are venturing into international markets," says Bahal. "Over time we will gear up to compete for local business in these markets."

Singapore was chosen over Hong Kong as a gateway to the ASEAN bloc since India has signed free trade pacts with its Eastern neighbours as part of the Indian government's "look East" policy. "Progressively, Singapore will emerge as our service base for the ASEAN region," says Bahal. The Singapore office is headed by Rajesh Nair, an old Adfactors hand.

Similarly Dubai would provide the firm with a staging post for the GCC region, apart from having a substantial Indian expatriate business community, which Adfactors PR believes to be a potential client base.

The opening of the Toronto office was came by sheer chance. "One of our colleagues from Adfactors' early days, Orencio Rodrigues, was emigrating to Canada and we decided to open an office there," explains Bahal. "However, since the Canadian energy sector has been looking keenly at India, we plan to tap that market," he adds.

The firm will target IT and ITeS, infrastructure and aviation sectors and medium to large listed corporates requiring investor communications, in each of the three regions.

Adfactors expects a combined first year billings of $1 million in 2006-07 from its overseas operations — approximately 15 per cent of its billings

So far most Indian public relations firms that have an overseas operation are those that have been acquired by foreign PR and communications businesses. "We are the first to have an independent overseas subsidiary,"says Bahal.

Though each of the overseas units will function as independent businesses, the practice focus will be consistent with the Indian operations — corporate communications, investor communications, public affairs and crisis-management communications.

Adfactors Public Relations is among India's largest PR consulting firms and part of the Rs250-crore Adfactors group of communications companies, which include Chlorophyl, a brand consultancy, Adfactors Advertising, Raka Advertising (acquired in 2004) and Prana Public Relations.