MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • Commenting on the Advertising Conclave that happened yesterday, Shashi Sinha, CEO, Lodestar UM, President Ad Club Bombay and Chairperson of the Goafest Awards Governing Council find the theme around the power of ideas has been simplified and presented in an enlightening way

    Special to MxM | Daily Commentary by Shashi Sinha

    By Shashi Sinha

     

    The Conclave got off to a rousing start yesterday. The sessions this year were in a different format from last time, where we had a few international speakers. What’s working is the international case studies that were being presented by several international leaders. There is a common theme running this year where it is not about digital, it is not about activations but about larger ideas which can be made popular and which people can use as a part of their journey. They don’t necessarily have to embrace the content, but they can embrace an idea and they can exploit it as per their wishes. So there is a consistency in the way in which the sessions have been rolled out.

     

    One of the moving sessions was by Tim Love of Omnicom, who expressed how ideas multiply when you connect with them in different ways. So, while there was a common theme this year at the Conclave, each one was different and had their own theories to present. Personally, this format works better than the format we had last year, where we had presenters coming and discussing internal issues like recession and so on, which were good to an extent but there is a newness that is needed every year and that was what has been achieved at the Conclave this year.

     

    This enables a level of conceptual thinking that is needed behind every idea. So, all in all, it was a good day to start with as there were not too many sessions and there were less but effective presentations.

     

    The Conclave saw some big international marketers from Coca Cola and Intel discuss the way ahead for the industry, but the sessions on Saturday will see some key and large marketers from India shedding light on mantras and ideas for a better tomorrow. I think from an organiser’s point of view, not only getting them to interact but also present their point of view is what will make it a different experience for the delegates this year.

     

    As for the awards that would begin from today, we are proud to have received tremendous amount of participation from agencies, but I think still that the scale could have been bigger. That is what we will attempt to do next year. This year there was a delay in the forms being dispersed and so on, so it requires evangelisation and we need to sell the idea and concepts well. But it is a very good beginning; you will see the results on Saturday.

     

    Net-net, I think, this year we have managed to get some high quality marketers to come and share their mantras. Second, the whole theme around the power of ideas has been simplified and has been presented in an enlightening way to the delegates. A lot of people were saying it is all about digital; but that is not the case. It is about an idea and how you magnify an idea. Third, and last, everyone keeps talking about co-creation of ideas but it is not about that – it is about how consumers embrace ideas. Delegates can look forward to more empowering sessions in the two days, especially the young turks from the industry.

     

    Shashi Sinha is CEO, Lodestar UM. He is also President of the Advertising Club Bombay and Chairperson of the Goafest Awards Governing Council.


    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

     

  • Rahul Johri, Senior Vice-president & GM, Discovery Networks on the Discovery network's association with Goafest, the soon-to-be-launched Discovery Kids and how he is looking forward to digitization

    Goafest has grown in stature: Rahul Johri

    The Discovery network is partnering Goafest for the fourth time and the focus this year is around Discovery Kids, its soon-to-be-launched channel for kids. MxMIndia speaks to Rahul Johri, Senior Vice-president & GM, Discovery Networks on Discovery’s association with Goafest (and of course Discovery Kids and how he is looking forward to digitization).

     

    On partnering Goafest in 2012

    Goafest is a landmark event of the industry and this is our fourth year of participation in the event. The who’s who of the industry congregates here for co-sharing and exchange of ideas and solutions. It has grown in stature over the past years – the quality of speakers it attracts, the kind of discussions that take place…it has gotten better every year and that is why we are excited to partner such an event. The focus of what was said today was on good quality content and we are one of the biggest content producers in the world. It is good to hear speakers deliberate on how content is playing an integral role and is at the core of everything that we do.

     

    On the age of digitization

    The onset of digitalization presents an opportunity for niche networks to come in and therefore you see our channels like Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo or Discovery HD…these channels really thrive in a digital environment where they are not limited by capacity constraints of analog cable and we are really looking forward to digitization.

     

    On Discovery’s stride in India

    We have just announced the launch of Discovery Kids a few weeks ago and that has been a big move for us. Discovery has grown rapidly in the past one year. In the last three years, we have gone from three channels to eight channels, from two languages to five languages…so we are growing very rapidly and this year it is going to be all about Discovery Kids.

     

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

     

  • Jayant Murty, Intel's Director of Strategy, Media and Integrated Marketing for the Asia Pacific Region on the role that marketers can essay at events like Goafest

    We need to stop ranking ideas: Jayant Murty

    At the Advertising Conclave, Jayant Murty, Director of Strategy, Media and Integrated Marketing, Asia Pacific Region, Intel Corp presented his ideas on building brands in the era of multiple degrees of freedom. MxMIndia spoke to Mr Murty to gather his perspective on the festival and the role that marketers can essay at such events.

     

    On Intel’s association with Goafest

    A few of us, marketers, were invited here to share as to where do we think brands need to head and the kind of communication support it needs to get there. According to me, this is not a place to lecture but to engage in meaningful dialogue. Any speaker who speaks at such forums is good when they can bring in something radical and controversial that you can start a new kind of conversation. I am viewing this as: can I, as an individual, bring in something that can start a new conversation.

     

    On digital as a way of life

    One of the talking points today was digital and I do not think consumers look at life as being analog or digital or television or web. I think consumers are looking at things that inspire and interest them and it is up to marketers to figure at all points of time which medium will deliver that inspiration. What is important is that consumers, at any point in time, deal with multiple screens – computer, tablet, phone, television and the newspaper and as long as you understand and respect the fact that consumers have different expectations and you build content to make that screen as engaging and inspirational as possible, I think that’s what brands need to strive for in the future.

     

    On the power of an idea

    I think what we all need to do is stop ranking ideas. I do not think anybody can say that this idea is better than the other one. That’s because a great idea from one industry looks a little bit different from a good idea from another industry. And some, unfortunately, look fashionable and sexy than other ideas. I think it would be better if we stopped rating ideas. But what one must do diligently with all the ideas that we implement is see how they fared. Did people engage with them, did it build new fans, did it start conversations…and I think we need to become more analytical in our analysis rather than this public sentiment that this is a great idea and this is an average idea.

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

     

  • Anil Thakraney is not at Goafest, but he lists his Do's and Don'ts: including how you can land a job at Ogilvy and why you must carry a permanent black marker with you!

    Anil Thakraney’s 7 Do’s and Don’ts for Goafest

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I am not doing Goa this year. Though I did attend the fest some years ago, and noticed that the participants need to do a few things differently in order to make better use of the event. Here’s my list of suggestions, if you are en route to Goa:

     

    1. Carry a permanent black marker with you. And if you notice a scam ad pasted in the exhibition area, write in full caps on top of that entry: SCAM. Do it even if YOU submitted that particular entry. There has to come a time when the ad world outgrows this charade. So why not begin the shubh karya this year?

     

    2. If you are sloshed and hugely fed and have to attend a speech by one of those luminaries, I suggest you try and grab a seat at the rear. Don’t try to please your boss and diligently head for the front row. There are other ways to suck up. And I say this because if the presenter turns out to be too sleep-inducing, you can make a quiet escape from the rear without being noticed. This is much better than being caught yawning. I do this at every speech I attend, and it’s served me well in life.

     

    3. Gherao the organizers and demand that they find a way to break the ice with Lowe. Even better, do this after downing six large pegs. It’s critical that all leading ad agencies take part so that Goafest can become a truly meaningful awards event.

     

    4. Please don’t hang around the entire time with colleagues from your own office. That is stupid. You do that back home anyways. Here’s an opportunity to meet with colleagues from rival agencies and from other cities, to forge new alliances. And if you are really lucky, she may even slip in her room key into the sandy pocket of your Bermuda shorts.

     

    5. This is for the suits: Please DO NOT wear floral shirts. It’s much too pretentious, wannabe and desperate. Stick to semi-casuals. You will be appreciated for that.

     

    6. Please say a warm hello to Piyush Pandey. In Hindi, of course. And claim that you’ve just arrived from Etawah or Allahabad or Kanpur or Varanasi or Kumaon. You may land a job at O&M. On the spot.

     

    7. Please hang around in Goa (at your cost, of course) for an extra day. You could check into a seedy hotel and spend the day ogling at the Russian chicks on Anjuna beach. Not only will this be fun, it does not make sense for 3000 delegates to exit Goa on the same day. The Goa airport, even on uneventful days, is quite chaotic. Post Goafest, it becomes a bloody nightmare.

     

    Have a good time! Cheers!

     

    Anil Thakraney wrote this as part of his Hard Knocks blog. We thought it’s just right for the Anchor – Ed

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

     

  • There have been a record number of registrations as the annual fest kicks off today with the Advertising Conclave

    All roads to a bigger, beerier Goafest!

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    It’s the time of the year when the adfrat congregates in Goa for the sun, sand and loads of learning. And may we add: gallons of beer. As Goafest 2012 begins at The Zuri White Sands in South Goa today with the industry conclave, one will see more than 3,000 people get together to celebrate creativity.

     

    Says an ecstatic Arvind Sharma, Chairman, Goafest 2012: “We were ourselves surprised with such an encouraging response. This year will see the biggest crowd gather in the history of Goafest.” If the number of registrations has skyrocketed, guess will so be the consumption of beer and assorted liquids. Remember, the excise levies are perhaps the lowest in the country in Goa!

     

    “Goafest 2012 is a brand owned by the advertising and marketing fraternity. The high numbers that will attend the festival goes to show that fraternity looks at it as an extremely responsible event that is representative of the industry. We have an outstanding line-up of speakers this year, the process of judging has been rule-based and transparent and the jury has been extremely happy with the quality of entries that have come in. I just hope that people will enjoy the Goafest, Mr Sharma adds”

     

    Goafest will start, as has been the norm, with the Advertising Conclave with the theme Ideas That Impact the Full Circle. The session will begin with the welcome address by Nagesh Alai, President, AAAI. Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman, Goafest Advertising Conclave will give his address on the theme of the Conclave. This will be followed by introduction of speakers by Arvind Sharma, Chairman, Goafest 2012.

     

    Jean-Yves Naouri, COO, Publicis Groupe and Tim Love, CEO, APIMA, Vice Chairman, Omnicom Group will give a global insight to the theme of the conclave. Jayant Murty, Director of Strategy, Media and Integrated Marketing, Asia Pacific Region, Intel Corp will speak on building brands in the era of multiple degrees of freedom. The last session will be a panel discussion on the theme which will be moderated by Anuradha Sengupta of CNBC TV18.

     

    Post the Conclave, April 20-21would have seminars during the day and awards night. On Day 1, the sessions will start from 2.30pm and the speakers would include Lucas Watson of Youtube, Jonathan Mildenhall of Coca-Cola, Tim Love of Omnicom, Charles Wright of Wolff Olins. On Day 2, one would get to hear author and brand guru Prof John Philip Jones, Rishad Tobaccowaala of Vivaki, Erik Vervroegen, Publicis Worldwide and Simon Wardle. These sessions will begin from 11.30 am.

     

    This year, Goafest has included segments that would appeal and include the marketers to their fold. During the seminars, a leading marketer would pose questions to the speaker and also bring an Indian context to the entire session even giving his or her interpretation.

     

    Some of the marketers who would be part of the sessions include: N Rajaram of Airtel, Sanjay Behl of Reliance, Kainaz Guzdar of P&G, Rajesh Jejurikar of Zee, Viral Oza of Nokia, Gayatri Yadav of Star and Hemant Bakshi of HUL. Goafest has also introduced the Marketing Wizards encouraging marketers under 30 years of age to participate in the fest.

     

    In the case of the awards, the number of jury members in each category has been increased to give a better representation. The number of Grand Prix too has been extended to all 9 categories (10 if film and film craft is considered separately).

     

    The focus has been to make the awards bias-free (as they ought to be!) and the Goafest Committee has brought in many filters to ensure that awards are held in high esteem by the fraternity. Also there are entries and delegates from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh this year.

     

    On April 20, the Media Abbys Night will be held where Digital, Design and Direct Abbys will also be presented and on April 21, the rest of the awards will be given including the coveted Creative Abbys.

     

    On the downside, while Lowe continues to skip the awards, among the bigger agencies, McCann too did not send any entries though it is learnt that folk from the agency will attend the fest.

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

     

  • Ajay Chandwani on how Abby is not just a creative advertising award any more, though it had started that way more than 40 years ago

    Go-Goafest!: Ajay Chandwani on why the Abby this year is special

    By Ajay Chandwani

     

    The Creative Abby has evolved in many ways and this year is no exception. With the 9 verticals, the Abby is not just a creative advertising award any more, though it had started that way more than 40 years ago. Direct, Design, Digital and Film Craft have all created new communication communities with companies participating from these functional areas. The Abby is sought after by film directors, through the line stalwarts, mobile and digital companies and others.

     

    New categories like Environment Design, Online Integrated Digital andMobile, Augmented Reality, Direct response inMobileand so on added a new dimension to entry opportunities. No wonder we saw 4,253 entries this year, a significant increase over last year.

     

    The combination of discussion with secret ballot seems to have been welcomed by most creatives for the second year running. This is a departure from the open hands vote of 3 years that Goafest 2008-10 used, with endorsement from the creative community. Also new rules on multi-category entering and discretionary clubbing on winners with similarity has gone down well with the creative folks.

     

    Jury composition has also evolved with younger and recent award winning contemporary judges being added from several agencies. At least 15 per cent of the judges were first time jury members at Abbys. Also we saw 3 new Jury Chairmen at Goafest Abby this year … Sonal Dabral of Mudra DDB, Ashish Khazanchi of Publicis and Abhijit Awasti of Ogilvy.

     

    Another added feature this year has been that judges from advertising mainstream agencies are rubbing shoulders with specialist judges in Direct, Design, Digital and Film Craft juries. The lines between specialists are blurring as convergence and creativity becomes a child of the 360 degree touch point era.

     

    The healthiest debates in discussion have been on ‘Are we honouring best in local Indian standards or benchmarking against international winners?’ With so many Indian entries chasing International awards and Indian judges at global festivals, it’s not surprising that most juries have worked out their balance on this subject.

     

    Let’s hope the audience likes the winners picked on April 21!

     

    Ajay Chandwani is Director at Percept Limited and is member of Award Governing Council in charge of Jury selection, judging process and conducting of Creative Abby

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

     

  • Goafest is a good break from day to day drudgery. I would like to see cultural activities go hand in hand with the learning, says Mr Kamath

    6 Days to Go-Goafest: I would like to see less of scam, says Subhash Kamath

    By Subhash Kamath

     

    There is the advertising awards night and then there is Goafest, difference being that the latter is a three-day affair and is a festival of advertising. The Festival sees more than two thousand people from the fraternity congregate at one place to celebrate Indian Advertising. Its three day outing of learning, networking, meeting, fun and party.

     

    What I would like to see at Goafest? Well, less of scam for sure. Over the years, I have become disillusioned with the amount of scam one sees at awards and this is the case not just peculiar to Indian advertising but across the globe. What used to be an exception has become a rule now. It is like creating a parallel culture comprising real work v/s work created just for awards.

     

    I don’t really know what the solution is for this but the number of scams surely brings down the credibility of any awards.

     

    Another thing that I would like to at the Goafest would be speakers from outside our industry. I know that the biggest challenge at the Fest is to get an impressive line of speakers. If you get a big name, then it ensures a full house but lesser known speakers warrant an empty hall. I say, why not get Nandan Nilekani who is a great speaker and people would love listening to him, MS Dhoni could talk on how to motivate a team or Aamir Khan on creating different identity. They would surely be worth listening to. The whole idea should be to make Goafest bigger, popular and global.

     

    Goafest is a good break from day to day drudgery. I would like to see cultural activities go hand in hand with the learning. It would be great if one sees parallel activities like a music fest, or a stage for impromptu standup comedy or street theater. At ASCI, I had initiated to engage people in installation art or mobile film making, like these there are several creative options one could explore. There is a lot of talent in our industry and giving a platform to showcase these at Goafest would add a new element to Goafest.

     

    There should be an amalgamation of learning, fun and work shop at the Fest and let people choose what they would like to go for.

     

    Bottom line being that lets take Goafest beyond the place to network, meet people, listen to speakers and just enjoy being there. Let’s do all the things mentioned above but let’s also strive to add more to the Fest and truly strive to make it a Festival that’s helps in bringing the passion back to advertising.

     

    Subhash Kamath is the Managing Partner at BBH India

     

    Photograph: LinkedIn profile

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

     

  • Where else are the essentials of a brief: the product, the TG and the market in one place says Rajan Narayan

    7 Days to Go-Goafest: Rajan Narayan on why Goafest is a hub of creativity

    By Rajan Narayan

     

    Because our clients do not allow us to say interesting things on their behalf.

     

    Because where else would you find people who’ve chucked high paying jobs for peanuts?

     

    Because Goa is far, far better than Gokul. Because we’re too honest to do financial scams.

     

    Because Cannes is beyond reach.

     

    Because we aren’t dull boys.

     

    Because where else are the essentials of a brief: the product, the TG and the market in one place?

     

    Because even if we don’t have a heavy bank balance or a heavy address at least we’ll have a heavy brass trophy.

     

    Because it’s a low-cost, self-paying method for the big seths of advertising to humour their underlings.

     

    Because only so many drunks will listen to the gyan of old men.

     

    Because client deadlines can wait at least one weekend in a year.

     

    Because we need better memories than staring bleakly as our best ideas are thrashed about by lesser men.

     

    Because if not an award, at least there’s a chick waiting in the white sands of Goa.

     

    Because in one shot, in one place we can show our peers, our metal.

     

    Because pure art needs a gallery.

     

    Because there are only some who’ll get it.

     

    Because we want to spend some time with people with our abilities and frailties.

     

    Because if a salesman and a banker can get an award, we can too.

     

    Because we need to do a pilgrimage at least once a year.

     

    Because even if no one cares and no one applauds our work, it should not mean that we can’t.

     

    Because indeed, we’re worth every bit of it.

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

     

  • Ajay Kakkar lists reasons why a client should rather than not attend GoaFest 2012

    8 days to Go-Goafest: Ajay Kakar on why the client frat should not attend Goafest!

    By Ajay Kakar

     

    I do believe that as a client/marketer you should definitely not waste your valuable time attending the Goafest…

     

    …if you believe that agency partners have no role to play in the building, nurturing and success of your brand

     

    …if you believe that the output of your agency partners is mere creatives

     

    …if you believe that your agency partners do not value your presence and encouragement

     

    …If you believe that your agency is a mere vendor

     

    …If you have not certified the entries made by your agency as your work, actioned by you

     

    …if you believe that agency partners do not want to share their success and joyous moments with you

     

    …if you feel that it is ‘their’ win and you have had no role to play in it

     

    …if you do not feel a sense of ownership and pride to see your agency win

     

    …if you do not want to partake in their success celebrations

     

    …if you do not feel the need to be by the side of your agency team, holding their hand – in case they do not win

     

    …If you do not hope and aspire that some day your agency will do work that is worthy of industry recognition

     

    …if you feel that there is nothing that you have not seen, or there is nothing left for you to learn from

     

    …if you do not feel inspired by work that has won the recognition of a distinguished panel of jury

     

    …if you do not feel the need to be inspired by speakers who have proved their mettle against the best of the best – in India and abroad

     

    …If you believe that the only place for good creatives to be displayed at is the Jehangir Art Gallery

     

    …If you would not like to see all the best work done, from across the country, from across agencies, across the year, at one place – at one time

     

    …If you do not like to meet your peers from the advertising, media and marketing fraternities

     

    …If you believe that the 3000+ people who went last year have wasted their time

     

    …If you….

     

    Rather than think, procrastinate and defer the decision, come and experience the learning, the networking, the inspiration, the bonding….kuch din to gujariye Goafest men. And I can assure you that you will come back for more. Take it from a client who has been there every year, with a contingent size that could be the envy of many an agencies.

     

    Ajay Kakar is CMO – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group

     

     

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

     

  • MxMIndia kicks off its countdown to Goafest 2012 with an interview with the organising committee chair

    10 Days to Go-Goafest! It’s all about celebrating ideas: Arvind Sharma

     

    As the countdown begins for Goafest 2012, Arvind Sharma, Chairman Goafest 2012 and Chairman, India Sub-continent, Leo Burnett, speaks to MxMIndia’s Tuhina Anand on the festival this year and why it is truly the celebration of creativity at its best.

     

    What can one expect from Goafest 2012? How will it different from last year?

    The Festival will stay true to its fundamental vision. It is a platform for celebrating creativity and a source of inspiration. Most importantly for the entire fraternity comprising young and not-so-young, Goafest is the preparatory ground for the industry to gauge where and how to go forward. I feel that the core, sometimes, is forgotten in the bid to do something new.

     

    I mean, we live in a world which is changing rapidly, so having something new is inevitable. If you look at successful festivals around the world 90 per cent remain the same. Similarly, at Goafest, we have defined categories and 95 per cent remain the same in terms of predictability of entering, judging, Awards Governing Council and Goafest Committee. There is consistency in that format and our effort of providing conversations. All this is same as what one had last year.

    Having said that about the predictability factor, let me also add that moving forward is equally important.

     

    So, what’s new?

    This year we are looking at ways to involve clients in a meaningful way. The fact is that, there would be no advertising if there were no clients. The business of advertising is about partnering with the marketers. We, at Goafest, believe in evolving vision that doesn’t really mean evolving identically, but in evolving together. We look at bringing in more opportunity for conversations and that’s the reason why we have brought clients this time into the seminar.

     

    There is a slight change in the format. So far, there have been series of international speakers, while some of these presentations have been received well, some weren’t, and there have been questions on the relevance of those to India. Changing that, we have brought in senior Indian clients to raise questions after the presentation. So there will be 30-35 minutes for the speaker followed by 10-15 minutes of Q&A led by a senior Indian client. He or she will be the voice and mind of the audience and bring in the Indian perspective to the entire presentation by agreeing, challenging, bringing contextual light and interpreting the whole presentation.

     

    We have also brought the Marketing Wizards to Goafest. This is calling the under-30 staff of the marketing community. We have had a good response and we expect overall 70 to 80 major advertisers to participate, which include team of two people representing to some even registering team of 30 people even though we have a limit to numbers.

     

    Why this whole idea of bringing in Grand Prix to all verticals?

    Grand Prix, traditionally, has been awarded in Print, TV and Integrated. This year, we have expanded the Grand Prix to cover all the 9 verticals. This was not an easy decision and the step was debated. We believe that the time has come for specialists in area to move to the centrestage. I don’t really know if the jury will find works worthy enough for Grand Prix in each of the vertical, but this would help in finding worthy advertising and celebrating it around India and even around the world.

     

    For a young designer who is always on the periphery of an agency, winning gold is good but winning the GrandPrix might help in moving the same person to leadership position. We hope that the move will catalyze long term fundament change in the way we create advertising.

     

    We hear this year there are entries from other South Asian countries?

    Yes, we have entries from Sri Lanka and Pakistan and we will have delegates from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. In South Asia, we have different cultures but there are more similarities than differences within those cultures and we can learn a lot from each other. Unfortunately, the politics of the subcontinent is more difficult. We had planned a road show in various countries but our passports got stuck and this could not happen.

     

    Can you throw some light on the conclave and the seminar?

    We have put together an enviable list of names and these are speakers who really are worthy of listening. Jean-Yves Naouri, COO Publicis Group spends almost 150 days in flight. He knows what is happening in the business around the world and will share his valuable insight. Tim Love has been involved with theCannesand he played important role in the shaping of the future of Omnicom Group. Jonathon Mildenhall, VP of Global Advertising Strategy and Creative Excellence, CocaCola promises to be stimulating session. Steven King, CEO, ZenithOptimedia will also be on panel. Anuradha Sengupta, who loves throwing challenge, will be part of the session.

     

    On the seminar speakers, Amir Kassaei, Chief Creative Officer, DDB Worldwide, Rishad Tobaccowala, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, VivaKi and Prof John Philip Jones, Emeritus Professor at the Newhouse School of Public Communications,Syracuse University,New Yorkwill be speakers. While the world is talking video as the future, Lucas Watson, Vice President, Global Sales and Industry Marketing, YouTube will tell us how and Simon Wardle, Chief Strategy Officer, Octagon will be worth listening to for all the planners in the industry. Erik Vervroegen, International Creative Director, Publicis Worldwide will give his take on creativity. We will announce one more name in this list soon. From the Indian marketers side who will be part of Q&A, we have Sanjay Behl from Reliance, Kainaz Gazder from P&G, Viral Oza from Nokia, Gayatri Yadav from Star India and Hemant Bakshi from Unilever.

     

    Awards have been under the scanner, do the controversies surrounding it mar the event in anyway?

    Awards show will have criticism. What is driving us is the celebration of creativity and look at this Fest as a platform to prepare ourselves for the way industry will go forward.

     

    Why did the Goafest Committee decide the theme – Magic of Ideas?

    Everything that happens at festivals is ideas. While advances in technology and database is important, but what we celebrate is ideas. If we add everything on an excel sheet, we will see that when a brand gets a lot of traction or if it is ignored, it is all to do with ideas. No client launches a product with the intention of not succeeding, so getting it right is important. For a product to be embraced, it has to connect with people and this cannot be reduced to a formula but has to do with the magic of ideas.

     

    The awards have been leaked in the past, losing some of its credibility, how do you ensure that this doesn’t happen this year?

    We believe that awards will not be leaked. In this, the media as well as the organizers have a role to play. There is a symbiotic relation. We do our best to avoid any such incident. Some information has to be shared with the media beforehand, but there is an embargo on release information and last year journalistic fraternity showed a sense of responsibility. I will add that the media has equally a big stake in the Fest.

     

    What will you say to the agencies that have decided to stay away from the fest?

    Whether to participate or not is an agency’s decision. We on our part, including the AGC, have been ensuring that our job that includes category, rules, audit and the jury does their job well. Let creative minds debate as for us touch wood, thing are going as per planned.

     

    If you have to send a formal invite to the industry for the Fest what would you say as to why must the fraternity attend?

    You will get to see the best of work and see the best creative minds judging what they think is worthy of awards. You get to interact with seniors and bright creative minds which many times is impossible in the busy schedules that we lead. Besides you will get to hear exceptional speakers’ line-up.

     

    Goafest creates the space for debate with peers and youngsters, which includes large group discussions and one-on-one interaction. We are expecting around 2,500 people to attend Goafest this year. Not to forget that Goafest is not heavy-handed like training sessions but good learning place where you also have loads of fun.

     

    Personally for you, how has it been plugging all the gaps before the festival?

    We have a very big team working across agencies. There is a sense of joy and shared sense of purpose to make Goafest a success. We are in it together and there still is a fair bit of work to be done. However, it’s been an enjoyable experience.

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  • The Lowe Lintas big boss freewheels with Anil Thakraney about Bs big and small, talent, and why he won't participate in the Abby

    Awards have no relevance to advtertising: Balki

     

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    It’s always fun meeting the big boss of Lowe Lintas. Since we have worked together before and since Balki is always forthright and politically incorrect, one is assured of an exciting but meaningful exchange. Here is he, speaking his mind on various issues. Movies, advertising, the challenges facing the industry, the kind of people he’d like to hire, and yes, about his continuing allergy to advertising awards.

     

    You have to respect the man for the wonderful work he’s been doing on both, the small and the large screen. And more so for being that rare individual in the ad world who has the balls to stand up for something he believes in.

     

    Still around in advertising? Shouldn’t you be busy making big films with Big B?

    I am making a movie a day, it’s the same thing. An idea is an idea whether it’s three hours or thirty seconds. The day I stop tripping on getting the high when one gets an idea, that’s the day I will stop. In fact, I haven’t done a film in the last two years, I have been caught up with Lowe Lintas. I do have an idea for a film which I will work on towards the end of this year.

     

    And it will back to Bachchan, I suppose.

    Not back to, WITH Bachchan. I haven’t gone away from him.

     

    What’s with the Bachchan fetish?

    When you work with the ultimate guy it becomes difficult to work with somebody else. He’s phenomenal. Such hunger and greed for performing at the age of 70… it’s truly inspirational. I can keep on making films with him for the rest of my life.

     

    Are you a fan of Abhishek Bachchan too? His career isn’t going anywhere.

    Actually I found his performance in ‘Paa’ the best. It was the most difficult role. I think his problem is more the choice of films rather than the quality of his acting. He’s got his niche, he’s very good at certain things. He’s also a good friend.

     

    So that’s why you keep using him in the IDEA commercials, often when he’s not even needed.

    He’s a better friend of IDEA than he’s of mine. I didn’t choose him, IDEA chose Abhishek.

     

    What are the learnings from movies you’ve taken to advertising?

    The biggest thing that happens when you come back from cinema to advertising is that you are even more impatient. Because cinema takes so much time to execute, you want to make the ads even faster. That’s the reason I like making ads. You make them fast and you move on. There’s an idea a day, and that’s an addiction which is difficult to escape.

     

    Your wife’s directing ‘English Vinglish’. Are you the producer? And what’s it about?

    Rakesh Jhunjhunwala has co-produced it with me, along with another investor. It’s about the insecurities of a middle class woman who doesn’t know English in today’s context. It’s about how she overcomes the fear of English. It’s a very relevant issue to a lot of people in this country. In India, it’s money, fame and (knowledge of) English which determine the class and quality of a person.

     

    Let’s cut to Lowe. Are you still as hands-on as ever?

    I am. There’s so much of work, yaar. Today, Arun (Iyer) and Amer (Jaleel) have taken on a hell of a lot, they handle 50 percent of the business. My travel has come down but my ideation hasn’t. So yes, I am still involved in major things, I know what’s happening. This is not a profession where internal structures and motivations of the agency can dictate solutions for a client. The client comes to an agency for a solution and we have to get it, by hook or by crook. Gone are the days when creative directors would sit on a revolving chair and give motivational advice to people on how to crack things.

     

    Piyush Pandey said to me the reason he isn’t making movies is because he’s not bored of advertising.

    It’s about the number of things you can do, it has nothing to do with being bored of advertising. So maybe some people are capable of doing a lot more and some people are not.

     

    Significant changes you’ve observed in the ad world in recent times.

    It’s the same, in so far as it’s still a problem/solution business. What I find is that the clients today are hungrier for more interesting solutions. I find that clients don’t want to waste an idea. And because of the complexities of the marketing issues, the problem articulation is no longer simple. You can no longer say this is small, this is big or that is cheap. It’s about understanding the complexities and simplifying them. And I find that fewer and fewer people are able to do this. Therefore far more is expected of a creative person today than it ever was. The creative person is now seen as the solutions provider. Planning is now playing a big role in the articulation of the problem. Planners are now working more for the clients than for the agency. This shift is something I don’t quite agree with, but it’s happening. This situation requires more discipline, rigour and understanding from a creative person than ever before.

     

    And I guess this impacts your hiring policies.

    It impacts that hugely. The three Cannes Gold winners don’t make sense any more. Today a lot of senior creative people have to grow within the current system. So you hire junior people who are clever and intelligent and then groom them into the system of understanding problems. It’s very dangerous hiring very senior people from the outside. We went through a phase in advertising where we said we are losing our respect as an industry. That’s changed. Today the clients respect the advertising agency for providing solutions.

     

    Both, Prasoon Joshi and Piyush Pandey told me that the industry is losing talent. There seems to be too much pressure from clients, they no longer pamper creative people. And opportunities have opened up for agency personnel in other industries.

    I don’t agree with this. I actually think there’s never been a better time to be in advertising. You are no longer respected for your whacky ideas, being a maverick won’t get you any special respect. The problem isn’t that the industry is losing talent, the problem is it’s not attracting talent. It’s damn difficult to find talent to address today’s problems. In fact, today there are a lot of people in marketing who want to join advertising. Where we are not attracting the right talent is at the junior level. We as an industry haven’t been able to articulate what is the kind of people we want.

     

    As an old-world creative director, do you find yourself struggling with the new media?

    No. Clients want you do virals in the new media, but it’s still film. The video will never die, though the medium for broadcasting it may have changed. The production methodologies may also have changed. But the idea is the key to it all.

     

    You are not even on Twitter and Facebook. How will you ever understand the digital world?

    The reason I am not on it is that I don’t want the world to know what the fuck I am doing. That’s a personal choice, it has nothing to do with the new media. In fact, today if I am on Facebook, I am a fuddy duddy cock.

     

    The problem, Balki, is that all you uncles are obsessed with the TV commercial.

    I approach a problem very simply. There is a solution, and there is an idea. And if the solution demands a certain kind of medium, you use that. Nobody knew how to make films before or how to make a digital programme. So it’s all about expression. And you go into that particular medium and do it. I didn’t know how to shoot a film earlier, so I went to the experts to do it for me. I don’t watch television at all, but that doesn’t mean I am fuddy duddy on television.

     

    Small shops are springing up. People like Aggie are doing very well. Does that worry you?

    It’s always been happening. What do you think Mohammed Khan and Ravi Gupta did? If Ogilvy and JWT don’t worry me, then why should they? They are all competition. In fact, the more the merrier, it means more people are doing better ads, and that’s fantastic for the ad industry.

     

    Why are so many creative directors branching out on their own?

    In some cases they believe their talent is far superior to what a large agency can harness. The other reason is there are only so many people who can grow to a point in an agency. So it could be the frustration of not being able to grow beyond a point. They have to start their own thing to be what they want to be. The third thing of course is money. Some people want to be richer than what they are.

     

    Words of wisdom for young creative people.

    I think if you like sport, you should come to advertising. There is a hurdle to be crossed every day, there is a goal to be scored, there is a wicket to be taken, there are problems that come your way. It is like a game. The moment you start taking it too seriously, it’s very difficult to function in this business. A lot of things don’t make sense out here.

     

    Shashi Sinha tells me he’s cleaned up the GoaFest judging process. All the scams have been dealt with. But you still won’t take part.

    I believe the advertising industry needs credible awards. But how do you judge advertising? You say, ‘Haha, this is so funny! Oh, what a technique in this one!’ And based on that you award some ads. And two months later the agency loses the business. So obviously it doesn’t work. What the fuck are we doing in advertising? We are supposed to solve a problem interestingly. You are supposed to state the problem and the judges are supposed to ask if that ad could have solved that problem. I judged at Cannes once, and I refused to judge after that. I’ll give you an example of what happens: Those Coke print ads, where someone is sleeping under the shadow of Coca Cola bottles, has been hailed as the greatest piece of creativity. And then you have those great TVCs of Coke with Aamir Khan, which the nation loved, but which they (the Cannes jury) didn’t understand! This kind of judging has no relevance to what the purpose of advertising is. Basically the award show is a game and you play it. So it’s not about cleaning it up, I don’t value what you award.

     

    And you also have a problem with your peers doing the judging.

    Some of them I respect and some I don’t.

     

    So what sort of jury will satisfy you?

    Having some respected marketers on the jury would help. And some very good advertising people. Right now they ask anybody who’s free to come and judge, and that’s not the way to do it. You can’t choose people just because you want representation from various agencies. Thing is, before I give you a piece of work to be evaluated, before I give you the right to say if I am good or bad, I need to be assured you are a person who’s capable of telling me that. We need to first judge the judges.

     

    What disappoints you about the ad world?

    What pains me is the amount we try to market the barometers which decide who’s good and who’s bad in the Indian industry. The Gunn report, the Asian awards, etc, they tom-tom the barometers rather than the advertising itself. And all this has absolutely no relevance to what we do here. It’s time we found a barometer or an evaluation process that tells India which is a good agency. A method through which clients can credibly choose agencies beyond just the surveys and the awards. And this lack of a proper barometer has led to personality driven agencies. This propels a lot of false media management. PR for advertising people happens because of this.

     

    Why don’t YOU work on that barometer?

    Piyush Pandey and I have had many whiskies discussing this, but we only walk away promising that we should drink some more, and that’s about it. (Laughs.)

     

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

     

  • The Awards Governing Council of the Abby Awards at Goafest has announced its team of Jury Chairpersons for the Creative Abbies this year. This year, Goafest has received more than 4,250 entries for the Creative Abby awards. The judging process will commence in Mumbai from Saturday, March 24, 2012.

    Goafest 2012: Jury chairpersons announced for Creative Abby and Media Abby shortlists

    The Awards Governing Council of the Abby Awards at Goafest has announced its team of Jury Chairpersons for the Creative Abbies this year. This year, Goafest has received more than 4,250 entries for the Creative Abby awards. The judging process will commence in Mumbai from Saturday, March 24, 2012.

     

    The jury chairpersons for various categories include Agnello Dias, Chairman & Co-Founder TapRoot India for Integrated Advertising, Ravi Deshpande, National Creative Director, Contract Advertising for Films, KV Sridhar (Pops) National Creative Director, Leo Burnett for Print, Sonal Dabral, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, DDB Mudra for Outdoor Advertising, Abhjit Avasthi, National Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather for Radio Advertising, KS Chakravarthy (Chax), National Creative Director, Draft FCB Ulka for Digital Advertising, Senthil Kumar, Executive Creative Director, JWT India and Chairman, JWT India Creative Council for Film Craft, Alok Nanda, Director Alok Nanda Communications for Design and Ashish Khazanchi, National Creative Director, Publicis Worldwide for Direct Advertising.

     

    Commenting on the Jury, Shashi Sinha, Chairman of the Awards Governing Council, said, “We are delighted to have such a remarkable line-up of Jury Chairpersons this year. All of them are creative stalwarts and I am pleased that they will be judging the Creative Abbies this year. The judging process will be transparent and fair. KPMG will be monitoring the judging procedure again this time.”

     

    This year, for the first time, Goafest is introducing Grand Prix Abbies for nine verticals.

     

    The shortlists for Media Abbies has also been announced. Goafest 2012 will be held at the Zuri White Sands in South Goa on April 20-21, 2012.

     

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    SPECIALIST CATEGORY- PRO BONO MARKETING

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