hy would an advertising business worth thousands of crores of rupees bother itself with a segment valued at less than Rs 50 crore? Why indeed? Until a couple of years ago, the internet in India was a discredited medium in advertising terms. Though its reach and popularity were growing, the shadow of the dotcom bust continued to haunt it. Advertisers too easily dismissed it as a medium for the wackos, the techies and the very young.

Advertising agencies in India could have taken this time to figure out the medium. Barring the odd exception, they did not. In their absence, their place was taken by a whole bunch of start-up online agencies that established a rapport with major marketers. ... more