Mudra refocuses on product; appoints Kaushik Roy as chief creative officer

It's a first of sorts for the Rs 780-crore Mudra Communications. For never before has the Top Five agency had a national-level creative head - responsible for the agency's collective creative output - in its 23-year-long history. Now it does, with the appointment of Executive Director Kaushik Roy as Mudra's chief creative officer. Roy, whose second stint at Mudra commenced in early 2001 (his first was from 1993-98), was previously in charge of the agency's Mumbai operations. Mumbai will henceforth be led by Jude Fernandes (president, Mudra Mumbai).

Roy's appointment is a part of the across-the-board restructuring that has been underway at Mudra ever since Madhukar Kamath took over as the agency's managing director & CEO, following the retirement of founding chairman AG Krishnamurthy in March. The salient points of the structural changes at Mudra include the constitution of a six-member operating board, with each member responsible for specific operations.

While Kamath has the overall responsibility of heading the agency, Ahmedabad-based Alan D'Souza is head - leadership, learning and change (HR, talent and knowledge management). Delhi-based Prabir Purkayastha has the responsibility of steering new initiative, while Bangalore-based R Lakshminarayanan will be heading Total Branding (which includes Primesite, Digital Branding Solutions and One-to-One). Lakshminarayanan has the additional responsibility of heading Mudra South - the agency's new entity that combines its four offices (Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi and Hyderabad) in south India. The agency's CFO Dilip Upadhyaya is the fifth member on the operating board, while Roy rounds off the list with his creative responsibilities.

The spinning off of media division Optimum Media Solutions (OMS) into an independent media agency (headed by Sandeep Vij), the tactical merger of the Kolkata office with the Delhi office, the closure of PR firm Horizons, Hemant Misra's appointment as president, Mudra Delhi, and Chandan Nath's appointment as executive vice-president, Mudra Ahmedabad, are among the other structural changes that have been effected in the agency.

Speaking to agencyfaqs! about the restructuring, Kamath explains that while taking charge of the agency, one of the issues he had to contend with pertained to "a perception that Mudra had lost the fire and enthusiasm it displayed in the early nineties. Mudra was perceived to be a less aggressive brand, and this perception had to do with aggression in the market as well as the creative product. However, having seen the agency over the last 60 days, I have reason to believe that the perception is unfounded as we have great client relationships, great talent and a lot of drive - both in terms of business and the product. All that is required is focusing and channelizing of various strengths and talent, and an unleashing of energy. We understand the need to grow the organization aggressively, both in terms of business and the product, and for that, we need growth drivers. Which is why we have identified the new heads for the various initiatives. Mudra is transiting from a powerful founder-chairman culture to a team-driven institution where a national agenda is pursued, and this team will define Mudra's future."

While all these changes are likely to have far-reaching consequences, the creation of the chief creative officer's post is one that signals a fundamental shift the agency's approach to the creative product. For the move is aimed at vesting creative accountability with one individual, and, in all probability, will have a direct impact on how brand Mudra is perceived in the time to come. Giving reasons for the creation of the post, Kamath says, "I strongly believe that one individual should drive the agency's creative agenda. The idea is also to bring the various creative talents in this agency under one team, and give them a champion."

And he believes that Roy is best suited for that role. "Kaushik has a creative background (for the record, Roy began his career as a visualizer at HTA), he has done strategic thinking, he's been into building businesses, he's been on the client's side (Roy has spent time with Philips and Modi Entertainment Network), he's good at people management, and he has a passion for bettering the creative product… We have a unique situation where a person who has experience in so many disciplines will be heading the product."

Roy, for his part, sees his new role as that of a coach-cum-manager. "My job is that of putting resources together, motivating creative people and building the right atmosphere for creativity to fester," he says. "I have to set a creative virus going here, that's all. It helps that I share a great rapport with creative people." Of course, the basic responsibility would be to ensure that the quality of the product meets a minimum standard. Which is why identifying talent and ensuring that the best people do the best work is also high on his agenda.

"I believe Mudra has under-utilized its bench strength, across offices," he says. "We have several senior creative people across offices who not only have talent but also huge amounts of experience in different categories. Yet, their collective strength has never been utilized." Roy believes that the solution lies in breaking geographical barriers. "If someone in Chennai has experience in a particular category and our Delhi office is currently working on that category, we must use that talent to Delhi's advantage. The idea is not to upset the current system, but to augment it and make the final product stronger."

Roy knows that no creative battle can be won without the support of account management/servicing, so that too is a task he has set out for himself. "If we have to build an ethos on the kind of creative we want to do, we require the support of key people in account management," he says. "For our vision to succeed, they have to buy into that vision. It's my responsibility to push the envelope in that area, and I think I have an advantage here, as I am not a ‘from creative'. I will clearly be championing everyone's interests."

At one level, Roy has to champion Mudra's interests too, which is why he feels he has a bigger task outside the agency. "Most of our biggest clients have been with us for a long time, which is proof that Mudra delivers a type of creative which is good for them," he says. "However, this type of creative may not be doing enough for brand Mudra in the minds of opinion makers such as peer groups and the media. The perception of opinion makers is important, and if Mudra has to market itself, it has to acquire a grand image for itself. Which is why, within the scope of my existing clients, I will have to identify clients/brands where the likes and dislikes of these brands' end consumers is in sync with those of the opinion makers. I will then have to have a dialogue with such clients and share our desire to build an image for Mudra through the advertising - advertising that is in our interest and the client's interest." Roy believes he can achieve this goal too, "as clients know I clearly hold their interest very high".

A strong and consistent showing at the awards is a precursor to enhancing agency image, and Roy knows this well enough. "We know how to win awards, and we have the talent and the capability," he says. "We now have to just go out and win. We did fairly well at this year's Triple A and Abby Awards. We'll have to do better now." He adds that ultimately, it's about expressing the desire to do great work. "You have to say it aloud, and everything else will follow."

Roy admits this one will be a challenging job that demands him wearing many hats - and wearing all of them well. "The challenge is to keep my existing clients happy with the type of creative we're offering, exploring ways of expanding the scope of that offering, and simultaneously adding new clients who want a different approach to creative. It's a fine balance to strike, as a tilt one way or the other could mean losing business." It's a rope Roy is prepared to walk, and he's giving himself 18 months to establish Mudra "among the Top Three, in perception terms". © 2003 agencyfaqs!