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‘May the right brain win’ went the Goafest 2009 theme. But in Adland, under stacks of briefs, unreasonable deadlines, sleepless nights and coffee breaks, one wonders if the right brain (read: creative folk) is allowed the free reign that it ‘rightfully’ should have.
To inject a breather in the Goan air after several seminars and serious discussions, afaqs! caught hold of some senior level creative heads, firing a volley of questions at them, rapid fire style. We didn’t give them time to rehearse, rephrase nor rethink, and before long, amusing wisecracks were pouring out.
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One also detected a hint of angst with the system in some of the answers – but all in good humour, as the gentlemen quickly laughed it off with jibes. Interestingly, when asked which country’s advertising is most admired, India didn’t figure in any of their lists. Aamir Khan proved to be a favourite as a brand endorser for many.
afaqs! spoke to six individuals: Ashish Khazanchi and Prasanna Sankhe, national creative directors at Publicis Ambience; Prasoon Joshi, executive chairman and regional creative director, APAC, McCann Erickson; Rahul Jauhari, head, creative, Pickle Advertising; Emmanuel Upputuru, national creative director, Publicis India and V Sunil, global partner and chief creative, W+K India. To know more, read on:
afaqs!: Take a look around. Do you see a slowdown?
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Prasoon: Yes. The turnout is lesser no doubt.
Ashish: Yes, of course there is – in the turnout, the number of finalists and in spirit. It’s not like last year.
Prasanna (grins): Yes, as you can see, the bar is empty. You can get your drinks in the first try itself.
Rahul: Yes, the turnout is less. But there’s no less enthusiasm amongst the lot that has turned up.
V Sunil: No, I don’t think there’s a slowdown here at all. The Adfest and Dubai Lynx apparently had some 30 per cent drop in entries this year. At the Goafest, entries have gone up this year! Massive black money in this country, I tell you!
Emmanuel: Yes – less people this time. Last year, whole agencies attended; this time only certain selected people were allowed to attend.
afaqs!: Scams – good for creativity, disgusting or necessary evil?
Prasoon: Disgusting.
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Ashish: Necessary evil.
Prasanna: Necessary evil.
Rahul: Disgusting. And I say that being a part of this industry. If it’s a craft call, I agree with it as it allows you to test the limit of your creativity. But to win for it?
V Sunil: Good for creativity but only if it is in the right spirit. It is good for agencies doing bad work throughout the year.
Emmanuel: Good for creativity. I love scam. Some may argue that it’s unfair that we’re making scam compete with genuinely published work. But unless you have a race, you won’t know how far you can run. And unless you have a horse, the buffalo won’t pull itself up to run smarter. Scams are a measure of how creative one can be.
afaqs!: One word that comes to your mind when we say ‘scams winning golds’.
Prasoon: Fake.
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Ashish: Cool. I don’t have a problem with that, provided the creativity is worthy of a gold.
Prasanna: That’s ok. When you’re judging creative standards, whichever is the best way your idea comes out should be awarded.
Rahul: Unfair.
V Sunil: The word would have to be ‘Bullshit’. It brings a lack of respect to the industry.
Emmanuel: I’m okay with it.
afaqs!: Choosing foreign locales for ad shoots – actual work or paid holiday?
Prasoon: Actual work. It’s genuine.
Ashish: I have shot abroad when it was a rainy season in Mumbai, for instance, and there was no way I could shoot here. The deadlines make it unavoidable, so sometimes we have to.
Prasanna: I think it’s necessary sometimes. Often, I find that when you drive from here to Kochi and when you go to Cape Town, it’s the same thing.
Rahul: Depends on the film. But I think mostly it’s honest work that happens.
V Sunil: I think directors are more to be blamed than agencies. Instead of concentrating on the idea, they unnecessarily look for fancy ways of doing it.
Emmanuel: People don’t believe you’re doing work in any case. Even right now, if I tell my friends I’m in Goa, they won’t believe it’s for work.
afaqs: Which is the best celebrity-brand fit in recent times?
Prasoon: Aamir Khan in the recent voter’s campaign for Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an NGO.
Ashish: Aamir Khan in Tata Sky and Coca-Cola.
Prasanna: Aamir Khan in Coca-Cola.
Rahul: Vidya Balan and Airtel.
V Sunil: Nike, with all its sports personalities.
Emmanuel: Aamir and Tata Sky, and the Saif Ali Khan-SRK fit for Airtel Voice SMS.
afaqs!: The biggest wastage of resources in advertising?
Prasoon: People working on fake ads.
Ashish (quips): Air conditioning. Actually – no comments.
Prasanna: The time it takes to get into offices for meetings. I wish we weren’t wasting time travelling to client offices!
Rahul: Talent. There’s too much of a hierarchy in place.
V Sunil: Salaries of some senior level people.
Emmanuel (straight face) : Client servicing and travelling by business class.
afaqs!: What do you make of camps and ‘group-ism’ in the industry?
Prasoon: They shouldn’t be there. I hate them.
Ashish: Here, it’s all about the number game. “I have to stop that guy” is the mentality. Abroad, it’s never a Crispin Porter judge pulling a Mother entry down. It should be a celebration of good work.
Prasanna: The agenda is clear; we’re here to celebrate advertising. So, group-ism is sad and reflects the insecurity in the industry. It’s not about egos, it’s about agendas. It’s also ironical that everyone walks away with a metal at the Goafest!
Rahul: It’ll take a long time for it to go. It’s ironic how divided we are locally, and how much of a community we feel like at Cannes, simply because we feel lonely/outnumbered there.
V Sunil: Unnecessary. It doesn’t serve any purpose. Even as we chat, I can see senior industry heads huddling in groups and not even saying ‘Hi’ to each other. No one cares.
Emmanuel: Unavoidable.
afaqs!: The one speaker you enjoyed listening to at the Goafest this year?
Prasoon: Sir John Hegarty and Dan Wieden. I respect them a lot.
Ashish: I like Dan Wieden. I was looking forward to listening to Thanonchai Sornsrivichai, but that got cancelled.
Prasanna: I wanted to listen to Thanonchai as well. A pity.
Rahul: Frankly, I didn’t attend the seminars. I had other things on my mind. I saw the galleries, some brilliant art work there.
V Sunil: Sir John Hegarty. Massive learning there.
Emmanuel: I was waiting for Thanonchai but that didn’t happen. I didn’t want to listen to the others so much as it would be like listening about their agencies and their agendas.
afaqs!: Complete the sentence: I admire the advertising that comes out of .... (name an agency and a region).
Prasoon: Mother, W+K, Goodby Silverstein & Partners. Country would have to be UK.
Ashish: Crispin Porter+Bogusky and Droga5. London.
Prasanna: TBWA Paris. I like the work out of Paris in general.
Rahul: I don’t think it’s about an agency reputation at all; it’s about the work at the end of the day. In the olden days, Trikaya was known for brilliance. I don’t think this applies in today’s age anymore.
V Sunil: Crispin Porter+Bogusky. Country? Right now, the UK and the US.
Emmanuel: TBWA Paris, 180 Amsterdam. Country would be Argentina. Their advertising is a bit like ours.
afaqs!: A filmmaker you’re comfortable working with/whose style you admire?
Prasoon: Dadu (Abhijit Chaudhuri) of Black Magic and Ram Madhvani of Equinox.
Ashish: I would love to work with Frank Budgen and Noam Murro.
Prasanna: Thanonchai Sornsrivichai of Phenomena.
Rahul: Abhinay Deo of Ramesh Deo Productions. He pitches it just right.
V Sunil: Marco Kalantari. I had a brilliant experience with him on the N-Gage gaming film.
Emmanuel: Abhinay Deo.
afaqs!: Your advice to youngsters in advertising?
Prasoon: Spend time in nurturing work. Build brands.
Ashish: Aim bigger.
Prasanna: Scams are good till a certain extent only. They won’t sail you through forever.
Rahul: Ignore agency names; be true to your work.
V Sunil: Don’t join advertising! (Laughs) No really, before joining, look at who is running your show, who is your boss and not the agency reputation.
Emmanuel: You’re a brand. Work on your branding.
afaqs!: Your advice to CEOs in advertising?
Prasoon: They need to be more hands on, know more about advertising and understand it better.
Ashish: The same thing I said for youngsters. Aim bigger. We’re underselling ourselves to clients. Do something about it.
Prasanna: Do something brave, different. Don’t have knee-jerk reactions; stop being so…reactive all the time!
Rahul (exasperated): Just chill!
V Sunil: Let creative people run the show. We run our own homes, right? No one tells us how to do it. What makes people think we can’t run the business as well?
Emmanuel: Chill! Don’t be so serious.
© 2010 afaqs!From Bhanu Bhatt, Wed 15 Apr 2009 12:04:28 PM I agree with sergio rivas. Come on grow up & do some real work! If the communication can't solve clients problem, It's no point in doing advertising. Its time we put our heads down and churn out some actual works.
From Vaibhavi, Mon 13 Apr 2009 11:55:10 AM C'mon. I think we're being way too harsh on these people. The article is in jest and shows the lighter side of these guys.We shouldn't take every word they say as words etched in stone.Give them a break, relax, have a cup of coffee and treat this as the light read it was meant to be.
From Anand Narasimha, Sat 11 Apr 2009 04:44:52 PM Here we go again!
The comments bear testimony to the disease afflicting the ad industry:
1. Completely self-centred and self-adulating. Out of sync with the world at large. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.
2. Small minded and myopic. No big picture, too hung up on awards and glory. And running down others.
3. Hung up on Foreigners. Fashionable to quote international names. Low regard for local talent. No one mentions a 'Piyush Pandey' who's done more for Indian advertising creativity than any firangi.
In short, the more this industry talks...the less it inspires!
From R A Jeev, Thu 09 Apr 2009 03:17:02 PM "Scam is good for agencies doing bad work?" That's two unacceptable thoughts in one sentence! There is no such thing as good scam. Advertising is a paid form of communication. So if the sponsor is in the dark about work being done with his brands and copyrights, then it's no more an ad. It's a piece of art that's masquerading as communication and revealing its secret identity every December in an obscure publication out of Bhagalpur. Next, 'agencies doing bad work'. What kind of self-respecting agency willingly does bad work everyday but reserves its 'creativity' and skill for scams? Scams are a convenient escape hatch from the reality that agencies are too cowardly, too incompetent and too self-serving to push the boundaries on day-to-day work. Pandering to a client's whims and fancies puts black ink on the balance sheet faster than you can say 'idea'. And as long as scams and festivals encouraging them exist, this dichotomy will continue to rob the industry of any true growth in thought and craft.
From preeti maikota, Wed 08 Apr 2009 02:11:06 PM Response to Mr Emmanuel ,I think you are way too harsh on client servicing people. Let's not forget that the business is equally supported by clent servicing, planning and creative. So while servicing gives creative its due most of the times creative should also cut some slack to client servicing. Also Mr Emmanuel creative wont last if there is no servicing and client servicing wont have it easy if creative isnt. Let's not be so judgemental here.
From Swami , Wed 08 Apr 2009 12:17:32 PM Kavita Shroff, Neetu Gour, i sincerely hope you folks work in advertising. I sincerely hope you're 'senior' enough to make a difference. And i sincerely hope you dont lose the passion or conviction to shout out to the Emperor that he's stark naked, again and again.
From sergio rivas, Wed 08 Apr 2009 05:33:56 AM Country would be Argentina. Their advertising is a bit like ours.
dude i'm from argentina and i'm on assignment here for two months with a wpp agency. i worked for over 11 years in argentina. i visited goafest just to get the feel of indian advertising. it was a lovely venue, some great speakers. shame about the work. this work is nothing like argentina. such bad art direction. all cheat ads. i can understand markets like dubai and singapore who have no market and no big projects churning out cheat ads. but india???!!! you have such a big market. .... almost like united states but all you produce is ads for erasers and highlighters. and to hear senior people actually encouraging youngsters to cheat is disgraceful
From kapil srivatsav, Wed 08 Apr 2009 05:24:58 AM biggest waste of resources in advertising? 'salaries of some senior level people' omigod i love you for saying that v sunil!!!!! you hit the nail on the head. it's not foreign trips, or awards, or client servicing. it's all small change compared to what agencies pay out to some dinosaurs and white elephants and charlatans who're at the top levels of advertising in india today.
From brian almeida, Wed 08 Apr 2009 05:19:00 AM @kavita shroff spot on. i'm a youngster in advertising and i can happily say that i don't look up to people who make comments like this. when you're the ncd of an agency and publicly acknowledge that your agency does fake work its shameful. we all did fake work. when we were in college. as our final year assignments. that's just to see how we can work in the real world where we enter as trainees. in some agencies, the ncds act like trainees.
From Rajiv D, Tue 07 Apr 2009 08:15:04 PM I like the comments made by V Sunil and Prasoon. Sensible. Scam is ok for juniors to come up. If seniors do it then it is just desperation.
From Neetu Gour , Tue 07 Apr 2009 03:21:52 PM I am an advertising professional and I’ am shocked to read the answers given by creative biggies in the "Rapid fire round with "right" brained ad folk, at Goa fest.
The ease with which these people are saying "they are ok with scam ads" throws the light on the vision these people have for their agencies.
I visited Goa fest in 2007; it’s a splendid idea to get to know the advertising from all over the country. There are great speakers to listen to, discuss ideas and problems with the advertising fraternity. But after reading the comments, it all seems like a facade.
While the Trevor Beattie, gave a good one hour talk on cheating the customers and client alike, through scam ads. The entries displayed at the fest, was unheard or unseen by me.
What a mockery of a great ad person!!!
I read an article in agency faqs- written by the editor and chief and director of Agency faqs, Mr. Sreekant Khandekar on April 09, 2008.
Privately, senior agency executives wring their hands and say that every entry is accompanied by a client approval. What else can they possibly do? Besides, everybody else is doing the same thing.
Well, to my mind, leadership is about doing the right thing. If an ad has not been genuinely created for a client and run in mass media, it ought not to be entered. Or else, why don’t agencies just get together and agree that published as well as unpublished work can be entered for awards?
Yes, I do understand the compulsions of business, but most professions function inside a business. Advertising is not alone.
An engineer practices in the context of a property developer’s need. A doctor inside a corporate hospital. An editor within a publishing house. They all operate under business pressure. And the good ones do their stuff honestly and well.
If agency big shots don’t stand up for what they think is right, they will be guilty of more than just encouraging scam advertising.
They will be telling a whole generation of young advertising people that it is okay to bend the rules to get ahead.
Worse, they will be implying that clients never buy good advertising. And that is an untruth.”
From sims, Tue 07 Apr 2009 02:15:49 PM yep!! love the brands you're working on. be honest to ur work. give ur best, rest will follow. a good CD will pick u on the basis of work, not the metals.
cheers!!
From Hobbes , Tue 07 Apr 2009 01:54:02 PM Mr. Emmanuel , I beg to differ on your views on Client Servicing People. I guess you have forgotten the basics of advertising. Creative and Servicing go hand in hand...anyway why am I wasting my breath on such orthodox not to mention ***** viwes of yours on client servicing.Just one question for you When was the lst time you came face to face and handled a client or let me re phrase it for you coz I am sure your creative senses wont permit you to understand , Have you ever handled a client?
From Chintan, Tue 07 Apr 2009 11:39:41 AM @ kavita shroff: I don't know who you are but well said. Very well said. I too felt weird when I read that line. In fact, why only Sir Hegarty or Dan Wieden? Take any name which is renowned worldwide and look at the work. And learn. And then put your head down and get to work. That should be the mantra. Not something like 'work on your branding.'
From Rakhi , Tue 07 Apr 2009 09:57:41 AM Brilliant!very nicely written.witty guys,these!
From kavita shroff, Tue 07 Apr 2009 08:20:59 AM 'You’re a brand. Work on your branding.' This is the malaise that grips the industry today. This is what seniors impart. Get yourself a catchy nickname, wear hats, court the media, shave your head, speak in falsetto. It's all because of this thinking. That's the reason why some of the highest paid people in the industry remain in their jobs, sadly. John Hegarty became famous because his ads became famous. Dan Wieden, likewise. They became famous because their work became famous. Here's a tip: Make the brands that pay your salary famous. That should do for starters.
From Anil Thakker, Tue 07 Apr 2009 08:11:44 AM Response to V Sunil's comment about scam "It is good for agencies doing bad work throughout the year.":
I totally agree. You don't see agencies like KesselsKramer or Crispin-Porter or any of these admired agencies spending a large portion of their time doing ads for erasers and flower shops. That's because their day-to-day work is creative. They don't need to seek out these channels to give vent to their creativity. So it is good for agencies that do bad work. Why would a good agency need to do scam ads?
