Account Planning Group comes to India

The Account Planning Group (APG) has made a foray into India with the launch of APG India chapter. The announcement was made by Sudeep Gohil, chairman, APG Australia and executive planning director / partner, Droga5 Sydney along with Siddharth Loyal, head, APG India and founder, Trium Advertising & Marketing Consultancy on the sidelines of AdAsia, being held in Delhi.

Founded in London in 1979, the APG is a not-for-profit organisation run for and by its members, representing the interests of account planners and other communications strategists. APG comprises over 900 members worldwide who work in advertising account planning or related fields. It is already very active in the UK, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden. With India in its fold, APG aims to strengthen its presence in Asia now.

Said Gohil, 'The APG is driven by passionate and interesting planners around the world to provoke unexpected thinking for business and brands. With the expansion of APG into the vibrant and exciting world of Indian advertising and communications we look forward to many more interesting conversations. Over the coming years we hope to be able to offer some support from across the Indian Ocean.”

Said Sarah Newman, chair, APG UK and global planning partner, O & M, “We are delighted that another APG is shortly to be launched in India. It promises to be an energetic and progressive group of people dedicated to serving the intellectual and strategic needs of planners and strategists and we wish them well.”

The APG aims to serve the planning community by: 1. Organising formal and informal training programs, seminars and publications to improve APG members' skills and knowledge on subjects ranging from basic planning techniques to new issues and developments ; 2. Providing opportunities for planners to meet, socialize and learn together; 3. And organising planning-related events such as ‘Creative Planning Award Competition’ and  ‘Battle of Big Thinking’.

“I am very excited on becoming a part of the APG here in India and the plan is to give account planning a wider appeal, make it more inclusive and help inject fresh blood into the system,” said Loyal. “For starters, we are in the process of setting up a core committee for APG India, an eclectic mix of top industry leaders and young planners, who will work very closely with me in formulating the core objectives for APG India including, help craft the framework for India’s first ever creative strategy awards (scheduled for mid 2012) and also a platform for people to engage, deliberate and debate.”

The membership fee of APG in Australia is $99 and around 130 pounds in the UK. “We are still deliberating on the right fee amount in India which will allow a broad spectrum of people to avail of APG’s strengths and benefits,” added Loyal.