KICKING KICKBACKS

So you pitched for a business for the launch event of a client, and despite your best proposal you lost the pitch? Your client seemed positive towards you, but in a mystical turn of events you realised that your competing agency has seized the event instead. And you are left scratching your head- what the hell happened? You could probably link it to this dirty word called ‘kickbacks’ –  It is an open secret and a well followed phenomenon apparently in the Event Industry – where clients openly demand  handsome ‘ransom’ from the agency in lieu of awarding the business to their favourite agency. And agencies comply too. It’s not a shame, it’s a disease. Corruption is a disease. And like an developing nation, India is a strong victim of this one. While we associate politicians and the RTO’s of being corrupt, the so called corporate culture of demand and supply has maligned the Event Managers. Tough competition and the struggle to survive leads agencies to succumb to pressures. And with the domino effect, this practice has gained much ground to be almost seen as an unofficiated law.

Though several corporates like Unilever now has a systematised process wherein the brand managers cannot favour A particular vendor, there are a dozen other organisations whose well paid employees have no qualms of cheating their own company. Fake bills, virtual expenses and other conjured up costs are tools to make the transaction seem genuine.  In defense of these clients, they are not to be blamed entirely – Event Companies, under the pretext of ‘winning’ the business also offer Clients a share of profit or some benefit,s, say like New Year Party Passes or tickets tot the IPL. Yes it is disgusting. And thankfully we have seen quite a few companies take strict action against the culprits. Cannot really talk about instances here for lack of proof…but wonder how people have been sucked into this ghastly system? Do they even feel the pinch..guess we grow deaf towards the conscience when the cash registers ring. Just wondering how some people do it – take money underhand and push that agency for vested interests. The world is not going to the dogs. The dogs have entered the world. Do we see a solution to this?

• Should the client who follows this practice be reported to his seniors? Of course with some actual proof – which is almost difficult to get.
• Should the event companies stop giving bribes at all – proactively as well as reactively? This seems as easy as running  a race with one leg.
• Maybe this organisations themselves establish a Unilever like system to cut down corruption -  system to ‘scare’ the cheating ones.
• Agencies should discourage employees of offering or giving in to client demands

When we talk about professionalism  '(which is by the way a bad word now), let’s even walk it. You might become a rich man or an agency richer by a client – but when you strip off your ethics, you are even shamed than when you are nude in public. For a handful of money you lose class and their character. So if you got the balls, its better to pass off the client who seems corrupted. What profit are you going to make anyways?

This practice should be treated as a strong offence and employees should even be jailed for following this freaky practice. Imagine you are putting your brand at stake. We don’t need a Tata Tea to wake us up.

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