Guest Column: Going to a war alone is useless
If a product is gathering dust on a shelf, our job is to blow the dust off & make sure it sells. The more clients & we come together, the more the chances of getting the product off the shelf, says Titus Upputuru of Dentsu Marcom
We are in a world where we must work together. And I use the word ‘must’ not so much as an ‘ought to’ but as a ‘should’ There are advertising agencies, marketing departments, sales offices and so on and so forth. In the best case scenarios, there are none of these. There are just people with passion coming together to resolve hard challenges with openness.
At the end of the day, it’s our business to aid business. Else, we might as well be painting canvasses. And if a product is not selling, if it is gathering dust on a shelf, our job is to blow the dust off, squeeze some water on it, gloss it up, and make sure it goes off the rack as quickly as possible. We should make sure all businesses are Fast Moving Consumer Goods businesses.
Now that builds up the pressure at various levels. Our information levels, knowledge levels, passion levels, ambition levels are all varied and everyone is trying to put in their two-bit to create some aid, which they think will make the difference.
A lot of times, we tend to think that what we have learnt is everything.
What a writer learns from the Copy Book (the authoritative book on persuasive writing in advertising), the art director learns from his art school, where he spends four long years figuring out negative spaces, amongst million other things. Then there are the B school graduates, who pick up a host of case studies about the business and management of it.
Our learning does not stop there. We continue to pick up lessons and keep learning through our professional lives. Our experiences at different offices, work environments, different markets, all sort of take root and form our opinions and beliefs.
When we are faced with a certain challenge, we unconsciously go back to our experiences and what we have learnt all of our lives.
There are times, when I have seen people talk of how a certain brand has resolved the issue in a certain market. They tend to believe that the same thing might work in our markets too.
What I am trying to get is that there is no point being unilateral. The bible says, go to war, well advised.
So in my experience, I learnt that the best clients are those who keep no walls. They communicate. And by communication, I mean engage in a dialogue. And I try my best to hear everything they may have to say about a certain problem they are facing, a peculiar challenge that may be ahead of them.
I respect that; because the information, the knowledge that they have is helpful. Often, as an industry, we try to give solutions that may have little relevance to the challenge our clients may be facing.
I work with several clients. And each time, it’s a very different experience. You learn different things; there are different challenges all the time. And you can’t apply the same solution to all the problems because each one is unique and needs a special understanding.
And I think listening makes a huge difference. Listening and understanding. It is essential to know the fruit before choosing a knife to slice it. A pineapple and a banana need different skill sets to peel.
And as I said, I truly believe that going to a war alone is useless. I might be dogmatic about certain creative idea that I think may rock and change the world, but I really need to see if it will remove the dust from that product waiting pitifully on the shelf.
That’s our business. And the more we come together, our clients and us, the more chances, that we get the product off the shelf.
The author is National Creative Director of Dentsu Marcom
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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
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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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ShareSwapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
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."
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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.
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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 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.
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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
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
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“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.
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
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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.
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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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