‘There are more than enough ideas in this creative industry’

OOH provides great scope for creativity, and yet the OOH landscape in India does not see a high level of creativity everywhere. In your view, is creativity essentially about innovations or does it apply to every campaign that is launched?

I think creativity encompasses all the genres of a campaign. Right from the identification of the target audience, executing it at the right location to delivering it with an impactful message. It is a complete package, a complete solution. These together bring a campaign to life. Innovation is also essential because it creates the first impact. If the first impact is powerful, half your work is done.

I personally think that, for a campaign to cause a stir at least one innovation is required. Churning out multiple jut-outs and cut-outs is very run-of-the-mill kind and anyone can easily deduce that an easy and convenient plan has been executed.

What are the typical challenges that you see when handling the creative side of campaigns, and how do you raise the creative quotient of campaigns?

The challenging part is to convince multiple levels of people, be it internal stakeholders or the brand managers. I would like to say that collectively we should take the leap of faith and experiment with different ideas. There are more than enough ideas in this creative industry. Implementation of such ideas backed with a little money could give rise to creativity in the outdoor industry.

How much does recognition of creativity matter for the team, and in that context, tell us how awards win matter, such as, winning OAA awards?

I think recognition is the sole incentive the creative team works for. This recognition resonates and encourages when it is from within the team. An honest compliment, with a warm pat on the back every now and then is like an energy booster for the team. Receiving awards is indeed gratifying not only to the creative team but the entire organisation. It is a celebration time with posters and mails doing the rounds. It is a proud moment for the entire organisation.  OAA awards are something we look forward to every year and we value it as one of the leading award platforms in the country.