Advertising Wins Hearts and Minds by Embracing the Zeitgeist- Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Ogilvy Group
Agency Reporter got an opportunity to interact with one of the advertising aficionados, Sumanto Chattopadhyay. With multiple award-winning campaigns in his kitty, he is currently serving as the Chairman and Chief Creative Officer at 82.5 Communications, The Ogilvy Group, India, based in Mumbai.
Here are excerpts from the interview:
Tell us about some brands you admire. What makes them stand out for you?
Oprah has been called ‘America’s Ultimate Brand’. She created her dizzyingly successful personal brand—against all odds as an African American woman from a very poor rural background—by remaining authentic to herself while being guided by the philosophy of making a difference in the world. Her principle is never to do something simply to make money, yet she has given away more money—over $50 million—than most people make in their lifetimes.
Many brands have ‘buy one get one free’ offers, but Toms Shoes gives a whole new meaning to it. Founder Blake Mycoskie saw poor barefoot children in Argentina and decided to start a brand that, for every shoe it sold, would donate one free to an impoverished child. It subsequently expanded to eyewear, coffee, apparel and handbags. Profits from its eyewear sales goes towards restoring eyesight of poor patients in developing countries. Like Oprah, Toms is a brand that became big by ‘giving back’ and making a difference in the world.
ITC is an Indian corporate brand that has had a remarkable journey. Originally a tobacco company, it saw the future and moved far beyond its roots. It adopted a ‘triple bottom line’ approach: this defines true progress as that which goes beyond the narrow confines of just business profitability to benefitting society, the environment and the economy. With this approach, ITC has created several brands, from FMCG to hotels, that are at the top of their respective categories—while ensuring that profits don’t flow out of the country and local communities benefit. What is interesting about this approach is that it is not about corporate social responsibility, but stems from the understanding that business cannot endure in societies that fail.
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How do you define your style of creativity? What do you think works best in your case?
In Maslow’s pyramid of needs, physiological ones are at the base—meaning they are the most essential. For me, creativity also goes there—it’s almost as vital for me as breathing and eating. I don’t know if I have a particular style of creativity. But I would say that I believe it needs to be a team effort—particularly in advertising. It’s important to recognise and respect the symbiotic nature of it: We collaborate with our colleagues—not just the ones that are designated as ‘creative’. We collaborate with film makers, photographers and techies. We collaborate with our clients. The sum of the parts of a campaign become greater than the whole only when everyone pours their expertise and passion into it.
Is it ever appropriate for design to overrule data? Why?
It’s not about overruling, but going beyond. Data has always been critical—even before it became a buzzword. But I would say that it’s important to be informed by it but not to get mired in it. Design can be transformative—because it can take a creative leap from the data points and make something beautifully functional. It’s incorrect to say that design is a frivolous aesthetic overlay that is dispensable. In mathematics, there is a concept of elegant solutions—it implies refinement and simplicity leading to powerful solutions. I love this use of the word elegant—because it inextricably links form and function—and I think that it is what great design is about.
The cleaning products brand Method is a wonderful example of a design philosophy at work. Cleaning product brands were undifferentiated and ugly—something you wanted to hide under your sink. They were either effective or environmentally friendly, not both. Something natural and ‘green’ just didn’t clean the way harsh chemicals did. Then US-based Method came along with powerful yet planet-friendly cleaners in glowing translucent bottles—thoughtfully designed inside and out, as they put it—that people wanted to display on their counters. Now it’s a $100 million company with 200 products. This huge success started with founder Eric Ryan asking himself how he could make cleaning products sexy. This, to me, is the essence of the design impulse. It’s intrinsic to human beings. It’s the reason why Apple could revolutionise the form and function of computers. And Method could revolutionise cleaning products.
For brands in the market, say the recent Patanjali Paridhan’s ad, how right is it to ride on the nationalism or jingoism train?
Advertising wins hearts and minds by embracing the zeitgeist. Nationalism is sweeping the nation at the moment: it isn’t surprising that brands would take advantage of it. Jingoism is not something that appeals to me personally. My grandparents were true patriots—and I learned from them that flag-waving is not what it’s about. However, in the realm of advertising, it’s just another tool—like using cricketers or film stars for brand endorsement.
Rabindranath Tagore too did brand endorsements in his day, mostly for swadeshi brands. That was, of course, a different era. Cut to the 21st century: Patanjali is a contemporary brand built on the swadeshi platform. With a yogi as its face, consumers find it credible that the brand is not about pure commerce but linked to serving the nation. Baba Ramdev’s anti-multinational stance has earned him many supporters too. He has smartly pitched the manufacturing and marketing of his FMCG products almost as a re-enactment of the freedom struggle.
What I do like about the Patanjali Paridhan ad is that it encourages the consumer to wear Indian costumes and fabrics. It provides a counterpoint to the current trend of projecting only Western attire as cool.
I know you have worked with Dove in the past. What do you have to say about its new campaign—I’m Fine? Does the narrative of Social Responsibility actually work for the brands?
Modern consumers look for social responsibility as one of the pillars of the brands they choose. This is truer in the West, but it is gradually coming into India as well.
Brands have to be careful about using the narrative of social responsibility though. As we have seen with the Gillette ad that backfired, people don’t want to be lectured on morality by a corporation that sells consumer goods. Which is why it’s important for a brand to walk the talk and tread lightly. Dove has been successful by taking this approach. In its I’m Fine campaign, the brand highlights the fact that teenage girls hide their distress in the face of the negative messages they are daily bombarded with. This campaign is a part of the Dove Self-Esteem Project which exists in 140 countries. Its aim is to help the young generation grow up with positive associations about who they are and how they look. It’s grounded in the brand’s belief that beauty should be a source of confidence, not anxiety.
How do you manage time between your multiple love stories—acting, modelling, photography and writing? Which one is your favourite?
I can’t deny that it takes hard work and discipline to manage all my loves. But they are what keep me fresh. My life and my creativity would grow dull without them. Which brings me to my newest love story: it’s called The English Nut. This is a character I have created based on my pet peeve—bad English. Through a series of humorous videos and memes on my Facebook page, theenglishnut.in, I serve up interesting facts about English and correct typical English mistakes that Indians make—even when they are otherwise fluent in the language. The page, which I launched in the New Year, is allowing me to combine three of my loves—writing, acting and language—to create something worthwhile. It’s immensely satisfying.
