Is the Indian advertising idea becoming 'export quality'? - Part I

In the global advertising firmament, India is nothing but a dull, yellow star, low on the horizon. This has been an oft-repeated lament in Indian advertising circles for some time now, notwithstanding successes - sporadic, it must be added - at assorted global award functions.

Of course, following the fairly decent (and much-improved) haul of Lions at this year's Cannes Festival, suddenly there is talk of how the day has finally dawned on Indian advertising. Global reputation-wise. People are smiling a lot more, and someone even mentioned "the beginning of a revolution". Poor soul, too much time in the sun, the cynics would say. But that's not the point.

What is relevant is that while Indian advertising might or might not be on the threshold of a revolution vis-a-vis global awards, there certainly seems to be the stirrings of a different kind of revolution here. A more silent, less ostensible, so less hyped revolution that serves much the same purpose. That of putting India on the global advertising map.

And it pertains to the export of Indian advertising software. Essentially, the export of made-in-India ideas to different parts of the world.

Instances are plenty to find. Ariel (both the famous mother-in-law/daughter-in-law idea and the initial ‘testimonial' advertising for the brand), Durex (the ‘couples in foreplay' montage film), Surf Excel (the ‘hidden camera-anonymous brand' idea), Dove (the ‘testimonial' Indian ads), Fair & Lovely (launch campaign), Aquafina (launch ad), Castrol (positioning), Braun (SilkEpil)… And there are innumerable cases where a piece of advertising made locally has evinced a lot of interest, and has been "considered for adaptation" in other markets.

Yes, there are quite a few riders. In almost every case, the brand/client in question is an overseas-based multinational (in a few instances, however, the client was based in India, as in the case of NIIT), that too in the FMCG category. And it is not as if the chosen Indian ad/idea became the lead communication for the brand across the world - the adaptations were limited to some markets. And most importantly, such adaptations from India still haven't become a rule with any of these clients. Meaning, in most cases, they've stayed as one-offs.

So is this worth making any noise about? Yes. Because instances of adaptation - or, at least, an opening up to India's capabilities in the ideas department - are increasing, ever so slowly, across Indian agencies. To cite a couple of recent developments, Castrol, which recently aligned its global account with O&M Worldwide, has appointed O&M's Mumbai office to act as the hub for what is termed the IMESAA (India, Middle East, South Asia and Africa) region. The implication is that O&M, Mumbai, will be Castrol's lead agency in this region. And Proctor & Gamble (P&G) has placed Leo Burnett, Mumbai, in charge of detergent brand Tide's relaunch in Vietnam.

It's not as if it's only clients who are entrusting Indian agencies with cross-border responsibility. Even multinational agency networks have started seeking Indian contribution for transnational pitches and global branding ideas. For instance, Bates India has helped its counterparts in London and Singapore in ideation and new business, while HTA has often been involved with J. Walter Thompson in pitches (example Standard Chartered, in Bangkok) and campaign ideation (Close-up, for instance). Another example: Lowe in India chipped in with ideas and inputs for the recent HSBC global ad campaign.

But yes, for this thing to really gather momentum, it'll have to be client-driven. Actually, it has been for some time now. "Our work on Ariel has been taken to Bangladesh and Vietnam, and some of it has even gone to China," says Arvind Sharma, managing director, Leo Burnett India. "Sometimes it's the insights that get adapted, sometimes the formats, sometimes the concepts. But, for us, it has been happening with P&G quite regularly."

"The proportion of Indian advertising ideas in the Asia-Pacific region is certainly increasing," says Pranesh Misra, director, Lowe. "Our ideas for Surf Excel's relaunch, which dates back some four-five years, was used by Unilever in the subcontinent, as well as in Morocco, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. The ideas were not necessarily for Surf, but for similar Unilever detergent brands in these places. And right from the beginning, our work on Fair & Lovely has been used in the Gulf and Malaysia."

Interestingly, the Durex ‘foreplay' ad - that many believe is an international ad - was actually created exclusively for the Indian market (by McCann-Erickson India) for that ‘international look and feel'. However, the client was so impressed, the ad was subsequently aired in Turkey and parts of Scandinavia. And apparently, the ‘fortune-telling bull' ad for Fanta too got "lots of favourable response from places like Latin America and Vietnam", says Sorab Mistry, chairman and CEO, McCann-Erickson India.

"Castrol is the most recent example I can give you," says Nishi Suri, executive director & head of Mumbai office, O&M India. "We have come up with a positioning for one of the lube brands that is being considered for quite a few countries in this region. And our work on Dove has been airing in Dubai for the past three-four years."

It's not just homegrown advertising ideas and insights that have found their way to distant shores. Even in the so-called ‘backroom' area of media planning, some of India's work has been noticed and appreciated. One such example is that of Lodestar Media's NRS-based research tool, Mediagraphics (which, incidentally, won a gold Emvie at this year's Emvie Awards). "We had a workshop in February this year where we made presentations on both Mediagraphics and Perfidia (a qualitative research tool based on TAM data) to media heads from FCB's Asia-Pacific network," reveals Arpita Menon, head of Lodestar Labcenter. "They were very impressed with Mediagraphics because it is a very conceptual tool that can work on any database. And the solutions it provides are so significant. Today, the Perfidia index has been put in place in two-three countries, while it's a matter of time before Mediagraphics is implemented in some eight or nine countries."

The question is, what are the factors that have contributed to this slow but steady emergence of Indian advertising ideas into pan-regional advertising? What has made India ‘more acceptable' as an idea resource? And what are the larger implications for Indian advertising?

(To be concluded tomorrow.)

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