Sumita Vaid Dixit
Interviews

Everest doesn't create work for awards

Like many of his peers, Milind Dhaimade, executive creative director, Everest Brand Solutions, got into advertising by accident. He had set out to be a filmmaker, but theatre and scripting plays from his college days paved a different road for him – that to adsville.

Sphere was Dhaimade’s first agency. Thereon, Dhaimade has mostly been in Everest with a two-year stint at Leo Burnett in between. Y2K was a major turning point in his life. From a low profile creative director at Everest, Dhaimade came to be known as the creator of Digen Verma. He, however, wants to put that phase of his life behind him. “I have moved on…” The premature death of Digen Verma has left sour memories, but Tortoise has once again charged the creative spirits of Dhaimade and Everest.

Among others things, Dhaimade talks to Sumita Vaid Dixit of agencyfaqs! about Abby’s obsession with O&M and the way forward for Everest. Excerpts.

Edited Excerpts

How did it feel walking down the aisle with the statues firmly clenched at this year’s Abbys?

Everest, classically, has never been a creative agency. Just like JWT, it was always a business-focused agency.

The beauty of this year’s Abbys, more than the Gold or the Silver, was the fact that Everest, that has never seen itself as creative agency, was so jubilant and excited when I went up to the stage to receive the award. At that very instant, I saw the perspective of the agency change. That made me simply ecstatic.

Looking back, when I had made a comeback to Everest in 2002 after spending two years at Leo Burnett, the agency was going through a very bad time. The Delhi office was almost in shambles. But that did not deter our spirits. We all decided to give it a shot. After all, things in life are simple. The need of the hour then was to hire the right people and give them the freedom to work. Yes, the initial one year, from 2002 to 2003, was very tough but once Mash (Mahesh Chauhan) joined us, our faith in the agency was reinstated.

Today, I can say with confidence that we have the best talent in the country. All we need is more clients. Then, there is no stopping us.

But was Tortoise the only work from Everest submitted at the Abbys? And, were you confident of winning any awards at the Abbys?

Besides Tortoise, there was Parle as well. I thought the Parle films were great, so was the print campaign. But strangely, it didn’t even get shortlisted, though I had a lot of expectations from it. But that’s okay.

How important was it for Everest to win at the Abbys? And why?

Unlike, an agency such as O&M that needs Abbys to maintain its creative reputation, for Everest, Abbys is a fantastic platform and an opportunity to tell the industry about our creative credentials.

More importantly, awards – fortunately or unfortunately – have become a vehicle for growing business. In the present times, when clients call for an agency pitch, they invite those with a creative reputation. Thus, from that perspective, and however much I may regret that matters have come to such a sorry state, it is very clear that awards are crucial for getting business these days.

Ten years ago, nobody cared for awards; the management did not care. The creative people were the only ones who did care. But from the time that companies have become selective about agencies, it is almost imperative for us to be in the consideration set. And, awards really help in doing that. Especially at the stage we are now. We are a growing agency. Therefore, we definitely need awards.

Has there been any perceptible difference in the way the industry now views Everest after the wins at the Abbys?

Post-Abbys, the biggest difference that I have noticed is in the people of Everest; they are bursting with confidence. Now everybody is ready and mentally geared up to take up any challenge and deliver their best.

Also, what is overwhelming is the appreciation that we received from our client. That is just amazing. That gratitude is more valuable than awards.

Tell us what was the client’s first reaction to the Tortoise creative?

Honestly, it took us sometime to convince the client. From the time of the approval of the creative to the execution, there were apprehensions of whether Tortoise is going to work or not. But nothing feels more wonderful than the client calling and saying, “Thank you.”

Do you feel any pressure in terms of people’s expectations after Everest’s performance at the Abbys?

There is no pressure, and I will tell you why. It is simply because the work on Parle-G or Tortoise was not done with an intention of winning awards. Though, yes, we wished that the work won something. At Everest, we are clear that we do not create work for awards.

Frankly, creating award-winning work isn’t a big at all. One usually knows who the top 10 judges are and their tastes. So, all one has to do is tailor the creative to suit their sensibilities.

However, we keep miles away from such practices.

This sounds as if award-winning work has a formula to it...

Oh, yes, there is a formula to creating award-winning work. The problem is, we are still not comfortable with the fact that we are Indians. That includes the advertising fraternity as well. I do not think showing Indians, Indian situations, Indian jingles reflect Indian-ness.

Take for instance, Fevicol and Happydent. While the situation and the casting is Indian, but by format, both the ads are still Western. I would, of course, say that the Happydent ad shows whiteness in a very creative manner. But a lot of Fevicol ads are still trying to follow a Western pattern. It is created for a section of judges with a certain sensibility.

So yes, award-winning works are styled on a very international format. Most of the international ads are ultra subtle. Usually, the visual would be very simple with a subtle twist, and perhaps, a line to explain. Such ads have simplified graphics.

Now, I am not saying that that international advertising is not good. My point is, why are we trying to emulate their approach or style? In my opinion, there is a small section of creative professionals, who are considered good, are doing advertising for the international market and not for India. Clearly, there is a huge gap.

Take the example of Japanese advertising. It has a very distinct style. It is nothing like American or European advertising. Sometimes it’s very bold, very garish, and now in itself, it has become an icon. I guess we will become comfortable with our Indian-ness only after having won all the international awards.

Compared to any of the International awards, where does Abbys stand?

The Abbys is certainly trying too hard to be prestigious. One big mistake that it makes is to involve the entire industry in the judging process. You should have a few judges and well-rounded judges; judges – who can understand copy, art and concept. But unfortunately, our advertising industry does not have many well-rounded judges.

Besides the fact that the industry does not have many well-rounded judges, what are the other problems?

For one, all judges think that any work from O&M is good work. And that is not correct. Very frankly, most of the short-listed work from O&M was not up to the mark. But the judges are so enamoured with O&M! Again, I am citing the example of the Fevicol ad, it is not a good ad. Ask any sane advertising person, and he will tell you that the Fevicol ad did not deserve an award.

Coming to your career, how would you describe the years after the Digen Verma fiasco? Do you perceive the badge of the creator of Digen Verma as a burden or, have you rationalised its outcome in some other terms?

I have forgotten Digen Verma. In the creative business, you are as good as your last work. Digen happened a long time ago and now I want to move on. I do not want to live the next 15 years of my life thinking that I have only done Digen Verma. I want something greater than that in my life.

Having said that, what is great about Digen Verma is that even the non-advertising fraternity knows and talks about Digen Verma. That recognition is something more than the appreciation I get from clients and advertising professionals.

Did you actually expect Digen Verma to assume iconic stature?

I expected more from Digen Verma. Digen Verma is a classic case of the creative and the client not having the same perspective.

My biggest learning from Digen Verma has been that when there is a big idea, it is very important to explain to the client about the kind of commitment required of him to carry the idea forward. A lot of clients like a big idea but they do not have the stamina to take it through. And that is exactly what happened with Digen Verma.

Frooti was looking at a way of improving its sales dramatically since it was de-growing by 6-8 per cent. When we came up with Digen Verma, we clearly told the client that Digen Verma was not going to be a short burst of advertising but a sustained affair that would continue for three years. I had told the client exactly what would happen from year one to year three.

But mid-way, things took a different turn...

Tell us, was there ever to be a real Digen Verma at all? People had become very curious, but Digen Verma was never in sight...

There was never to be a real Digen Verma, but always a fictitious character. The plan was: Once people realised that Digen Verma was a fictitious character, the next stage was to show how Digen Verma and Frooti were to play a part in the lives of people. We had some very interesting plans. Well, all I can say is that, Digen Verma could have been a fantastic brand campaign; a big idea that got nipped in the bud.

Big ideas are becoming a rarity, isn’t it?

Yes they are. The reason why big ideas are becoming a rarity is because many clients do not have the stamina and the patience to see the idea blossom. These days, marketing managers do not have the requisite patience.

Many years ago, I was told by a senior advertising professional that it was only when the client and the agency become sick of an ad that people start noticing it. The sad part is the new breed of marketing managers just does not have that passion for brands any more. They are not keen on creating and building brands. They are only keen on scaling the corporate ladder in double-quick time. With a couple of years of experience on their side, they are ready to move on.

Today’s marketing managers are like young advertising professionals. We call these trainees, trainee creative directors. Nobody wants to learn, but all of them want to be creative directors tomorrow. There are just a handful of clients who are really serious about brands.

Would you ascribe this as one of the reasons behind why we do not see great advertising anymore?

To an extent, yes. Advertising professionals are now chasing their individual ambitions, with no thought for the vision of the agency. Very few identify with the overall vision, and hence the common purpose – to do great advertising – is lost.

And, because that purpose is lost, agencies have become suppliers. Twenty years ago, agencies and companies worked together on a brand. Now agencies are, perhaps, in the same league as direct marketing companies or event management companies.

Hardworking advertising is what comes out of agencies now. This means obediently follow client instructions in terms of what is to be put in the ad, and if there are too many things to be said, making a jingle out of it. The reason why many companies have started behaving like this is because they have lost faith in agencies.

And, I think, the fault lies with the agencies to a large extent. Agencies never paused and reflected on the kind of substandard work that the industry, at large, had begun to produce. We did not stop and say, “Hey! Let’s keep our respect and dignity and not turn into factories.” Unfortunately, the whole focus was lost.

One of the visible effects is how execution of an ad is being confused with creative ideas. Most of the advertising work that you see are examples of great execution and not great ideas. The SBI ad is a great execution, but it has no creative idea. Sadly, our judging standards are moving in that direction. Agreed, execution is very important, but having an idea is equally important too.

Since you are aware of the problems plaguing the industry, what is the way forward for Everest?

We want to create an ideal haven for sensible people with creative minds. We want to be able to take on the responsibility of solving clients’ problems. We may not have a big team, but certainly, we would want to be respected for our work.

And the good part is that Mahesh, Aniruddha, Sourabh Mishra, Rajiv Rakshit and I – all five of us – share the same vision. In fact, the agency calls us the ‘paanch pandav’. And had this not happened, maybe I would not have been here.

For us, the people at Everest are not just employees but people with dreams. We want to contribute to their growth. So, even if they were to move to another place, the experience gained at Everest would stand them in good stead.

We have ensured that we give the right working environment at Everest. One of the major steps was doing away with the mindsets that create divisions in an agency. We stress on the fact that advertising business is about doing creative work. Skills of people may differ, but both servicing and creative departments work towards producing creative work. There are many client-servicing people, who are great thinkers. They can identify a problem and articulate the execution of an idea. So why create walls?

The endeavour here at Everest is to get everybody to work together, and to share the vision of the agency. Only then, can good work happen. I am so proud of the fact that we are on the right course.

What would you say of your current creative produce? Today’s advertising is dialogue intensive, hyperbolic and similar – as if cast in the same creative mould. Why is it so?

I agree. Most of the work that comes out seems as if one man has written it. There is a pattern to the work. It is easy to win awards because there is a pattern to award-winning work. A smart creative director can see the pattern and do it. Sao Polo is known for doing scam work for awards.

But agencies with a lot of money can afford the luxury of producing award-winning work. The reason is, since clients would not sponsor such work, these agencies put in the money, make the film and tell their client they are sending the work to these contests. Even if the ad has been shown on a cable channel, it is a good enough proof to send it to international award shows. This is how it mostly happens.

It was precisely for this reason why only public service campaigns won at international awards four to five years ago. Because the client was not involved, and any NGO would be too happy to endorse it, it was not very difficult to participate at these contests.

I wonder why there have to be definitions such as award-winning work and hardworking creative work. The truth of the matter is, a good creative work can work both as a hardworking creative and also stand a chance to win awards.

Is Everest participating at the Cannes?

We have sent Tortoise and Autocop.

Are you expecting to win?

I would love to. Not for myself, but for the sake of my team. They have worked very hard.

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