here have all the people gone?" That is one question being asked by many in advertising circles today. Ad agencies are just not able to find the right people. Estimates put the attrition rate in the nearly Rs 15,000 crore ad industry at about 18-20 per cent. The cries are getting louder. Some of the oft-heard quotes now are: 'This is a serious, serious problem.' 'We are seeing a major crunch.' 'Everyone's bleeding at the entry level.' What exactly is happening? Where are the people going? At which level is this scarcity most prominent? Aren't enough people coming in?

Many within the industry put the blame on the boom in the economy. Other industries too are facing the same problem of talent flight, say some. But advertising agencies have been really hit hard. With not enough good people coming in at the entry-level and existing mid-level employees jumping agencies or even hopping to other fields like marketing, market research, media, among many others, the industry is beginning to gasp.... more