From here on, we will do better and better work: Santosh Padhi

Taproot bagged 4 Golds at Cannes – a feat never accomplished by an Indian agency. Padhi talks about this proud moment in an exclusive chat with exchange4media

e4m by Priyanka Mehra
Published: Jun 24, 2013 9:03 AM  | 5 min read
From here on, we will do better and better work: Santosh Padhi

“Four Golds have never been won by any Indian agency. We are a four-year-old agency, with forty people; this shows the depth of the agency,” said Santosh Padhi, the proud Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Taproot India – an agency that has made India proud at Cannes 2013.

The year so far has only seen an upswing for the agency. It was also awarded ‘Agency of the Year’ at AdFest 2013.

In an exclusive chat with exchange4media at Cannes, Paddy, as he is popularly called in the industry, shares what the wins means to Taproot India, advertising of the future and his immense learnings as Press Lions Juror 2013, among other things…

Taproot has made India proud with its great performance at Cannes 2013. What do these wins signify for the agency back home?
It will definately make a lot of our guys feel happy and give them strength and courage to do great cutting-edge creative work.

I am hoping from here onwards we will do better and better work. Last four years, we have tried and beaten our past scores. That is the only way you can grow as an agency – the more you win, there is more pressure to deliver; it is a wonderful pressure to have.

What are your takeaways for Cannes this year? What has stood out significantly is that overall one campaign has got accolades as opposed to a number of entries winning. Do you think quality has been rewarded against quantity?
My key takeaway is ‘be human, be simple’.

Be it any medium, the connect with the consumers is in very simple ideas. It is the power of an idea that helps you get awards. Take the example of the Metro Train campaign ‘Dumb ways to die’, the ‘Real beauty’ Dove campaign – these campaign have been winning everywhere. It is the power of the idea, it is not about quantity. Quantity may matter at Goafest, where people are greedy for metals, but on the global platform, it is the power of idea that rules. Even if Metro or Dove would have not won, people would have appreciated the work. It is the kind of work that makes creative people jealous and say ‘I wish I had done this’.

Quality is far more important than quantity, when it comes to creativity. Quantity may be true to brands and marketers to sell more numbers but to creative, it is definitely quality. How can you do that one thing that gets talked about in various other media? Media is blending into each other today; it is the idea that stands out.

What are the challenges we are facing when it comes to winning in the Integrated category – since we have not been able to bag any metals?
In India, we have scope to do integrated work. Our approach to consumers is very different from other countries. But we should work on what is relevant to us. What is stopping us from doing things in malls and on the streets – that is what India is; the streets are never empty. We should be doing things relevant to out market that will motivate and connect our consumer.

So why is this not happening, if we have all the inherent capability?
OOH and activation agencies are not gelling with creative agencies. They have set of problems and egos. An integrated approach is missing; we don’t work as a team. We not get along well as a community.

Many people have commented on a lot of the work being scam work and not real work from India. What is your take on this?
It is a job of the committee of jurors to decide. If you are playing within the rules, I don’t think anything is scam. As Jury President Marcello Serpa, Partner, CCO, AlmapBBDO told us in the beginning “If you do a bad ad, that is scam”.

Everybody is doing pro-active ideas and pushing the brand. Everybody believes that is how it works; sometimes clients give you a brief and sometimes creative guys are so involved in the brand, they come up with ideas which may not be according to the brief but do wonders for the brand. That is how the creative community has evolved and it will only get better and better.

After viewing the global creative showcase at Cannes, what do you think are the future trends for the industry?
More and more brands are trying to be human – trying to not only sell the product but the feel-good image. In this digital world, digital cannot be the idea; it is the human touch and chord and connect, which makes you decide on forwarding an ad to someone. More genuine, more human ads will be appreciated by consumers and the jury. This is definitely good news for brands. 

What are the learnings from the jury room that will you will apply to the work coming out of Taproot?

Eighteen guys from different parts of the world see the same piece through different lens. At times, you might feel that you have done a great piece of work and that it will win. But when 18 people see that piece of work, somebody seeing whether it has an insight, another will see if it is relevant to the category, and the target audience, and so on.

It is not simple. You need to wear different hats while entering.

These global people think from every aspect. I don’t think we think that much; not only from awards point of view, but also from brands points of view. It shows you how to start working from scratch with a different perspective.

What are your key learnings?
Less is more
Can you have an impact in three seconds? Let the three seconds drag you in for the rest of the work
Simplicity in life and advertising is the most difficult thing. If you have achieved it, you have achieved everything.

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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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