Bringing in Fun, Spice & Freshness to FCB Ulka: Rohit Ohri

So what made you join FCB Ulka? What was your perception of the agency when you took the decision?
This is a question a lot of people have asked me. And you know one of the reasons I decided to join FCB was the fact that it was the people and the quality of people in this organisation for the longest. I have the deepest regards for Arvind Wable as a friend in Delhi, for Ambi, Nagesh. And Shashi. So you know there were bunch of people with a great degree of integrity. And not just integrity in terms of professionalism but also intellectual integrity. They have always kept that as you know like the holy grail of the FCB. And to my mind I had the deepest regard for it because one of the most important thing in an agency is the quality of people there you know. And fact is I have seen lots of people now at senior levels, mid-levels and junior levels and there is a lot of integrity and honesty. There’s a very ‘let’s get the work done’ and ‘let’s not get in to politics’ kind of environment here, which is really for me kind of like home you know. 

So unlike an advertising agency, right? You need to have some fun, some politics, a little bitching etc. Is it too sanitised?
Yes, but that’s what I think I will bring here (laughs). But there are a bunch of really good people, which is the biggest reassurance. Honestly, in the five-month break I had before joining, I was wondering if I really need to go back to this again. Because transforming an agency from the inside, and creating a new culture in an organisation, is a lot of work, as my four years in Dentsu showed. 

Dentsu was a new project, but FCB-Ulka is a 54-year-old agency. You have some rather large and old clients there. If you tinker around too much, other sharks will grab the clients... 
There are sharks everywhere, but I am one too. With a lot of clients, we have a deep-rooted relationship, but as far as creativity is concerned, you need to stay current and fresh. So what I’m going to bring to these agencies is new energies, some fizz and fun…. 

In fact, FCB Ulka is seen as a fuddy-duddy agency. It has done some great work, but in the past…
It has done some absolutely fantastic work, even in recent years, for [brands like] Docomo. The idea is to add some freshness and newness. And I think that’s the reason the FCB Ulka board as well as the global management, wanted to bring in new leadership and look at some fresh ideas. 

But the fresh ideas need to come from a creative head, and right now you don’t have one in the agency… 
It’s fresh ideas not just in terms of what you are producing, but also when it comes to a way of working. To me, creative transformation is about setting a new culture in the organisation which looks at generating creative ideas. 

But that’s dramatically difficult to achieve right?
Not really. Fundamentally, FCB is always been about solid ideas. I am really going to actually look at the big shift from solid and I think future is about not solid but liquid ideas. And that big shift is really about making ideas which actually work across the whole host of mediums. It’s not just in to television, not just in to traditional advertising but really about you know taking every single touchpoint and bringing that liquid idea alive for consumers at every single point. 

Have you identified anybody who can take charge as CCO?
It’s only been my second day at work, I believe I am fast, but not that fast. Yes, we are thinking about it. I don’t think that one CCO, however, can come and transform the fortunes of an agencyThat model is kind of old model right. It is traditional advertising…

There are not too many names to choose from… 
That’s a very traditional way of looking at it. I think it’s about getting a group of talented people together – from digital, those with media expertise or outdoor -- and getting them to work together. And that’s what I mean about liquidity of talent. It’s about new teams starting conversations with clients and consumers. It is no longer about one person in today’s context. 

I have just come from a client meeting, and they told me that they don’t want that one big film any more. They want to see a complete package, and I want to see that idea come alive across every single touch point. That’s the most important thing. 

You’ve obviously seen things change dramatically over the yers when you were at JWT… 
Absolutely and this is the new paradigm. This is the paradigm of liquid ideas, liquid talent, liquid networks and liquid structures. I am saying that today what we have to do is put the creative idea in the centre and then move along every single touchpoint. It is no longer that the creative agency sits in the middle and then the media agency or the activation agency they are revolving around that one single creative. 

So will we see a younger CCO? Sorry to get back to the question again…
I know that’s one thing you definitely want out of me! To my mind, it’s not about age but calibre. What I am looking for is freshness and a new sensibility. 

Are you sure your old clients won’t be upset about your speed of change? 
The clients are very used to the speed of change today, because they are in the market. For the next 100 days, I’m going to put a plan together after speaking to clients and getting their perspective on what strengths and weaknesses and delivery [systems they need us to work on]. I will also meet with people in the agency and understand what they consider their strengths and how we can move forward. So more than a CCO, Brand FCB Ulka needs to stand for something. We have a global positioning, but how does that translate for the Indian market, is the starting point. Fundamentally, in an elevator in one-and-a-half minutes, if I need to be able to tell you that this is the reason why FCB as an agency is what you need to work with. This is the reason why it is best in the game. So this very reason needs to be very sharply articulated and articulated in the context of today’s volatile world. And in today’s world the challenges are enormous in terms of communication. 

One of the things creating a buzz around your taking charge is about the change of guard, and what it would mean for the old guard in the agency. There are quite a few people who have been there for many, many years. Could you shed some light on what has been happening? 
Nagesh is now working global projects and directly reporting to Carter Murrey. I think Ambi retires in March, and with his depth of knowledge, he always been like the planning head of the agency. So we would like to recast his role going forward, perhaps making him a mentor on some of the brands he’s been working with closely. Arvind would also become a consultant and mentor. Both he and Ambi have spoken to me, and since this is a company they have built, FCB is like their life’s work, they would like to help in whatever manner required. So for the group, it is really about putting and knitting a lot of the agency together and making sure that all the offices, all the different verticals, work together. 

FCB Ulka has a lot of offices. Are you going to integrate some of them? 
Not integrate because FCB Ulka and Interface are separate agencies, and it’s important to keep that separation. But we are going to put a working methodology in place. To work closely with Lodestar, and the digital agencies FCB, then there are opportunities in activation. The fundamental cultural shift that I want to bring in, is the  resource and capabilities of thinking in a holistic manner.  But Shashi and I are going to partner and work together to take this thing forward. There are a lot of occasions for Lodestar and FCB Ulka to work together. So in today’s day and age, if you can leverage that, the value we can give to the client is enormous. 

This partnership thing sounds very good, but at the end of the day, one person has to report to the other. So how will that work between Shashi Sinha and you?
Shashi is not going to be reporting to me. Up to now, the agency has been like a brotherhood, with five people running it. And there was a seamless matrix… it is an amazing matrix.

But even the ’Paanchayati Raj’ has to have one leader who will drive the organisation and whack the others into shape, if necessary, right?
So clearly I am going to lead the creative agency, and he is going to lead the media assets. The whole thing is about collaboration. If you cannot work in a collaborative manner then frankly, you are not fit for today’s marketing environment. 

Six months or 100 days. When can we expect to see a difference in the agency?
That’s what lot of people have asked me. My thing is that I have entered the agency with no plan. There is no plan in my mind. How can that be?But you know the the worst thing would be for somebody to come into an agency with a preconceived idea of what he wants to do. I know broadly the objectives we want to achieve, but I will evolve a plan after getting a good understanding of what the business needs and what the clients want. If you have a plan and force it on people because you think it’s a good one, that would be the worst thing to do. It’s important to evolve a plan in partnership with the existing leadership of the agency. 

You have existing long-standing relationships with many clients. Do we see you pulling them now that you here?
I think now my first priority is to look at our client base here. I think we’ve got fantastic list of clients and there are some deep, deep relationships. Protecting a relationship is almost a heritage. If you have 50-year-old relationship with a client, that’s really something to be proud of and something to build and grow. So the first port of call is about existing client relationships and that’s I am going to focus on. And of course when we go out, we will be looking at every other opportunity.

The agency hasn’t done much on the awards circuit. It may have won some awards, but not too many. Do you see that as an indicator of the quality of work that’s being done? 
That’s a big conundrum and [references the] question of what kind of culture do we want to create. Are we going to chase awards for the sake of awards and do a lot of scams, or do we want to create famous advertising -- campaigns that build famous brands and as a result, fame for the agency as well? 

Will we see you do any acquisitions?
Yes, we will be open for them.

You have been in Delhi and in Singapore. How do you feel about moving to Mumbai for the first time ever in your career? 
Oh, yes. I have built a career in advertising without ever stepping foot into Mumbai. When I was at Dentsu, we were building a Mumbai operation with the acquisition of Taproot and then Webchutney. But you know, Dentsu as a creative agency didn’t have much of a presence here. So I used to come to Mumbai, but infrequently. Now I will be here and I am looking forward to it. 

The move to Mumbai should be interesting. You moved to Delhi from Kolkata where the advertising business was headquartered in Kolkata...
It would be very interesting. I find this city fascinating, especially the cultural complexity and diversity of people. I took a walk down Marine Drive this morning in an attempt to ‘embrace’ Mumbai (which you can’t do from a hotel room). And during the walk, I saw Mumbai and the spirit of the city and the beauty of the different types of people you see here. [In Delhi you only see people] from Jatland in Haryana. But here it was fascinating. 

Cleaner air too?
Cleaner, yes though after the odd and even scheme, hopefully Delhi air would be clean as well. 

If FCB Ulka is a senior citizen taking a walk on Marine Drive today, what do you think FCB Ulka under Rohit Ohri would be like, a year from now? 
That’s a bit uncharitable, and really just a perception. If you meet the people here, they are all buzzing with ideas and talent. So it’s an unfortunate perception that has come about. And one that I would like to change. 

And no names of a CCO yet?
No (laughs!)

The Rohit Ohri interview also appeared on BrandStand on Zee Business. Watch it at https://goo.gl/9QyIrM