‘Advertising should keep up local trends’

Hiran H.Senewiratne

Sri Lanka’s advertising industry should be away from Indian influence and bring local ideas to surface Sri Lankan identity, renowned advertiser and Chairman Mel Ads Ltd, Melville Assauw said.

Melville Assauw

He said that younger generation is equipped with excellent local ideas and always trying to recruit talented youth with a feel for advertising moulding them into top advertising men and women.

Assauw said those professionals are creating important ideas without bias, and unfortunately a lot of politics has involved. Training of youth for creative careers was my greatest contribution to advertising in Sri Lanka.

He said that Sri Lanka would always need a strong agricultural base. What rural Sri Lanka therefore needs is not an occasional ‘hand out’,. Value-addition, right back at the point of production, combined with vertical and horizontal business integration, not only makes good economic sense, but will also provide the jobs that can stop and hopefully even reverse,

Assauw said that any person with a knowledge of advertising would recall that Mel Ads once associated with the blue chip Company Hayleys.

But many do not know the fact that he sacrificed that amalgamation with Hayleys as he had opted to choose his existing client ‘National” and “Philips’- the new agency of Hayleys.

He said that today situation is very good as it could produce excellent products to the public but Indianisation, Sri Lanka ad industry is somewhat un wholesome as it impede to promote Sri Lanka products for locals.

Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies and International Advertising Association are doing a tremendous service for the betterment of the ad industry per se, he said.

Mel Ads Limited was in the industry for 37 years in the business handles leading accounts including David Pieris Motors Co limited, David Peiris Automobiles Limited, Rockland Distilleries are some of its clients.