The new creative approach is to go back to the basics: Prateek Bhardwaj, Lowe Lintas

Bhardwaj, Chief Creative Officer, Lowe Lintas gives an insight into the need for big ideas that will stay across mediums and over long periods of time

e4m by Misbaah Mansuri
Published: Feb 20, 2019 8:10 AM  | 4 min read
Prateek Bhardwaj

Ever wondered what it takes to create an award-winning work or what goes behind translating briefs to brilliant work? Lowe’s newly-crowned Creative, who is also one of the most gifted copywriters in the industry, Prateek Bhardwaj shares his insights on the new creative approach, clients, trends and injecting fresh thinking into brands. 

Bhardwaj joined the agency as Chief Creative Officer from McCann Worldgroup India where he was National Creative Director. He has also worked on some iconic brand campaigns for Paytm, Coca Cola and Sprite among others. 

Exchange4media had a chat with the mastermind behind the lines that are now part of Indian pop culture — ‘Sprite bujhaye only pyaas, baki all bakwaas’, ‘Boond boond mein vishwaas’ and ‘Hum Chlor-mint kyon khaate hain’.

Edited excerpts: 

How did you get into advertising? What was the first brand you worked on?

A series of happy accidents got me here. I wasn’t even aware of advertising as a serious profession until I arrived at Sista Saatchi & Saatchi, New Delhi, on a summer internship. While my main project involved getting research questionnaires filled, I ended up writing posters and jingles for DuPont’s pesticide brands because the copywriter hadn’t come in for work. The work was fun, the people were warm and encouraging, the office was close to home, and so I just kind of stayed on.

Since you look after all the offices in the North, are there any regional trends that you notice?

Most brands in Delhi and Mumbai are advertising for national audiences. So the approach is quite similar. In fact, I see a lot of cross-country alignments with Creatives from one branch working on brands from another. It’s a great way to inject fresh thinking into a brand. 

How different are the set of clients you were with at your previous agency to the ones you're working with at Lintas?

Not much, you know. I think the mix is almost exactly the same with a couple of big MNCs, some strong Indian businesses and a bunch of new-age start-ups defining the work. While the individual processes may vary slightly, I think every client everywhere is seeking the same thing – for creativity to solve real business problems.

Your campaign 'Immunity Charm' won the Grand Prix for the good at Cannes 2017. Let’s rewind. Tell us about the creative brief to you and how you cracked it.

Immunity Charm was one of those blessed pieces where everything just came together perfectly. The Ministry of Public Health, Afghanistan, posed a fascinating problem - an entire culture immune to vaccines, and a challenge to communicate in media-dark areas. As we dug deeper into Afghan life, we discovered the evil eye bracelet tied on new-borns. From there, the idea just exploded. But the hardest part was to get it executed on the ground in a place like Afghanistan. We had so many false starts before the idea could actually go live. Hats off to the entire team and the Ministry.

What is the new creative approach that you would like to bring to the forefront as we go forward? 

The new creative approach is to go back to the basics. The digital age is actually re-establishing the old order – that idea comes first. Now, more than ever, we need big, brand ideas that we can hold on to, across mediums and over long periods of time. There’s just too much content, too much social, too much TV, too many messages for audiences today. I think they’re forgetting communication as fast as they are consuming it. Which makes it crucial for brands to find a big idea that can be consistently delivered across mediums. It’s only when we stick to our messaging that anything will stick in the consumers’ head.

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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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