MxMIndia

Category: GOAFEST 2013

  • In the light of the recent controversies, we asked industry players what they feel about Goafest, what they are looking forward to, & who they think should win

    What does Goafest have in store?

     

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    In the world of media and advertising, awards go hand-in-hand with controversies. The upcoming Goafest is no exception – the annual festival to celebrate creativity in South Asia has been in the news for the wrong reasons. First, one of the biggies and main winners at the fest – Ogilvy and Mather – decided to stay away from the Creative Abby. Then, the entry of a controversial scam ad by JWT for their client Ford India led to heads rolling and shock waves across the industry.

     

    But turning to the positives, of which there are many, Goafest among other things offers many, especially youngsters in the industry, the opportunity to showcase their talent and learn from each other.

     

    In the light (and shade) of this, MxMIndia asked industry players what they feel about the festival, what they are looking forward to, and who they think should win.

     

    KS Chakravarthy, NCD, Draftfcb Ulka

    It’s an open field this year as there is no frontrunner or contender this year. All of the campaigns so far are good and deserve an equal chance of winning. There has been a good amount of work done by various agencies and it would be great to see it together. Also, to hear what the speakers have to share with others is always an interesting part of the event.

     

     

     

    Naresh Gupta, managing partner, Bang In The Middle

    I don’t have a favourite. This year hasn’t seen one landmark campaign that is the favourite. I would like to see a lot of challenger brands’ work to win. I would like to see more real work. Work that is mainstream. Work that the brands did to solve a marketing problem. I would also like to see greater integration of real and digital world.

     

     

     

    Anil Kakar, Founder/Chief Creative Officer, Gasoline

    As always, I am hoping to see the finest our industry has to offer. This year, in particular, I expect to see surprising work, especially in terms of craft. It’s good to see that we’ve been raising the bar in terms of execution, year after year and I am hoping this year will be no different. Among the few pieces that I can remember, I think the print campaign for Varuna D Jani is brilliant in terms of execution. The Morphy Richards commercial is another exceptional piece of work, worthy of a metal.

     

     

    Ashish Khazanchi, NCD, Publicis Ambience

    I’m sure the conversations, this year, are going to focus mainly on the controversies. However, apart from that, I’m going forward to the work and new talent. Also, with Ogilvy stepping out of it, it is difficult to say who’ll be a clear-cut winner unlike the previous years where some of the work done by the agency has won various awards. We expect to do well and of course there is Leo Burnett and McCann which have good work to their credit.

     

     

    Vivek Srivastava, Jt MD, Innocean Worldwide

    It’s a platform to interact and observe. There should be some interesting seminars. The Goafest committee has worked rather hard to get an interesting line up of speakers. And the Industry Conclave is being done in a manner which makes the business leaders deliberate and argue about issues that are affecting our businesses in the immediate term. I am surely looking forward to these. Our agency Innocean has had some shortlists. I would be happy to see those win for sure. In my view campaigns that genuinely impact consumer behaviour, make an impact on the brands’ future and ensure their relevance in this dynamic are the ones that deserve to win.

     

  • Ogilvy – that powerhouse of creativity – is not in the running for the Creative Abby. What does the industry think of that?

    The unexpected has already happened @ Goafest

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    This year the theme of Goafest is ‘Just what you unexpected’, and people were certainly not expecting Ogilvy to skip the event!

     

    Yes, for the very first time in the history of the event, the agency which has been winning big and inspiring many others at the event has decided to not participate in it. Shocking as it may seem, according to the agency, the decision has been taken after they felt that the event wasn’t energizing its people enough. Hence, they’ll skip it this year. As for the future, it is still unclear.

     

     

     

    MxM Comment: Sad to see an Abby minus Ogilvy… Time to ‘lagao’ pressure to get ’em back!

    It’s vital to exert all possible pressure to get Ogilvy back to the Creative Abby, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari. An Ogilvy not participating in the Creative Abby is like a China or USA not competing in the Summer Olympics!

     

    Last year, the Creative Abby was dominated by Ogilvy with the agency taking home 51 metals, including one Grand Prix, 11 Golds, 16 Silvers and 23 Bronzes. In earlier editions too, the agency has performed very well and has won the Grand Prix in 2007, 2011 and 2012. And in 2005, Ogilvy won the Creative Agency of the Year.

     

    MxMIndia asked around in the advertising industry whether it is in general a good idea for any agency to stay away from an industry event, and what will Ogilvy’s absence mean when the industry gets together in Goa, next month…

     

    R.Balki, Chairman and CCO, Lowe Lintas & Partners

    We have never entered the Goafest and other awards for a long time now. So, it would be wrong for us to comment on Ogilvy’s decision.

     

     

     

    Prasoon Joshi, President South Asia, McCann Worldgroup

    Every agency is entitled to its beliefs and I guess it is Ogilvy’s personal decision that they have decided to stay away from participating at Goafest this year. We should not focus on the negative side of this decision; the problem with all creative festivals in India is that we focus too much on controversies and one-upmanship. Instead, we should be celebrating each others’ work as it is only once or twice a year that we get to meet each other and celebrate our work. Bottomline is, if Ogilvy has decided to not participate this year at Goafest then we should respect that decision.

     

    KV Sridhar, NCD, Leo Burnett

    I don’t think it is correct of any agency to skip the event. It is an event organized for the industry by the industry. Having said that, I do believe that everyone has their own choice and reasons to do otherwise. It is an event where we should all come together and celebrate each others’ work. There is no charm in it if everyone doesn’t participate. Earlier too, McCann hadn’t for a year and Lintas don’t at all. I wish Ogilvy decides to come back to the event as it is not only a big but also a good agency.

     

    Pratap Bose, COO, DDB Mudra Group

    It is every agency’s decision to particpate or not to at any event. Therefore, Ogilvy’s decision is its own and I’m sure there are enough and more reasons for taking it. As for the event, I’m a firm believer that no matter who participates or who doesn’t, the show must go on.

     

     

    Arijit Ray, CEO, Dentsu Communications

    Goafest is a very recognized property and all agencies participate in it. Therefore, there is no reason to question or doubt the event’s sanctity. There is no doubt that Ogilvy is a big force at the fest and will be missed, but I guess it will go on as usual.

     

     

     

    Jishnu Sen, COO, Grey India

    It’s disappointing, but I am sure they have their reasons and am also sure when you examine those reasons closely, you will find that they have batted on the other side in some other fest. These decisions are taken to suit oneself and never for a broader good as often projected. Of course Ogilvy’s absence will affect the fest. Anybody’s presence or absence makes a difference. If it’s a competition, then the more there is, the more fun it is.

     

    Viral Pandya, CCO, Out of the Box

    This in fact is shocking news. It’s a delight to see their solid work every year and it also inspires a lot of young talent today. In my opinion, O&M has kept consistency over the years as far as finding creative solutions for its clients. And in process, the work, over and over, every year has worked for them at Goafest. It’s a pity that they are stepping out. Surely, there’s going to be a huge impact this year. And I sincerely feel that even Goafest need to reinvent itself. It has to become more ‘real’.

     

  • This year the theme of the Goafest Advertising Conclave is 'Time to Listen'. The Conclave will highlight the shortcomings of media and creative agencies, as perceived by major advertisers

    What do advertisers want? Goafest Conclave to investigate

    By A Correspondent

     

    As the excitement around Goafest 2013, the eighth edition of India’s most awaited advertising festival, builds up, the Advertising Conclave preceding it has also become a highlight for senior minds in the industry to pause and plan its course. This year the theme of the Goafest Advertising Conclave is ‘Time to Listen’. The conclave will highlight the shortcomings of media and creative agencies, as perceived by major advertisers. Much like the last few years, the conclave, sponsored by Discovery Channel, will see 200 industry leaders drawn from Marketing, Advertising and Media. Participation to the conclave is by invitation only.

     

    Srinivasan Swamy

    Srinivasan Swamy, Chairman of the Goafest Advertising Conclave, who has also chaired the conclave in the past few years, said, “Our Conclaves always focus on issues of relevance to us. In the past we have talked about how to grow the advertising industry, or on the changing agency structure or how advertising is more than creative and media etc. In the same vein, this year we will get advertisers to tell us how we can be more relevant to their needs. The theme ‘Time to Listen’ captures this essence.”

     

    The conclave will have some of India’s biggest marketers identify the areas that both creative and media agencies need to focus on, and make suggestions to get served better.

     

    Nitin Paranjpe

    Nitin Paranjpe, MD and CEO Hindustan Unilever, will deliver the keynote address, and other industry stalwarts will share experiences and insights. The finalized names include: Harit Nagpal, MD and CEO Tata Sky, Arundhati Bhattacharya, MD SBI Capital Marketers and Arunabh Das Sharma, President Bennett Coleman & Co.

     

    Sunil Alagh, Founder and Chairman of SKA Advisors and former MD of Britannia, will moderate a lively panel discussion.

     

     

    Nakul Chopra

    Nakul Chopra, Chairman of Goafest 2013, said, “The original idea of the Conclave as distinct from Goafest was a forum where industry leaders could contemplate the future of our industry and come together to cooperate in improving it. True to this spirit this year it is our endeavour to make the Conclave a much more potent learning experience for the industry. There is no better way to improve our future than by listening to our own customers. With a stellar caste of speakers and a potent theme this year’s Conclave promises to be thought provoking at the very least.”

     

    The Advertising Conclave will be held on April 4, 2013 at Zuri White Sands, Goa from 3.30pm to 7.30pm.

     

     

  • It's vital to exert all possible pressure to get Ogilvy back to the Creative Abby, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari. An Ogilvy not participating in the Creative Abby is like a China or USA not competing in the Summer Olympics!

    MxM Comment: Sad to see an Abby minus Ogilvy… Time to ‘lagao’ pressure to get ’em back!

     

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    Doom in the world outside almost always rings music to the newsperson’s ears. So, while it was heartening to have scooped the news on Ogilvy choosing to skip the Creative Abby at Goafest 2013, we were saddened by it. Deeply.

     

    This is not the first time that an agency is boycotting the Creative Abby. Lowe/Lintas has been doing it for years. R Balki has his reasons, which some believe are valid. Every year, there are stories of agencies not sending in any entry – many essentially because they don’t believe they’ve done awardwinning work in the year and some because it’s a drain on resources.

     

    This is also not the first time that Ogilvy is threatening a skip. It took all of Colvyn Harris’s persuasive power to convince a Piyush Pandey in 2009. I still remember giving the headline ‘Please Piyush, Please’ to an Impact magazine cover carrying Colvyn’s interview around that time.

     

    The JWT (then-also-Goafest) boss was lucky that Team Ogilvy agreed to participate, but Ad Club prez Shashi Sinha, AAAI chief Arvind Sharma and Goafest committee chair Nakul Chopra haven’t been successful in winning them over.

     

    The reason that Abhijit Avasthi gave my colleague wasn’t convincing. There’s obviously a lot more that he’s not telling and is perhaps being polite on record. This is what he told us: “We won’t be entering in the awards as we have felt that they were not energizing our people as they used to earlier. So we decided to take a break and may be see later what happens.”

     

    A Goafest grand prix or gold not energizing employees enough! Wtf!!!!! The cheers from the team every time a winner is announced, the run to the stage and the final group picture with everyone yay-ing (and not to mention the various interviews given after the wins) are testimony to the sentiment in the Ogilvy camp after every Goafest. Look at the picture alongside… this is at the Creative Abby last year. No energy?

     

    It’s evident that there’s more to this boycott. I am told one of the issues is that Team Ogilvy believes there’s not much done to ward away scam ads. I agree that there are many ads which are made-for-awards. But, there’s little that the Ad Club can do, especially when an entry is found eligible as per rules. If a well-known agency and hotshot creative guru have no scruples and aren’t embarrassed about sending a scam ad, the best deterrant is exposure. Let them get exposed! And I am sure they will – over time – stop sending scam work.

     

    The Advertising Club is not the personal property of any individual or group. It’s a body of elected members from within the fraternity. Madhukar Sabnavis, Vice Chairman and Country Head, Discovery and Planning, O&M India and recently appointed Member of the Worldwide Board of O&M is Treasurer of the Ad Club and member of the 13-member managing committee. Let me repeat this: The #3 honcho of Ogilvy India is one of the five big officebearers of the Advertising Club.

     

    Couldn’t he have done something to avoid this from happening? Whatever happened to the meeting of Creative Directors?

     

    Goddammit, an Ogilvy not participating in the Creative Abby is like a China or USA not competing in the Summer Olympics! Or an IPL without Chennai Super Kings. Or idli served without chutney or sambar.

     

    Okay, comparing an adfest to the Olympics or even an IPL is stretching it, but you get the sentiment?!

     

    When I spoke with Shashi Sinha yesterday and asked him to react to the fact that it’s a huge, huge setback, he said setback is too strong a word. He did admit though that it will affect the Abby. Sinha is a pragmatic man. He has successfully managed to clean the Creative Abby judging process and the awards have been happening without a hitch (or a leak) over the last few years.

     

    Most people my colleague spoke with were shocked to hear the news. And all those who I interacted with unequivocally said that the Abby this year will lose its sheen. “The credibility of the awards takes a major blow, as will the attendance at Goafest,” commented Anant Rangaswami on Facebook.

    So will we now have a Balki participate in the Creative Abby? I don’t think Lowe will this year, because his peeve is with the process followed.

    There’s a belief that it’s the participating that’s critical, not the winning. That’s good to say and hear for losers, but, remember, it’s all about winning.

    It’s critical that the advertising fraternity gets together to work on a solution. And it’s important for the Advertising Club to effect these in doublequick time.

    From what I am told, Ogilvy’s absence this year is a done deal. No comebacks. Sad, as we’ll now also have cynics making remarks that one of the reasons why Ogilvy isn’t participating is because it doesn’t hope to win much this year.

    I still think another attempt should be made. Push them hard! Do it via the clients, do it via Miles Young or Sir Martin Sorrell. Lagao all the pressure!

    It’s not a Fevicol ‘jod’ yet… and am sure the impossible can be achieved.

    In the interests of God, awards and advertising 🙂

     

    As for the energy, let’s send the Red Bull kids!

     

    MxMIndia believes that the advertising fraternity must get together and ensure unity. Forums like Goafest and the Abby must not be allowed to fade in importance and/or value.

     

    See link:

    Advertising Club mancom: http://theadvertisingclub.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=234&Itemid=77

     

     

     

  • Leading creative agency Ogilvy & Mather has decided not to participate in this year's Creative Abby at Goafest 2013

    Ogilvy to skip Creative Abby @ Goafest 2013

     

    Familiar images of Team Ogilvy after the Creative Abby will not be seen this year!

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    The Men in Black will not be seen running to the stage at the Creative Abby this year.

     

    Yes, that Ogilvy & Mather shines at the Abby every year is a foregone conclusion for the creative fraternity in India. Yes, there are the folks at Taproot, DDB Mudra, JWT, BBDO, Creativeland and the like, but the Piyush Pandey-headed O&M has been ruling the Indian creative awards.

     

     

    Abhijit Avasthi

    “Yes, we won’t be participating  in Goafest this year,” confirmed Abhijit Awasthi, National Creative Director of O&M to MxMIndia. “We won’t be entering in the awards as we have felt that they were not energizing our people as they used to earlier. So we decided to take a break and may be see later what happens.”

     

    MxMIndia wasn’t able to reach Advertising Club for an official comment, though informally senior members have confirmed the development. While they don’t expect Ogilvy to reverse its decision, at least one senior person said that efforts are being made to get Ogilvy back.

     

    Goafest 2013 is scheduled to be held in Goa from April 4 to 6 this year.

    Update: While confirming the development with MxMIndia, Advertising Club president Shashi Sinha said that the awards will go on as usual, even though he agreed that Ogilvy’s absence will have an effect.

     

  • The Abby awards may be the highlight for some, but the annual ad festival will also see some heavyweight knowledge sessions

    Stage set for Goafest 2013 @ Zuri

     

    By Johnson Napier

     

    Most flights headed towards the sunny state of Goa in the morning of April 4 are sure to be filled with execs and honchos from the ad and media world. Camaraderie, bonhomie and banter are travelling companions, as conversations surrounding Goafest take precedence.

     

    The eighth edition of Goafest 2013 will kick off with an Advertising Conclave at the Zuri White Sands post noon on April 4. This year the theme of the Goafest Advertising Conclave is ‘Time to Listen’. The Conclave will highlight the shortcomings of media and creative agencies, as perceived by major advertisers. Much like the last few years, the Conclave, sponsored by Discovery Channel, will see over 200 industry leaders drawn from Marketing, Advertising and Media.

     

    The Conclave will have some of India’s biggest marketers identify the areas that both creative and media agencies need to focus on, and make suggestions to get served better.

     

    Srinivasan Swamy

    Srinivasan Swamy, Chairman of the Goafest Advertising Conclave, who has chaired it in the past few years as well, said, “Our Conclaves always focus on issues of relevance to us. In the past we have talked about how to grow the advertising industry, or on the changing agency structure or how advertising is more than creative and media etc. In the same vein, this year we will get advertisers to tell us how we can be more relevant to their needs. The theme ‘Time to Listen’ captures this essence.”

     

    Nitin Paranjpe, MD and CEO Hindustan Unilever, will deliver the keynote address, and other industry stalwarts will share experiences and insights. Other big names include Harit Nagpal, MD and CEO Tata Sky, Arundhati Bhattacharya, MD SBI Capital Marketers and Arunabh Das Sharma, President, Bennett Coleman & Co. Sunil Alagh, Founder and Chairman of SKA Advisors and former MD of Britannia, will moderate a lively panel discussion.

     

    Nitin Paranjpe

    The real deal of the festival will kick off from April 5, with seminars and keynote addresses that begin at 2pm in the afternoon. Roger Mulchandani of WARC is to kick off the afternoon session with an address on ‘Seriously Social’. He will be followed by Ray Velez of Razorfish who will talk on ‘Transfroming Business at the intersection of Marketing & Technology’. Graham Fink of O&M is to speak next, followed by David Alberts of Mo Films. The Media Abbys followed by the awards gala will conclude the evening.

     

    Day 2 of the creative festival will see a rather unconventional start to proceedings as Swami Sukhabodhananda, Founder Chairman of Prasanna Trust will speak on ‘Uncertainty is also a part of life.’ This will be followed by a keynote by Mark Tutssel and Tom Bernardin of Leo Burnett. Following next is Shiv Singh of Pepsi who will talk on ‘No one cares about marketing. Do what matters’, and Nick Vale of Maxus Worldwide speaking about ‘What does great work look like in our changing world’. Director Abhishek Kapoor is expected to add a dash of Bollywood as he will speak on ‘Do what your heart says’. Amir Kassaei of DDB Worldwide will follow next with the topic ‘New creative revolution.’ The Creative Abby awards will bring the day to a close.

     

    MG Parameswaran

    Goafest 2013 Knowledge Seminars Chairman M G Parameswaran said, “We have lined up a great list of speakers this year. We have Graham coming from China, the hottest consumer market in the world today. We also have two speakers from very different domain, and you can’t get any more different than this. Swamiji was the only speaker at AdAsia 2011 to get a standing ovation. I am sure he will bring a lot of new thought to the seminars. And who said ad awards cannot get a bit of stardust. Abhishek who delivered a super hit last month is sure to deliver a super hit talk in Goa!”

     

    Also, last year Goafest saw the introduction of Marketing Wizards, an initiative whereby young client delegates could not only avail of the special under 30 delegate fees, but were also provided free accommodation – over 70 delegates from client organizations availed of this offer. This year Goafest is targeting a base of 150. In addition, Goafest will continue to have strong participation from senior clients in the Knowledge seminars as was the case in 2012. “Clients are our equal partners in creating ideas – we naturally strive to have their equal participation in Goafest both as speakers and delegates. This year we aim to attract participation from over 75 client organizations and hopefully over 250 people,” said Nakul Chopra.

     

    Nakul Chopra

    One of the biggest things to have happened or rather not happened is the participation of Ogilvy. This has paved the way for other creative agencies to prove their mettle at the grand stage. Despite the absence of Ogilvy, the organisers are claiming to have received a participation of over 4,200 entries. This will definitely prove to be a good year for some unknown stars who could prove their strengths here.

     

    Says KS Chakravarthy, NCD, Draftfcb Ulka, “It’s an open field this year as there is no frontrunner or contender this year. All of the campaigns so far are good and deserve an equal chance of winning. There has been a good amount of work done by various agencies and it would be great to see it together. Also, to hear what the speakers have to share with others is always an interesting part of the event.”

     

    Naresh Gupta

    According to Naresh Gupta, managing partner, Bang In The Middle, “This year hasn’t seen one landmark campaign that is the favourite. I would like to see a lot of challenger brands’ work to win. I would like to see more real work. Work that is mainstream. Work that the brands did to solve a marketing problem. I would also like to see greater integration of real and digital world.”

     

     

     

     

    Vivek Srivastava

    Adding his perspective, Vivek Srivastava, Jt MD, Innocean Worldwide said, “It’s a platform to interact and observe. There should be some interesting seminars. The Goafest committee has worked rather hard to get an interesting line up of speakers. And the Industry Conclave is being done in a manner which makes the business leaders deliberate and argue about issues that are affecting our businesses in the immediate term. I am surely looking forward to these. Our agency Innocean has had some shortlists. I would be happy to see those win for sure. In my view campaigns that genuinely impact consumer behaviour, make an impact on the brands’ future and ensure their relevance in this dynamic are the ones that deserve to win.”

     

  • Schedule for Goafest 2013 Knowledge Seminars (Apr 5&6)

  • Schedule for Goafest 2013 Advertising Conclave (Apr 4)

     

  • Swami Sukhabodhananda, Graham Fink and Abhishek Kapoor have joined the line-up of speakers at Goafest 2013

    Additional speakers for Goafest announced

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Goafest 2013 committee has confirmed the participation of three more personalities as speakers: Swami Sukhabodhananda, Founder Chairman of Prasanna Trust; Graham Fink, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy & Mather China; and Abhishek Kapoor, Indian film writer and director.

     

    MG Parameswaran

    Goafest 2013 Knowledge Seminars Chairman M G Parameswaran said, “We have lined up a great list of speakers this year and this third set is possibly a bit different from the other names announced. We have Graham coming from China, the hottest consumer market in the world today. We also have two speakers from very different domain, and you can’t get any more different than this. Swamiji was the only speaker at AdAsia 2011 to get a standing ovation. I am sure he will bring a lot of new thought to the seminars. And who said ad awards cannot get a bit of stardust. Abhishek who delivered a super hit last month is sure to deliver a super hit talk in Goa!”

     

     

    Nakul Chopra

    Goafest 2013 Chairman Nakul Chopra said, “This stellar line up of speakers is among the very best that Goafest has ever had. The added diversity that speakers like Swamiji and Abhishek bring will be a unique and welcome addition to this year’s Knowledge Seminars. We look forward to great sessions with each one of these reputed speakers.”

     

  • Goafest knowledge seminar convenor Dr M G 'Ambi' Parmeswaran on the thought process behind the curating of the 'gyaan' at the two-day ad festival

    Young also want some gyaan @ Goafest: Ambi Parmeswaran

    By A Correspondent

     

    Goafest, the annual advertising festival held in April every year, is a two-day festival of ad professionals preceded by a Conclave of senior media professionals.

     

    This year, Dr M G Parmeswaran, executive director and CEO of ad agency Draftfcb+Ulka, is convenor of the knowledge seminars on the two days of Goafest (April 5 and 6).

     

    Ambi, as Dr Parmeswaran, is known in the fraternity, took a few questions on the eve of the eighth edition of Goafest.

     

    Being the convenor of the conference leg of an event like Goafest must be tough… how do you get folks to sit in for all the ‘gyaan’ when they’ve actually come to have a drink and make merry?

    Over the years, we have noticed that the young are finding the seminar hangar not just a place to cool down but also for a bit of gyaan. We dramatically changed the format last year into to eight keynote speeches followed by Q&A moderated by a senior industry professional. We have also introduced a special prize for the best audience question. So instead of a panel of five people rambling on, we have one person on stage trying to engage the audience. Instead of people hesitating to ask questions, we have introduced the ‘slip’ system to curate the questions. All this added to better turn out last year. This year we are trying to bring in a couple of speakers from non-advertising domain. I am sure that will help lift the audience turn out.

     

    So what’s been your magic formula for this year?

    No magic formula, just understanding what worked last year and trying to improve on that. This year’s line-up is, in my opinion the best we have had of late. It covers a diverse spectrum. Yes, there are some last-minute snafus, and this is bound to happen when we are running the Goafest seminars on a shoestring budget. Overall the line-up is great, hope the audience think that way too.

     

    What’s been your thinking behind inviting the various speakers – from across all spectrums – true-blue adpersons to a Swami to a tech guy to a film-maker. Expect the unexpected?

    We first did a listing of areas we want to be covered -  Creative, Strategy, Media, Digital. Once those boxes were ticked, we said let us look beyond this. We reached out to over 35 thought leaders from sociology, psychology etc. And finally decided to have it all by doing the unexpected. Swami Sukhbodananda was a speaker at the Delhi AdAsia two years ago. He was the only speaker to get a standing ovation in the entire conference. Our young professionals have not heard him, so we reached out to him and Swamiji graciously agreed. The other unexpected speaker is the Bollywood director making waves, Abhishek Kapoor of Kai Po Che fame. He has a very interesting personal story to share. Should be time well spent for the young and old in advertising.

     

    Given that scam ads have been a discussion point in the industry, and since the key stakeholders are out there in full strength, wouldn’t an open house on the issue have been a good idea? Or is that out of the purview of what’s essentially a knowledge-sharing conference?

    My agenda is to deliver a Seminar that covers a wide spectrum of topics for young and old. Your idea is a good one. May be the Abby stage should be used to have this debate, but then again that is the wrong forum.

     

    By Arrangement with MxMIndia.com

     

  • Consumers have more choices but less to choose from, said the HUL chief in his keynote address at the Goafest 2013 Conclave, giving the ad industry a wakeup call to win back the trust of the people

    Paradox of choice is the issue: Nitin Paranjpe

    By A Correspondent

     

    It is time to listen, as the Goafest 2013 Conclave’s theme says. Hindustan Unilever MD and CEO Nitin Paranjpe did exactly that in preparation for his keynote speech. He asked his team to go out and ask TV viewers what they felt about advertisements, and to his dismay, he said, he discovered that practically everyone said they found ads an unwelcome intrusion.

     

    Thinking about what is troubling the industry today, Mr Paranjpe said, he had come to realize that the issues facing it are such that merely expecting agencies to fix them is not possible. We have to look at the larger advertising and marketing function, he said. He pointed out that the basic function advertising serves, that is, the human need to stand out, has not changed – the techniques and the medium have changed. The Why remains the same, the How has been transformed, he said.

     

    The consumer today is faced with the paradox of choice, Mr Paranjpe said. Consumers have never had it so good. There are lots of choices, yet there is little to choose between them. Differentiation is tougher, and the pressure makes for desperate attempts to stand out, leading to meaningless differences.

     

    In the days of Doordarshan, he said, there was no choice of channels and communication vehicles were limited to either the Hindi feature film or Chitrahaar, both sure ways of reaching one’s audience. Content was so bad that people waited for ads, he remarked. From that single channel to over 700 channels today, audience fragmentation has meant that it is difficult to reach people. Hence the bombardment of people with messages. Despite this, however, they remember nothing.

     

    People are not interested in seeing our ads, Mr Paranjpe said, and advertisers are getting away with it because consumers do not really have much choice. But once the choice comes, he said, people will not watch ads. The cost of digital video recorders is getting lower, and with a DVR in every home, it is unacceptable that we do nothing about it, he said.

     

    The impact of social media

    Mr Paranjpe said social is transforming word-of-mouth, enabling it to become dramatically more powerful. The proverbial six degrees of separation between individuals has now shrunk to four degrees.

     

    He said the digital revolution calls into question the precept that advertisers are the creators of content. Now, the ability of every individual to create and share content is catastrophic for marketers. In some cases the assumption that the marketer has control over social content is a mistaken one, as social media users take ownership of the content, make up their own minds about it, and it can even backfire on the marketer. He cited the case of the Vodafone #mademesmile hashtag campaign, which resulted in embarrassment when questions of tax evasion were shared using the company’s own hashtag.

     

    Brands cannot control content any more, and in such a scenario how do we brand, how do we market? Mr Paranjpe said marketers need to profoundly rethink branding. “Yesterday was creating a myth around branding. Myths which are not founded on truth cannot survive. Today and tomorrow, branding is about finding the truth and sharing it,” he said.

     

    Winning back the trust of the people is key, he said. “If people trust you, they will buy, recommend, share. Why don’t we do that?”

     

    Touching on consistency, Mr Paranjpe said creativity is remarkably powerful but if it is not consistent, there is no coherence and the brand loses equity. “We underestimate the role, the power of consistency,” he said, adding that there is no disconnect between creativity and the ability to create value. “We only assume that discipline kills creativity.”

     

    Giving purpose and meaning to advertising

    The context around us today, Mr Paranjpe said, is that trust and confidence in business is at its lowest. Business cannot survive if we don’t address this. Events such as Occupy Wall Street will bring down brands, companies, governments if we don’t act responsibly.

     

    Consumers today are more aware and concerned about big issues, but feel helpless to do anything about them. There are challenges and opportunities for brands here, Mr Paranjpe said, as a brand is basically a product to buy and an idea to buy into. Smaller brands are doing this, and big brands have to follow suit. It is possible to run a commercial enterprise while doing good, he said, and consumers who feel for the cause will gravitate to the brand which empowers them to do something about it.

     

    The situation today is that people are cynical about brands, and about advertising and marketing. Brands have an opportunity to change this, he concluded.

     

    Photograph: Shailesh Mule/Fotocorp

     

  • Goa Alert: Advertising cannot afford to be complacent with consumers being increasingly informed and aware + Slideshow

    It’s time to listen:speakers @ Conclave

    LtoR Nitin Paranjpe, Arunabh Das Sharma, Sunil Alagh, Suresh Bandi, RS Sodhi, Arundhati, Bhattacharya, Harit Nagpal

    By A Correspondent

     

    The word Conclave suggests a serious discussion on matters of importance. While the Goafest 2013 Conclave has every intention of achieving this aim, and eventually does achieve it, one cannot put a number of intelligent, good-humoured people into the same room, ask them to speak, and then not expect at least a few chuckles.

     

    To be fair, Conclave President Srinivasan Swamy struck a serious note when he outlined the topics the Conclave has tackled over the years, from recession, growth, change and dearth of ideas. This year, with the feeling again being that it is time to grow, the Conclave’s theme is ‘Time to Listen’, as it expects to have seniors tell the advertising fraternity what is wrong in the profession and how best to address it, he said.

     

    Advertising Agencies Association of India President Arvind Sharma introduced keynote speaker Nitin Paranjpe, MD and CEO of Hindustan Unilever, who, he said, is a strong proponent of the idea that businesses can survive only if they seriously serve society. Most of his leadership of HUL, Mr Sharma said, has been in tough times, and he is a client who truly believes in advertising and marketing.

     

    After Mr Paranjpe’s thought-provoking address, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation managing director R S Sodhi introduced a dose of levity with his presentation revolving around the engaging Amul moppet. Having worked with Amul creator Verghese Kurien, he said, had been immensely valuable as Dr Kurien understood the importance of advertising in an era when no Indian company was being advertised.

     

    Highlighting the learnings he had gleaned from Dr Kurien, Mr Sodhi said that stability in the core team was very important, both in client and agency. Da Cunha Associates had been the custodian of the brand (Amul) from the start, and stability had paid the brand rich dividends.  The core brand identity had remained the same since 1956, and there had been consistency in execution as well, which was a consequence of the complete trust there was between client and agency. In fact, Mr Sodhi said, the client sees the Amul creative only when the public sees it – that is the degree of the trust between them.

     

    Mr Sodhi added that advertising should sell the product, not the creator of the product. “Why is creative created? It is to sell the product,” he said.

     

    Summarising other learnings from Amul over the years, he said the agency needs to not only listen to the client, but also understand them. Raising a hearty laugh from the audience while concluding, Mr Sodhi recommended that advertising awards should be done away with. “The advertising fraternity are creating the awards and also giving them. It is the clients and the consumers who should be giving these awards,” he quipped.

     

    Arundhati Bhattacharya, MD, SBI Capital Markets, spoke about the agency-client partnership which, she said, has to be equal. In public sector units this partnership tends to be amorphous specially since people tend to be transferred and the agency may end up dealing with a few different individuals on one account. In such cases, she said, maintaining consistency becomes difficult and the agency should make it a point to partner the organization, not the person they deal with.

     

    For PSUs, Ms Bhattacharya said, it was often observed that agencies do not recommend new media and instead focus on traditional print. Agencies need to tailor media to the client’s needs, she said, and should understand the corporate personality and ethos. Often, she added, agency people tend to get overawed by the client to such an extent that they allow the client to dictate the ad content. Moreover, agencies need to do primary research, without which they will not have the big idea and the differentiation.

     

    Concluding, Ms Bhattacharya emphasized the importance of keeping things simple, giving the example of the classic Jenson and Nicholson paints advertisement, which used varying visuals and the slogan, “Whenever you see colour, think of us.”

     

    Asking the key question, “What do clients want?”, Suresh Bandi, Deputy Managing Director, Panasonic India, said the answer is Value. Value can be subjective, he said, but in general value came in the form of results, process quality, access costs and fees. Clients do not want creativity for the sake of creativity, he said. They appreciate creativity but there is a commercial objective. On process quality, he said agencies can be disorganised but there should be a method in the madness. Moreover, agency personnel must be accessible to the client – the greater the effort the client has to make to reach the agency, the lesser the value for the client. Also, he said, higher fees mean less value for clients, as they need to reduce expenses. When clients get value, it ensures their loyalty, commitment and satisfaction, he added.

     

    Later, Arunabh Das Sharma, President, Revenue, Bennett Coleman and Co, said five trends that bother him are: Seeing the world through a 30-second TVC, separation of creative, media and account planning, the demise of planning, decline in the quality of client-facing talent, and overused excuses which leave clients frustrated.

     

    Limiting advertising to the lens of a 30-second commercial meant both, the death of imagination and a lack of quality work, Mr Das Sharma said. He added that the decline in planning had led to lack of marketing insights, lack of imagination and consumer insights, and to media planning being subservient to media buyers.

     

    Harit Nagpal, MD and CEO, Tata Sky, made a short and entertaining presentation on what he feels are issues that need to be addressed. Role clarity in agency-client expectations is needed, he said; Digital video recording is changing how people are watching TV, and brands must be conscious of inputs from this section; Digital is changing consumer behaviour and feedback paradigms; complexity in medium and technology means that things are no longer as they were, and both agency and client have to move with the changes; Clients have to be selective and hire professionals and specialists; and agencies have to take a stand, confront and contradict the client if required, and for that they need to hire strong people to meet with clients. Sunil Alagh, founder and CEO, SKA Advisors led the final panel with a Q&A of the speakers of the day.

     

    Photograph: Shailesh Mule/Fotocorp