Atin Gupta aims to make Atin Promotions and Advertising, a company that offers transit advertising, a Rs. 100 crore company in the next five years by tapping huge domestic potential and expanding operations to South-East Asia

POORNIMA KAVLEKAR

A year back, Jet Airways’ aircraft was wrapped with pictures of Nokia’s newest release, the Nokia Lumia series. This was one of the innovative advertising campaigns by Atin Promotions and Advertising Pvt. Ltd. (Atin OOH), a company which operates in the space of transit advertising. Transit media is a form of out-of-home (OOH) advertising which could be inside or outside vehicles. Atin OOH was started in 2006 with the aim of being a niche media owner in the transit advertising industry.  “The focus right from the beginning was to try do something different, to provide out-of-the-box solutions for our clients,” shares Atin Gupta, MD, Atin OOH.  He continues, “From branding the doors of elevators in corporate office blocks to wrapping conveyor belts at the airport and wrapping a Jet Airways Boeing 737-800 aircraft last year, it has been an interesting journey, so far.”

The company now has a team strength of about 60 employees and has offices in Hyderabad, New Delhi,  Mumbai and Pune and partners and works with several leading airlines in India such as Jet Airways, Spice Jet and Indigo. It also works with business lounges at various airports across India and has also partnered with the airports at Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Coimbatore and Tirupathi for various innovative advertisements. “We are soon planning to expand to various cities in South-East Asia,” says Gupta.

At the start

After completing his schooling in Hyderabad, Gupta went to the U.S. to get his Bachelor’s degree in Finance after which he returned to Hyderabad and  worked in the family business for some time. Eventually, the need to do something on his own took over and he explored a couple of options in telecom and marketing before accidently discovering transit advertising.  According to him, the key factor one needs to keep in mind while building an OOH company is to expect and execute within limits. “Execute the present campaigns and then go for the new ones. In the best possible manner, cater to client’s requirements while being flexible to changing market trends,” says Gupta.

Gupta’s work has been appreciated by the industry and he was named ‘The Emerging Entrepreneur 2012’ by CII (Confederation of Indian Industry).  The company was initially funded by Gupta and since then, it has been self-financed through internal accruals. “We plan our funding requirements based on potential future revenue streams and choose projects that can match our requirements,” states Gupta.

The operational parameters

“When the company was incorporated in 2006, transit media was at a nascent stage. There were not many players and the industry had a huge long-term growth potential,” says Gupta. He elaborates, “Even today, we feel that the industry is still evolving with several years of high growth ahead.”  Atin OOH partners with several airlines, business lounges and select airports across India by providing innovative advertising solutions. Commenting on its pricing strategy, Gupta says that there is no specific strategy. It is a combination of several factors ultimately culminating in cost-per-contract.

Companies are now beginning to realise the potential and importance of media in transit properties. “The revenue from this media is significant enough for the stakeholders to become more open in exploring different opportunities and identifying new streams,” states Gupta. A big challenge for the OOH space is that there are no proper indicators to measure the impact of these advertisements. However, Gupta says, “For select campaigns, we do surveys and provide various forms of data to our clients.”

A majority of its client base is from sectors such as hospitality, automobile, insurance and banking. This includes companies like Airtel, Vodafone, Suzlon, Skoda, The Park Hotels, Pernod-Ricard, Colgate, IndiaFirst, Gamesa, Safe express, Samsung, BMW, MTDC, HDFC, ICICI, LIC, Orient Cement, UCO Bank, Country Club, American Express, Microsoft, Flipkart.com, The Leela Hotels, Sensodyne and Lloyd Group. The company has consistently been winning awards for its work in the last three to four years.

Overcoming sensitivity

Atin OOH offers transit advertising or OOH media for sectors such as airlines and airports, which is very security sensitive.  “In the beginning, we did face many difficulties, but we successfully managed to sort them out. Airports and airlines are highly security sensitive but that makes our job most challenging and interesting,” says Gupta.  He believes that the only way to achieve success is to have a winning proposition for everyone concerned. He adds, “In our case, we strive hard to balance the needs of our partners and our clients. There are situations that turn extreme, at such times; being flexible to minor changes helps one get through.”

Regarding the challenges the company faces with respect to airport regulations, Gupta says, “In the media space, I wish the policy of government owned transit media would be friendlier.”

Looking ahead

According to IMARC Group (International Market Analysis Research and Consulting Group), a research and advisory firm, the total market for transit advertising in India is expected to grow at a CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) of 22 per cent during 2013-2016. Atin OOH aims to capitalise on this market potential with clear strategies.

“Our marketing strategy is very simple: position yourself as a partner to your client and work towards achieving their goals,” says Gupta. The company works with several partners – some for technology and some others for marketing. Technology is slowly emerging as the new differentiator in the transit media business. And the company has an in-house research and development team that is constantly looking for and developing new technologies. “The main entry barriers in this business are technology, security issues and, finally, scale. There are very few companies in this space right now,” says Gupta.

From Rs. 30 lakh in its first year of operation, the company’s turnover has touched Rs. 35 crore, last fiscal.  It is exploring opportunities in South-East Asia and is planning to expand gradually into these regions.  Atin OOH aims to operate in at least seven to eight countries.  By expanding its business in the global market and increasing awareness in the domestic market, Gupta aims to take the company’s turnover to Rs. 100 crore in the next five years.

SNAPSHOT

Atin Promotions and Advertising Pvt. Ltd.

Founders:  Atin Gupta

Year:  2006

City:  Hyderabad

Turnover: Rs. 35 crores in March 2013 

SOME PROMINENT CAMPAIGNS OF ATIN OOH

• Nokia Lumia Aircraft wrap on Jet Airways aircraft and interior experience plane (cabin partitions and seatbacks)
• Van Huesen Jet Airways aircraft full wrap
• In-flight sampling inside Jet Airways aircrafts for Cadbury’s Dairy Milk and Britannia Nutri choice biscuits
• In-flight magazine branding for Colgate
• BMW newspaper wraps in Carnations business lounge at Mumbai and Delhi Airports
• Mansion House – boarding pass branding for Spicejet
• Sensodyne meal tray device branding in Indigo Airways
• IndiaFirst tarmac coach grab handles
• Oriental Bank of Commerce luggage trolley branding at airports
• Vodafone conveyor belt branding and IndiaFirst aerobridges 

Concept in brief: 

Atin Promotions and Advertising Pvt. Ltd. (Atin OOH), a company that operates in the space of transit advertising, was started in 2006 with the aim of being a niche media owner in this sector.  Transit media is a form of out-of-home (OOH) advertising, which could be inside or outside vehicles. The company’s focus right from the beginning was to try do something different, to provide out-of-the-box solutions for its clients.  Thus far, it has branded the doors of elevators in corporate office blocks, wrapped conveyor belts at airports and wrapped Jet Airways aircrafts. It has offices in Hyderabad, New Delhi, Mumbai and Pune and works with several leading airlines in India such as Jet Airways, Spice Jet and Indigo. It also works with business lounges at various airports across India and has partnered with Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Coimbatore and Tirupathi airports for various innovative advertisements.