Bhupal Ramnathkar opens Umbrella as an "experiment"

Considering the monsoon rains are pelting down on Mumbai these days, there's nothing out of the ordinary about the sight of the large aluminum milk can holding three old-fashioned umbrellas sitting just outside the neon green-coloured front door of the smallish building.

But stop to survey the door and its immediate surroundings, and you realize there's no signboard or corporate identity that announces the name of the enterprise that the building houses. The building being in the business district of Lower Parel, the absence of a signboard on the door can be surprising - unless, of course, you happen to know that the neon green door opens into Umbrella, the new ‘concept agency' started by Bhupal Ramnathkar, executive creative director, Enterprise Nexus.

Now did we say no signboard or corporate identity? Well, the three brollies poking out of the milk can aren't exactly there to offer protection from the rain!

Unconventional, the signboard is. And unconventional Umbrella will be, promises Ramnathkar. "The monsoons, I thought, are a great time to open an Umbrella," he smiles, pleased to see his two-year-old idea of a "completely different ad agency concept" finally taking shape.

Umbrella, to quote Ramnathkar, is part agency, part design studio and part coffee shop. "Umbrella will offer a wide array of creative communication services under one roof, which is why it's called Umbrella," he says. Creative ideation and execution, design solutions, ad scripts, film direction… Umbrella will offer all this, and Ramnathkar explains that clients can work with his outfit either on a project basis, or on a long-term contract.

"We will provide any solution," he elaborates. "You want a campaign, we'll create it for you. If you already have an idea and only want it executed brilliantly, we will do it. If all you want is a great script, we'll give you scripts, which you can then take to any director of your choice. On the other hand, if you want a film made, we can do that too. We will even do a one-off corporate identity project for clients. The idea is to deliver what clients want, as long as they are willing to pay for it. And yes, I believe a lot of clients will come back to us if they see value."

Ramnathkar, however, takes pains to point out that his outfit will not be "another ad agency". Explaining how Umbrella is different from existing agencies, he says, "The idea is not to set up another agency. There are already too many agencies in this business, and many of them are doing a good job, so there was no point in starting one of my own." Where Umbrella is different from the rest is in terms of the business model. "Umbrella will have only four or five employees on its payroll," says Ramnathkar. "The rest of the people I shall work with will be senior professionals from different disciplines of advertising. These people will be on Umbrella's panel, and as and when I work with one or a few of them on a project or assignment, they will be paid. The rest of the time, they will be free to work elsewhere."

Ramnathkar's objective behind creating this ‘open resource pool' of creative talents is twofold. "There are a lot of senior creative people in this industry who want to just do good work. They don't want to be tied down to any one agency and all its responsibilities. At the same time, I do not want to start an agency and be responsible for the salary of 50 people. Once I am responsible for the salary of 50 people, I will automatically go after any business, good or bad, and will be trapped in the typical agency mould of chasing billing. All I want to do is good work, and there are people around who want to do the same, so I saw an opportunity. Umbrella will bring us together to work on projects, and then we'll go our individual ways. There is complete freedom for everyone involved."

Ramnathkar reveals that he has already set up a panel of designers, and has got two senior scriptwriters on the panel. He also informs that Parveez Shaikh, ex-creative director of Contract Advertising, has agreed to be his copy partner on big projects, while Dubai-based photographers Tejal and Daryl Patni are also on the panel. "Talks are on to get some international filmmakers onto the panel as well," he says. "I have been talking to some more people whom I'd like to have on the panel, and they have liked the idea."

The biggest benefit of creating a panel of creative talent, Ramnathkar feels, is that he has the liberty of picking the right people for the right jobs. "In an agency setup, you hire somebody for a particular talent. But because you are paying that person a salary, and because you want to get the most out of him or her, you put him or her onto a job that he or she may not be best suited for. As a result, the work suffers. Because I am not paying anyone on the panel a salary, I don't have such problems. Depending upon the assignment, Umbrella will get only the best minds to work on the project."

He adds that Umbrella will be unlike most agencies even when it comes to the system of remuneration. "Umbrella will not function on a commission, as we will not do any releases. We will work only on a fee or monthly retainer basis."

Interestingly, despite being contrary to the existing ad agency structure in many ways, Ramnathkar insists that Umbrella is not in competition with any of the existing agencies. "In fact, even agencies are my clients," he says. "For example, if an agency that doesn't have a design cell wants to redo the packaging of one of its client's brands, it can come to Umbrella. We will even go and present the work to the client along with the agency, if required, but there is no question of bypassing the agency. We are in this to do great work, not compete with anyone." Without taking names, he adds that two-three agencies are talking to Umbrella "for a regular design arrangement".

Barely one month old, Umbrella - which is jointly promoted by Ramnathkar and Ramesh Govani of the city-based Kamala Group - is already working on three assignments. These include work for Kamala Group-brands Gabbana and Crunch, and a design assignment for Oracle Australia. "A few more should happen soon," Ramnathkar is optimistic.

"This concept is an experiment, and I really don't know what shape Umbrella will take one year from now," says Ramnathkar, who, incidentally, will continue working with Enterprise as a consultant. "But I will mould my way as we go along. What I can say is that it is a new concept, and a lot of people including Mohammed (Khan, chairman, Enterprise Nexus) have been excited by it. I have a feeling it will become a success."

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