Marketers looking to hire marketing services in India apparently need look no further than the big conglomerates for help. At least that's what global agencies like WPP Group, Omnicom, Interpublic,
and Publicis are hoping will happen. The four have long owned ad agencies throughout India and currently control 96 percent of the nation's shops. Lately, though, they've been on a different kind of
buying spree, snatching up below the line businesses specializing in disciplines including sales promotion, direct marketing, market research, and public relations. That's because India, with its 1
billion citizens, growing middle class, and exploding economy, has a potential matched only by China. The country's $2.7 billion ad biz is growing at 13 percent annually. There are 250-odd TV
channels, up from 100 five years ago, while scores of new newspapers, magazines, and Web sites present fresh opportunities. "These are exciting times for the Indian ad industry," says Meenakshi
Madhvani, a partner with Spatial Access Solutions, a Bombay media consultancy. As a result, the Big Four are making moves to cash in.
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