How did you get into the industry?
I think it was destined. Both my parents were in PR and media…but more importantly India in the early 90s had only one tv channel and a lot of the programming was coma inducing.
For example, prime time tv would be about okra plantation or the movement of the Pindari glacier…I waited for ads on tv because they were the only things talking to me..only things that was fun! So, after my graduation I went to a communication college for post grad.
Where are you based now and who do you work for?
I am a binary miracle. I have lived in the same city all my life. The fixed leg of a compass. I like to think of working with and not working for an organisation. I work with FCB India where we both learn and unlearn from each other.
If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?
I would love to be a casting agent for films.
Can you explain your creative process? What makes it unique?
My creative process is simple. I enter into a deeply romantic relationship with my consumers while working and then keep thinking about how my brand can do something that surprises or moves or delights them. I just want my brand and my consumer to do a slow dance in the middle of my head while I play the DJ.
How would you describe your style?
Romantic humanist.
Which individuals do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
So many! But the first name in my list would be Susan. She teaches you things wordlessly. She is a leader of humans and hence she sees you before she sees your award cabinet.
She sees you when you are empty handed…she sees you when your hands are full. She sees you in big rooms from afar. I want to learn that. I rely on data sometimes to find people promising and that’s wrong.
What tips would you give to aspiring creatives looking for work?
The same advice I give lovers. Stay in it only if you truly love it…fight for it only because losing would mean losing yourself. It’s tough and sometimes a little random like a lottery but so is life….
What tips would you give to other professionals to get more clients?
Be true. Love their brands with your eyes….and then infect them…don’t listen to everything your client says…because if you don’t bring anything new, you will be invisible to them very very soon….
What kind of tools/kit/software could you not do without?
My software and hardware are human ware. I am in this for the people…every chance collision….every debate.…every “I get what you are saying” makes it so difficult to retire…even now!
What’s your secret to staying inspired and motivated?
Intimacy is the algorithm of creativity…that’s my secret sauce for everything!
What’s the work achievement you’re most proud of?
I have been working on Horlicks for 22 years. It’s grown from one bottle to a huge range…and I am still giddily in love with it!
What is the one thing that you would change about the industry?
I think we lost some of our mojo - between the way pitching process runs in India…living under the constant tyranny that a new marketing head might want a new agency …always keeps you a little on the back foot. Creatives need to walk on a terra firma of belief to really strut. Also, the researching and overthinking in the early phase of creativity hampers the growth potential of ideas.
Any websites, books or resources you would recommend?
Conversations…have more …go deeper …go longer…sometimes reading people can leave you more wiser than reading books. I love books and have been a reader all my life but now I choose grey smapping with my friends ..the most intellectual activity I can embark on.
