Six-second attention span is a myth: Sonal Dabral, Ogilvy India

The Chief Creative Officer & Vice Chairman of Ogilvy India speaks to exchange4media about the need for trans-creation, the rise of AI in creative agencies and the importance of creating sticky content

e4m by Ruhail Amin
Published: Apr 26, 2018 8:59 AM  | 3 min read

As the Chief Creative Officer and Vice Chairman of Ogilvy India, Sonal Dabral’s biggest role is to keep the creative process relevant to the contextual reality of the times. For Dabral, the tonality and emotional content of a creative is the holy grail of the creative process which needs to be fine-tuned in a fragmented market like India.

In a conversation with exchange4media, Dabral spoke about the need for trans-creation, the rise of AI in creative agencies and the importance of sticky content.

Excerpts:

We have seen you talk about the shift from ‘direct to dialect’, what exactly do you mean by this? How is this relevant to creative agencies?

There are so many times that we sit in our ivory towers and create advertising without totally involving ourselves into the lives and lingo of the people we are talking to. So, it was a way of reminding ourselves that when we are communicating to a set of people, we cannot treat everybody with the same filter. We have to immerse ourselves into their language—what makes them laugh, what makes them cry etc. Only then will we be able to truly connect and communicate.

You also lay emphasis on trans-creation, especially when reaching out to diverse audiences? Could you tell us more about this approach?

As the buying power is increasing in India, people are moving to consumption, and we are not talking about metros or the tier 1 cities alone. If we start looking at the varied languages in India, it is absolutely mind boggling. What we need to do is not colour everybody with the same brush. We have to tarns-create and not just translate when we are creating ads for a specific audience.

We are living in an age of collaboration. There are specialists in every domain or platform. We have to involve them and sit with them while communicating to a diverse set of audiences.


What are the biggest challenges of communicating in a cluttered environment, especially when the attention span is said to be not more than six seconds?

The ones perpetrating this six second attention span myth are generally lazy minds who have been analyzing too much. When people watch films, they get glued to the screen for the entire duration of the film, so it totally depends on what you put in front of the audience. We have been talking about audience becoming restless and being spoilt for choice and switching from one place to another. I do agree there is explosion of media and explosion of channels and people are switching from one place to another, but if you see a great piece of interesting content (a good joke or a quote), you will stop and read it and even share it. So if the content is engaging, attention will automatically improve. So the biggest challenge is to create that engaging content.

What kind of a role will AI and machine learning play in the creative processes as the technologies mature?

The use of AI is not a challenge, it’s a reminder that when it comes to creative, we need to be really creative. Till the robot learns how to smile and cry, our jobs are safe. We have the power to move people and make them smile and even make them cry, something that we should not forget at all. I believe there are only two kinds of advertising: one that touches your head and heart and second that touches your head alone. The former is imperative and the latter is a disaster. AI might become intelligent to make ads but will it make you cry?

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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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