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Grey global heads speak on rising creativity in the business world

Tor Myhren and Suresh Nair visited Mumbai to share their insights on the agency-marketer relationship.

In a recent event held by Grey Group in Mumbai, Tor Myhren, worldwide chief creative officer, and Suresh Nair, global strategic planning director, shared their insights on the agency-marketer relationship. Invited to the event were various clients as well as Grey Mumbai employees. Nair and Myhren also spoke about the rise of creativity in the business world.

Grey global heads speak on rising creativity in the business world
Grey global heads speak on rising creativity in the business world
"The question that you want to ask is 'will people watch it?' Things that are worth watching get forwarded and shared, and thus become part of the pop culture," explained Myhren.

Whilst Myhren and Nair see India as a powerhouse for the growth of new businesses, they believe in today's age of business, complexities and challenges can be overcome by fostering the culture of creativity. In order to have strong and successful agency-client relationships, there should be transparency and openness in communication and the presented creative work. This will benefit both the brand and the agency to be successful above the norm in the market place. They also spoke about motivating creative culture within the walls of business, cultivating the right kind of agency culture, how to constantly evolve, keeping people engaged, and how to nurture the right talent in the industry.

Myhren used the example of Paper Magazine to show how fame is a proven effectiveness multiplier. Similarly, the Epic Split campaign brought Volvo back in the conversation and popular culture. But, he is also of the opinion that it is not necessary to take popular music or celebrities, rather it is possible to create a brand's own pop culture.

Myhren advised those who attended to work the best work for their main clients. He spoke about Grey's Heroic Failure Award which is given to any work which the team believes in, but which has failed at achieving the desired results. According to Nair, "It is not meant to make failure the hero, but to push our people to get even better, try even more."

The duo also spoke about the 'shift' which, according to them, is the ultimate creative enabler. For example, when Canon launched its Project Imagina8ion, the brand shifted its focus from superior optics and technology to artistry in the users' hands. Similarly, iPhone's new campaign shows pictures clicked by people - thereby making it more relatable and interesting to the end user.

A piece of advice that the duo shared was that when choosing a celebrity, one must keep in mind that the fame of that person does not overshadow the brand. Nor should the personality become synonymous with the brand. Though it exponentially speeds up relevance in pop culture, celebrity endorsements are to be treated carefully and with much thought.

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