1 pointsize makes a big impression at NY Fest

1 pointsize was launched just 16 months ago. Already this Chennai-based creative shop has picked up seven awards at the Chennai Ad Club Awards this year, besides two international nominations. Earlier this year, it won a nomination at the prestigious British Design & Art Direction (D&AD) Awards for the competitive Photography and Image Manipulation category for a piece titled ‘Nirvana', featured in a self-promotional poster. Now, its print campaign ‘Clothes with a twist' (for men's apparel brand Stori) has earned a finalist nomination at the 2003 Design & Print Advertising Awards in the New York Festival. The four-ad campaign will fight it out with brands like Diesel and Levi's for the top honours.

Sharad Haksar, who heads 1 pointsize, is elated about the nomination. "After the D&AD nomination, this is the best piece of news we've had. For a fledgling national brand, this is no mean achievement. Let's see what happens on August 11, the Judgement Day."

So what is it about this campaign that has helped it make such a big impression at international creative awards festivals? Interestingly, this print campaign features neither a model nor a product. "Every youngster wants to have a girlfriend," says Haksar, "and this thought is central to the campaign, where the mystery man gets all the women. However, we were very clear that we would not use models or products to showcase the strengths of Stori." Incidentally, from the time Bangalore-based Chaya Garments broke the advertising for Stori (that is, in the last nine months), the brand has grown from Rs 7 crore to Rs 14 crore.

The second set of print ads and posters for Stori has already appeared in the market. This campaign has a tinge of humour and is spun around limericks and TV serials. "We decided that in our second print series too we will not show a human body but try and make the posters as humorous as possible," says Haksar.

Each print ad depicts a different view of nature - a desert, a tropical rain forest, lush green meadows in the backdrop of snow-covered mountains, and a sunflower field. The body copy of the entire series, in limericks, tells a fairy-tale like story of a woman besotted by the mystery ‘Stori' man. The posters, which carry the same visuals as the print ads, are in the form of TV monitors bearing titles of popular TV programmes, such as, The Bold and The Beautiful, Khani Ghar Ghar Ki and Rendezvous with ‘Seeme' Garewal.

Besides Stori, 1 pointsize (earlier known as SharadHaksar.com) handles Perri Alley (another men's garment label from Vikas Fashions), Shree Krishna (a multi-brand garment department store), Kuber Jewellery and Derby Clothing. The list is not long, but that is the way the triumvirate of CP Sajit (art director), Anantha Narayanan (copy writer) and, of course, Haksar at 1 pointsize would like to work.

Besides its brand name, the work philosophy at 1 pointsize is quite unconventional compared to the way most other advertising agencies function. "Absolute freedom in work" is the anthem at 1 pointsize. Elaborates Haksar, "Our philosophy is simple. Good creative means good business. So we tell our clients leave the creative to us. Give us full freedom. We'll treat your brand as our child. We'll give it a unique identity and ensure we create a buzz around the brand with clutter busting creative."

And there are some common practices of an advertising agency that 1 pointsize abstains from. For example, pitching for business and running after billings, claims Haksar. "To label us as an agency will be as unfair as calling an actor, an entertainer. We are choosy about whom we work with. We look for a client who trusts us completely. Someone who shares our vision for the brand," concludes Haksar.

© 2003 agencyfaqs!