The other critical reason

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

We move to yet another critical, breakthrough area – the Indianisation/desification of advertising. During the seventies and even eighties, advertising was dominated by the firang influence. If you had a certain kind of background, accent and interest, you were inducted. So how did the Piyush-Ranjan combine manage to put it on its head & change the equation so successfully? “I think two things influenced this movement. One, the dynamics of the marketplace & consumer profile was changing and we were quick to spot it and zero-in. Two, it had also to do with me, my background and beliefs. Even before Ranjan came in, the first blow had been struck with the chal meri Luna, Fevicol, Asian Paints and Cadbury. Ranjan’s presence only fast forwarded the agenda. Both, he and I, went to the same hallowed institution called St. Stephen’s College, but demonstrated that it did not necessarily mean compromising on our vision of the Indian reality – roots! We were proud to earn our spurs not through niche, elitist, south Bombay-driven work, but communication that cut across boundaries and worked with consumers in the market place. We democratised this sacred, exclusive, precious, in-the-closet animal called creativity and took it to the streets in a fashion that entertained and delighted.” But ad-guru Alyque Padamsee does not seem totally floored with O&M’s work, just as he points out, “There is no doubt that Piyush has successfully turned O&M into a solid brand, partly by doing some outstanding creative work & partly by his media persona. The point is – has O&M, in recent times, really produced amazing brand building campaigns that are both memorable & hot-sellers? Beyond Hutch and Fevicol, I don’t know... In my book, great advertising has always been selling the product before selling the agency.”

The other critical reason (Piyush believes) that hugely helped this gene of advertising, was the life-transforming advent of TV! As a medium, it was truly mind-blowing with a direct, democratic, no-holds barred connect with the masses. English was not the lingual franca of the junta; Hindi and the other regional languages were. So if you didn’t have a command or knowledge of the idiom, or an ‘in’ about the people you were addressing, you were out on a limb. TV rang the death-knell of the erstwhile hero – the English language print writer. It also marked the end of the fancy, cone-size-fits-all kind of advertising. “We, at O&M, were however hugely upbeat about this transition & embraced it with alarming speed and passion. David Ogilvy had stated that we hire gentlemen with brains. We started hiring gentlemen with balls! It caught fire. Everybody wanted to work with us... and with the average age of the agency around 28 – it was literally a youth-quake!


What were the reactions of the big boy, David O, the industry in general and the public, at large? “David was always very supportive and enthusiastic of material that went out of our India offices. Unfortunately, while all this was happening, he was in semi-retirement mode and not keeping too well either, but his blessings always stayed with us. The industry, by and large, was supportive and encouraging and I must specially mention the name of late Mr. Subash Ghosal of HTA. He was simply amazing! I remember... how at large & formal advertising events & parties, he would point at me and tell the biggies in the business – he’s the future of the Indian advertising!”

Has it been tough for a creative person to wear two hats and perform as well? Isn’t there a dilution in core competence? “It was Ranjan’s idea way back in 1995 or so, that I take over the portfolio of Manager, Bombay branch of O&M. He said that since I led anyway and people respected me across the board, it was a logical step up...” So that’s how he moved on... and then became the Executive Chairman and NCD. He adds, “I see myself primarily as a leader playing in form, performing captain of my team, O&M. I am here to inspire and motivate my flock, nurture and encourage them, protect and defend them from the champions of brain-dead stereo-type advertising and allow them to freak out in any which way they wish, without the fear of losing their job. They must feel wanted and secure in the space to fly. That is my job...” He says that he didn’t feel any change earlier on and nor does he feel any change today. “I suffer from no delusions of grandeur and am completely aware of what I can do and what I can’t.

I have an extremely capable team of colleagues – Mr. S. N. Rane, who is the co-Chairman, COO & CFO; Mr. Pratap Bose, the CEO – who are brilliant at what they do and I consider myself fortunate in having such excellent professionals. The secret is: Give each person the freedom to do what he’s the best at. Don’t interfere or play God. That place is already taken!” But is it just all about Piyush? Well, it certainly seems so, and pops Sridham, National Creative Director, Leo Burnett, doesn’t seem too happy about it as he states, “I think they deserve all the accolade coming their way. The Cadbury girl’s dance on the field in early 90s set the tone of O&M getting it right vis-à-vis the Indian pulse and over the years they have been doing some wonderful work. However, of late, I find a dip in their quality – specially Fevicol. Too many agendas seem to have crept in diluting their earlier focus. Also most of the creatives coming out of O&M seem to be speaking in Piyush Pandey’s voice. Individuals must be encouraged to find their own voice...”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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