In advertising, we’re experts without expertise: Santosh Desai

It’s no secret that Santosh Desai’s interest in advertising has been on the wane for the last few years. But it was still a surprise when Desai, McCann-Erickson, India’s president and CEO, finally decided to call it quits after having dedicated 20 years to the profession.

The fact that Desai has not just quit the agency, but the advertising industry itself, has got many minds thinking of what the ad industry has lost through his departure. Desai is slated to join the Kishore Biyani led Future Group, where he will head a new division called Future Brands.

What inspired Desai to take this step? agencyfaqs! talked to him to seek some answers.

“Advertising can get frustrating at times. And I say this because advertising is a very narrow and one track mind industry,” comes his straight answer. “After doing the same thing for over 20 years, I have realised that in advertising, we’re constantly toeing someone else’s line. I don’t understand how fully grown up individuals can do such insignificant things.”

He supports his point saying that the Indian ad industry is equal in size to the quarterly profits of some large corporations.

“While other industries are reshaping themselves and moving on to the next level, we in advertising still wait for the client’s call,” says Desai.

Further, admen are often discouraged by the meagre margins given to ad agencies. Desai offers a hypothetical example: If an ad agency builds a client’s brand from scratch and makes it a brand worth Rs 200 crore in five years, all that the agency gets is Rs 2-3 crore as commission - a meagre 2-3 per cent of the total worth. “And to top it all, the client sacks the agency in another few years,” Desai complains.

To sum up his theory, “Advertising is a toy industry that desperately needs to get more ambitious in order to be valued.”

On the archaic topic of brand building versus creativity, Desai offers a clear-cut opinion: “To be respected more, advertising needs to build assets rather than supply creatives alone.” But there are several hurdles in the way of achieving that.

Desai clearly feels that admen get disproportionate media coverage, leading them into believing they’re 'big, hot and happening'. “This industry is too self-obsessed, judging by the number of awards we flank ourselves with,” he says. Not that award shows aren’t important, it’s the lack of original work that bothers Desai. “We’re too comfortable with using rehashed or recycled concepts,” he says. “We are experts without any expertise and then we crib about not getting respect.”

Another serious problem that advertising faces today is tapping talent and even that has to do with the image that the industry has created for itself, feels Desai.

“Barring some exceptions, creative talent and abilities are shrinking by the day because people are paid peanuts for their work,” he says.

According to him, advertising is a complex profession, in which one needs to understand the concept of detailing in every sense of the word. “But in the hands of mediocre minds, advertising becomes a simple to understand business,” he says.

One really can’t ignore the points Desai has raised on advertising as a profession. So, how will one bring about a change?

Desai says strongly that even one person can raise his voice and start a movement. "It's much like the Pied Piper syndrome; one stands up and takes a risk and the rest follow," he explains. The person, he feels, should ideally belong to a local/entrepreneurial agency and not a worldwide network's agency. He cites the example of London-based agencies Mother and BBH (Bartle Bogle Hegarty), which didn't start off as networks, but managed to endow advertising with very different styles. "In an ownership driven setup, an adman can afford to take a risk," he explains. "But in a worldwide network structure, one can't do much unless the global network has a similar viewpoint."

Will Desai ever return to advertising? In a pensive mood, Desai comments that despite all its imperfections, advertising has the charm of making one feel like one’s still in college, which few other fields offer. “This industry also allows you to be yourself, more than any other industry,” he says.

This is not the first instance of Desai deciding to exit from advertising. Previously, he had moved to PepsiCo. “In two months, I ran back to advertising, when I joined McCann-Erickson,” he confesses. “Who knows? Someday, my love for advertising may pull me back!”

But as of now, Desai is totally convinced that he would be better off on the other side. He feels that today, clients have become more receptive to new ideas, media and consumer insights.

To end with, Desai talks of the path charted out for him. “Kishore Biyani sold me his vision to redefine the group’s brands,” he says. He has a huge canvas to paint on with Biyani – 18 brands to grow and nurture with the legacy of consumer insights and knowledge he carries over from his account planning days.

© 2006 agencyfaqs!