Bangalore agency displays Cannes-fidence

It’s the second consecutive year that Mudra Bangalore has bagged accolades at the Cannes Advertising Awards, executive creative director, Mudra (South), Joono Simon, talks about the secrets of success.

Straightforward but not simplistic
The team that worked on this particular ad that won a Cannes Lion consists of Vincy Raj and Akhilesh Bagri, the creative team of the Bangalore office. The idea was to look and approach a problem from a different perspective.

An ad like this would usually show the perspective of the person who drives a car. Also public service messages are viewed with a lot of apathy. A message like this, we realised, needed to shock people and have to be more straightforward while not being simplistic.

By bringing blood into the living room, there’s a level of immediacy to the ad. We were clear that there needed to be some drama and rawness to the ads to keep them dynamic. This was especially important since print as a medium tends to be static. Even before these ads won at the Cannes, they were already popular; in fact I got a chain mail of the ads, so they were already being circulated by people online. The ad has won at the Cannes, at the ads of the world and bagged silvers in the Goa fest.

In the Cannes outdoor category, it won from among 4500 entries around the world, same is the case with the award for the print category. The Bangalore traffic Police was very happy with the ad. I’ve interacted with the commissioner and he was very positive about it as well. In fact we are going to be coming out with part two of the ads soon.

We have catching up to do India has had its displays of glory at the Cannes Advertising Festival in the last few years. This year in fact we haven’t done as well as the past few years. What I think we need to realise is that communication is changing rapidly. A sphere where the change is exponential and we need to catch up is the digital or online media, while we also need to pick up pace in other media. There’s so much scope for ideas in the cyberspace and it’s a medium to stay. And it challenges what we perceive as consumer behaviour which is changing.

I’d say it’s time to reboot!
There are a lot of powerhouse agencies, which are doing fresh work. DDB’s funtheory.com is a good example.

American agencies are coming up with spectacular film ideas and looking at advertising in a more comprehensive way. The important point is to amplify the core thought and reach the wider demographics.

Power of advertising

I think it is important for advertising to embrace popular culture.

Communication can no longer be preachy and prescribed. A consumer will only consume communication, as entertainment. As in everything else advertising has the power to be good or bad, it’s up to the practitioners. You have an opportunity of 30 seconds on television or 100cc space in a newspaper or a magazine and you can make whatever you want of it.

Why Bangalore?
I’ve been in advertising for 18 years and have been in Bangalore for 12 years. I’ve been asked what’s the reason I am still in Bangalore.

But frankly, where one is working from really doesn’t matter. Some of the most successful agencies have come from small places whether it’s Crispin Porter Bogusky or Wieden Kennedy.

Talent needs nourishment
It’s important to invest in young talent and so I try to emphasise on a culture that stays away from conventional thinking and thinks out of the box. Each time we get a creative brief (advertising need) we think about it unconventionally. I try and emphasise not on a copywriter-art partner culture instead involve a larger talent pool to have a team of diverse talent.

For example, we have a stand up comedian, a fashion designer and a housewife on the roll and they join us now and then to brainstorm. I call this ‘hybrid creativity’. Also advertising does not happen inside the office. I’d tell the young creatives to grab some sunscreen, get greedy, get out there and enjoy and experience life.