Cannes 2015: Ideas are missing in print ads across the world: KV Sridhar

KV Sridhar, Chief Creative Officer, SapientNitro India who is on the Press Jury at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2015, says most print advertising has become the passion of art directors and is hence good craft, but good copy is not to be seen

e4m by Simran Sabherwal
Published: Jun 8, 2015 9:16 AM  | 5 min read
Cannes 2015: Ideas are missing in print ads across the world: KV Sridhar

KV Sridhar, Chief Creative Officer, SapientNitro India who is on the Press Jury at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, 2015, says most Print advertising has become the passion of art directors and is hence good craft, but good copy is not to be seen.

What are you looking forward to at Cannes this year?

As usual, to really see some great work! There is nothing like going through some 5,000 odd pieces of work and getting extremely frustrated looking at bad work, and then finally finding some 100 pieces of great work which is rewarding. That’s the thrill of doing any jury duty: to unearth and to find those nuggets. Though the process of finding that is frustrating, you will always wait for light at the end of the tunnel.

Your comment on the level of work you have seen in general this year in the Press category which you are judging?

From whatever little I have seen, the ideas are becoming fewer and far between. The work that we used to see in Print 15-20 years back was far more insightful, the ideas were far more powerful than the kind of work that has been winning for the past 4-5 years.

The majority of the work that gets entered looks very nice. The craft is extremely good. But what it lacks is ideas. Now, without having a strong idea or insight, it will never make it to the next round. So the study has always been to find those insights. Insights are missing and ideas are missing.

Earlier, Britain used to do great Print advertising, but today a lot of great advertising work comes out of India and also from Latin America, especially Brazil and Argentina. In India, most of the work we are doing is on international brands. For instance, one of the nicest pieces of work that I have seen this year in our country is for Volkswagen. It’s a beautiful piece of work but there is nothing Indian in it. It could have come from anywhere in the world. Indian work is improving quite a lot, but I would say that ideas are going down. Probably, the most beautiful idea which is being taken through Las Vegas and which is being winning is Jurassic. It is a simple idea and they have been executing it surprisingly well year after year. But overall, not just in India, but across the world, the ideas are falling down.

What about the copy part – is that area satisfactory or lacking?

There is hardly any copy. Most Print ads are like posters… visual story-telling. But great Print advertising is more than words and pictures working together. The brand story and the brand argument need to convince you. At times it happens with pictures and at times it happens with words, or a combination of the two.

What will you look for in the entries you judge?

There is no debate on great work. There is a lot of debate on good work because good is always subjective. Great is never subjective. So when you see it, there is a feeling that comes naturally, - it is so simple, so relevant and engaging. But all that is post rationalization; the fresh idea which actually catches your attention hits somewhere in your heart you get the feeling that you will think of it. That is the biggest parameter for people to really appreciate the work. At times, you rationalize and then you cross-check, you see whether everything is simple, relevant, fresh or engaging. All other things you try to tick mark after taking a call.

What can be the takeaways for the Print advertising industry from Cannes?

Most Print advertising has become the passion of art directors. Copy-writers certainly seem to be missing from the scene. More copy-writers are running after TV and lot of other things.

Therefore the Print craft is mostly hard craft and not copy craft, marked insights and not argumentative writing or putting forth an argument. Those are things where copywriters make a huge difference to Print advertising. That part is missing. Even the Indian work that I have seen so far is all craft-driven. You can make out that the art director is a young lad, who thinks of simple product benefit and really dramatizes that. When you see the Volkswagen ad, it is a beautiful craft of graphic design. But if you are to see product benefit and behavioural change in the people, nothing is there. It is lacking in imagination and the ability to articulate a point of view or an insight which makes people say, ‘Wow, I have never seen this before.’ 

It is far more surprising than something that touches your heart and says that I never thought of you like this before. That is what great insights actually do. I am not criticizing the Indian work alone, but the global work in Print is suffering from the same issues.

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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