Anil Thakraney, earlier editor, The Brief, to join Lowe, Delhi

After a six-year stint as editor and publisher of erstwhile advertising tabloid, The Brief (from the Mid-Day Group), Anil Thakraney is returning to the profession he was once part of - advertising. Thakraney is joining the Delhi branch of Lowe as creative head in the first week of December 2003.

"To be honest, I didn't plan it… was very happy doing some kick-arse multi-media journalism for Mid-Day. Then one fine day I had a drink with Balki, and after a few beers, it all fell into place," Thakraney told agencyfaqs!. These years that Thakraney observed, analysed and criticised the advertising industry were to him "too good to last" and "given half a chance", he would do it all over again. However, now that he is back in advertising, he plans to make the most of it.

For Balki (R Balakrishnan, executive creative director, Lowe), Thakraney's mindset ideally suited the requirements of Lowe, Delhi. "He is an advertising mind at heart and intrinsically a good advertising person. After The Brief closed down, he decided to do something besides journalism and I think he is just right for this profession. He is gutsy, prepared to take a chance and has the correct mindset for this profession."

Perhaps a person with such attributes is the answer for a branch in need of some direction. Losing the LG business was a big blow to the branch. And then a handful of senior and not-so-senior people left the branch to pursue other interests. Now a relatively new team is in place. "In the past Lowe, Delhi, has produced some good work on LG and other brands; but better work can be done. The Delhi branch has some sparkling brands. This gives it great opportunity to do great work and we have to explore those opportunities a bit more," says a hopeful Balki.

Given this background, Thakraney's brief is to groom the new team. "His brief would be to groom the new team, encourage it to think of work in a refreshingly different perspective and not be overawed by the business aspect of the work," emphasises Balki. And how does Thakraney view his brief? "To inspire and execute cutting-edge creative work for the Delhi office. Produce work that is not just wow, but work that does wonders for the brand in terms of the desired marketing objectives. And build a team of hungry, firebrand creative people."

To put things in perspective, Thakraney launched his career in advertising in the year 1986 when he joined Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai, as an account executive. Two years on, he joined Bates as account supervisor. In 1990, Thakraney joined J Walter Thompson, where he rose to be the creative director at the Mumbai branch and creative supervisor of Bangalore. In 1996 Thakraney joined The Brief. © 2003 agencyfaqs!