Advertising is all about selling and promoting a product or service through methods which set a brand recall in the prospects’ mind. That is the reason many products have a story woven behind them. Because stories have a strong recall value as they set a slab of remembrance in the minds of the people. It requires creativity combined with a sense of balance with practical application.
That is why you will notice that many of the top gurus in Indian advertising are from a background that is artistic, creative or somehow related to it. This is not to say that artistic creativity is a must, but creativity in itself can play a very important role in advertising. If you don’t know the gurus who rule the advertising industry in India, we have named them for you. Read on to know who they are, and their achievements.
1. Piyush Pandey
Being named the most influential man in Indian advertising for eight consecutive years by The Economic Times, he is an award winning co-executive chairman and national creative director of Ogilvy and Mather. He is also the vice-chairman of O&M Asia Pacific. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 2016.
2. Prasoon Joshi
He received Filmfare Best Lyricist Award three times. He also won National Film Award for Best Lyrics twice, one for Taare Zameen Par and the second for Chittagong. He was awarded Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2015 for his contributions towards the field of Arts, Literature and Advertising. He is the CEO of McCann World group India and Chairman (Asia Pacific), a subsidiary of global marketing firm McCann Erickson.
3. R. Balakrishnan
Also known as R.Balki, he is a filmmaker, screenwriter and former Group Chairman of advertising agency Lowe Lintas (India). His ad agency won three Gold Lions at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2014. His film works include Cheeni Kum and Paa.
4. Sam Balsara
He is the Chairman and Managing Director of Madison World and Madison Communications. He is an awarded senior professional in the Indian Advertising Industry. He worked with Team Modi and pulled off the biggest political campaign in Indian politics.
5. Prahlad Kakkar
Best known for his direction on Pepsi TV commercial with Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar, he is a very well known ad film director. He is the founder and main director for Genesis Film Productions, one of India’s leading production houses. An avid scuba diver, he established ‘Lacadives’, a scuba diving school, with his wife Mitali Kakkar at Kadmat Island. The school was setup in collaboration with the Lakshadweep government.
These 5 are just a few of the many gurus in Indian advertising. There are many others who have contributed considerably. Here we have emphasised more on those people who have a background in other majorly creative and artistic fields. Artistic influence helps one in the creative field of advertising.