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‘We, as active consumers, should be willing to try Nepali brands and trust them’

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Som Prasad Dhital

President, AAN

It has been nearly 37 years that Som Prasad Dhital, President of Advertising Association of Nepal, has been involved in the advertising industry. Like most students who come to Kathmandu for further studies, Dhital too had to start working from an early age to sustain himself in the capital. “I had just completed my SLC and was totally new to the city. But even then I knew I had to do something if I wanted to survive,” he reminisces. He started working in Gosaikunda Advertisement and there has been no looking back since. The initial job gave him ample exposure to the advertising sector and he continued to grow and develop himself with time. Dhital joined the Advertising Association of Nepal as a member and has also worked as the organisation as its General Secretary for five years. In early 2020, he was elected as the President. Dhital is the Executive Director of Media Hub. In this edition of Business 360, he talks about some of his favourite brands and what he has learnt from them.

Top 4 apps that you use

Facebook, YouTube, Messenger and WhatsApp. I use these apps as they have become a necessity. All the information and news are primarily shared through these apps so I am active on social media to communicate and share information as it has become a convenient medium.

3 destinations within Nepal you want to travel to

Muktinath, Pokhara and Gorkha. The former two places for their topography and landscape, and Gorkha is one place I always love to travel to because it is my birthplace.

Women-run businesses you think deserve accolades

Women entrepreneurs who have been working in handicrafts never fail to amaze me with their skills. The creativity that they showcase in their handicraft is immense. I wouldn’t want to give any particular names but handicraft businesses run by women have a great future.

An entrepreneur who inspires you

Bhaskar Raj Rajkarnikar is an entrepreneur who inspires me a lot. I like the way he thinks and displays his creativity. He is a person who thinks about the future in the most realistic way, and I admire his passion and vision.

An organization you want to contribute to

It may sound a bit clichéd but I would always want to contribute to AAN even after my term expires. I want to be able to contribute to this organisation in the best possible manner and take it forward in the future.

3 advertising companies that deserve accolades

Max Media, Thompson Nepal, Prisma Advertising

How can we promote local business?

The first thing we need to work to promote local businesses is to trust the local brands and help promote them on a personal level. We as consumers have started to rely on international brands in a huge way. Even when there are Nepali products in abundance in the market, we tend to choose international brands. This has hit the national and local market. Hence, in my opinion, we as active consumers should be willing to try Nepali brands and trust them. Similarly, the government should be working on drafting strict rules and allocating a larger budget in promoting local markets and products.

If you could change ONE thing about the present entrepreneurial scene in Nepal, what would it be?

Patience is what we need the most. Especially, the young generation seems very impatient. We see that many of the youngsters want to achieve success in a very short period of time but they need to realise that success comes with a lot of hard work and that requires time. Similarly, people want to be famous in an instant. There is this need to go viral which is a trend that I personally dislike.

Future plans for AAN…

I have around 20 months left for my tenure to end and I want to take AAN to greater heights. I’ll give my best to the association and work hard to make the advertising sector a successful sector where people can see potential.