On September 21, 1945, 60 years ago, Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) was registered as a society in Calcutta.

4 agencies from Calcutta D J Keymer, General Advertising Agency, J Walter Thomson Co. and Press Syndicate and 3 agencies from Bombay Adarts, Lintas and National Advertising Service were the signatories in the registrars office doing the honours. Initially the registered office of the Association was located at 37, Chowringhee, Calcutta. Calcutta, under the British Raj, was a vibrant commercial city. In 1961, the AAAI office was shifted to Bombay. What was the size of the ad industry then? The Governments own Press Commission in 1953 noted that the value of print advertising was Rs. 35 million. Other media spends were estimated at another Rs. 15 million. In such an era, these were some real bold men, who felt the need to create a platform to promote advertising, as a professional activity! We must also understand the background under which AAAI grew in stature. After India became a Republic in 1950, our successive Governments promoted the policy of self-reliance and import substitution. For three decades from 1951 to 1980 advertising in India had limited purpose to play. AAAI enjoys a healthy relationship with Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA). Time and again, AAAI has been called upon by its members to resolve disputes with advertisers for which formal Arbitration proceedings have been conducted. AAAI also assists our members to collect payment from defaulting advertisers. In summary, AAAI, over the last six decades, has stood by its members and have protected their business interests, be it in dialogue with Government, media bodies or advertisers; AAAI has regulated its members in the orderly conduct of their business affairs, whenever the need arose; And last, but not the least, AAAI provided a platform for training of advertising professionals, recognition of creative work through its coveted Triple-A Awards and honouring outstanding advertising men through its AAAI-Premnarayen Award. AAAI has thus come a long way from its humble beginnings 60 years ago. But as they say, the future is always more exciting than the past. AAAI is alive to the changes that the future holds out and the next decade would be a stimulating period, ushering the advertising industry in newer challenges and opportunities. Membership of Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) is based on the basic principle that members are full-fledged advertising agencies or Creative Agencies or Media Agencies. Historically, some clients who work with more than one agency, have for the purposes of better centralized co-ordination and greater efficiencies, been entrusting their total media buying and releases to one of their club agencies. In such cases, where an advertiser has multiple brands being handled by different agencies, it could be in the interest of the advertiser to entrust the media planning/buying/releases to one of its club agencies for the following possible reasons: Co-ordination in media planning and media selection among each of its brands; Co-ordination in scheduling of releases among each brand; Greater cost efficiencies based on total advertiser spend in individual

publications/channels/programmes, etc.

The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) is the official, national organisation of advertising agencies, formed to promote their interests so that they continue to make an essential and ever-increasing contribution to the nation, by working towards the following objectives: To benefit Indian consumers and to protect their interests by helping ensure that advertising is honest and in good taste. To benefit Indian advertisers by promoting their sales, increasing their sales and increasing productivity & profitability, to stimulate business and industrial activity. To benefit media by establishing sound business practices between advertisers and advertising agencies and each of the various media owners. To benefit the nation by harnessing advertising for the good of the country, its institutions, its citizens; to co-operate with the Government in promoting its social objectives and in the task of nation-building. To question advertising that is wasteful and extravagant; to make it possible for the small entrepreneur to grow through advertising and to compete with the biggest; to encourage market and media research; to serve society by meeting its social responsibilities. To encourage the interest of young individuals in the business of communication, to assist in education and training programmes and to provide information of benefit to members. Non-members are also provided this service for a fee. To establish a common platform in building and sustaining the prestige of the advertising profession and to serve as a spokesman against unwarranted attacks or restrictions on advertising. To establish a forum where representatives of advertisers, advertising agencies, media owners and Government can meet on mutual ground and examine problems of mutual concern.

To offer effective co-operation and liaison with Government officials and bodies for the purpose of broadening their understanding of the role of advertisers, advertising and advertising agencies. To co-operate with Government bodies in discussion of matters such as taxes, radio and TV advertising, legislation, political campaign advertising, controls on pharmaceuticals, tobacco or liquor advertising and other subjects of similar complexity and sensitivity. The AAAI today is truly representative, with a very large number of small, medium and large-sized agencies as its members, who together account for almost 80% of the advertising business placed in the country. It is thus recognised at all forums -advertisers, media owners and associations, and even Government -- as the spokesperson for the advertising industry.