Mohit Dhar Jayal, Managing Director, Wieden+Kennedy
The whole pitch system is obsolete and needs overhaul. This beauty contest model doesn't work. Clients should assess potential partners partly based on their work for other brands, and partly on how they would approach their business. You don't need six hours and 1,000 slides to understand that. A powerful insight can be shared in two words.
After graduating with a gold medal from Delhi University in 1990, followed by a degree in Economic and Politics from Oxford University, Mohit Dhar Jayal has held key positions at agencies in India and abroad, including Leo Burnett London and Euro RSCG India, following which he established his own brand development agency in a joint venture with the Madison Group. In 2003, Jayal joined V Sunil as a partner at 'A', a highly successful creative independent that merged with Wieden+Kennedy in November 2007 to create W+K India. During his career, Jayal has helped create positioning strategies and sub-brands for corporations across the world.
In this interview with exchange4media's Pallavi Goorha, Jayal speaks about W+K's journey in India post the merger with 'A'. Jayal also shares his views about various aspects about the advertising scene in India.
Q. What are the major areas of focus for W+K in 2008 - in India and globally?
In India and abroad, we want to demonstrate how creative strategy can make a substantial contribution to brands' ad businesses. To achieve this, we will operate way beyond the traditional scope of an agency and learn many new skills along the way. Stay tuned.
Q. Why do you think W+K chose 'A'?
We have been chatting with them and were friendly towards them from the very beginning. When W+K were exploring the possibility of coming to India, we were giving them suggestions regarding the kind of people to hire. In course of time, we realised how similar our cultures were and it was a natural step towards a merger.
Q. Where does W+K India office stand in the global W+K network, both in terms of revenue and geographic expansion?
W+K doesn't see things purely in terms of revenue and geographic expansion. We are a creatively-led agency, and our objective is to provide outstanding creative support to existing and potential clients in the world's most exciting marketplace. The global network is focusing all its resources on supporting W+K India in this effort. Of course, it will result in revenue, but that is a secondary objective. In India, W+K is far more entrepreneurial by nature and also in our association with some of our key clients such as Indigo, which is run by India's leading entrepreneur Rahul Bhatia. Globally, W+K works with some of the biggest multinational corporations. So, their culture often has a touch of that flavour.
Q. Could you elaborate a bit on the rise of the Creative Independents in India? How is it impacting the advertising scene in the country?
It will change Indian advertising completely. Traditional agencies are not geared to be catalysts, but creative independents are. Watch how things change in the next few years.
Q. What do you think are the areas where Indian advertising practitioners should focus on to create a wider global impact? How would you ensure the same for W+K India?
The Indian advertising practitioners should focus on output rather than process and become an agent of change. The practitioners should benchmark against best global practices and stop using 'India is not an evolved marketplace' as an excuse for mediocrity, because this is a country where socio-economic change can be measured in months, not years. At W+K India, we ensure all of the above by imposing extremely high standards on ourselves.
Q. Which are your best creative works in India?
One of the best creative works we did was for Indigo, which is India's best low fare airline. We did the whole brand development and experience design for Indigo. Another work that makes us proud is the Incredible India campaign, which we have been doing for the past two years.
Q. How important are awards for the growth of an agency?
The awards are nice to win, but not important for growth. Creative standards must be maintained for the sake of business, not glory or respect from your peers.
Q. We have heard of indiscriminate pitching that clients call for, and many a time we don't hear about the result. What is your take on the pitch fee issue?
The whole pitch system is obsolete and needs overhaul. This beauty contest model doesn't work. Clients should assess potential partners partly based on their work for other brands, and partly on how they would approach their business. You don't need six hours and 1,000 slides to understand that. A powerful insight can be shared in two words.
Q. What are the two key things in Indian advertising that you would like to change?
Agencies should think and behave like business partners. But it is easier said than done.
Q. What were the challenges that you faced while setting up shop in India?
To maintain creative integrity on a large scale, you need the right kind of people. We look for a mix of entrepreneurial spirit, creative flair, strategic awareness and hard-core professionalism. Believe me, that's a challenge.
Q. It goes without saying that that for the growth of an agency, balancing between existing clients and new ones is necessary. How does W+K manage this?
W+K manages this by paying equal attention to every single piece of work, regardless of which client it is for.
Q. Do you see an increase in mergers and acquisitions by international networks of Indian advertising agencies? And does this mean that the stranglehold of foreign agencies will increase further?
I feel that India is a hot market and everyone is interested in entering it. I see that nearly all agencies have entered the Indian market. So, I don't know how many are left to enter the Indian market.
Q. It's been nearly three months since the merger with 'A' How has the journey been so far?
The journey has been very exciting since the merger with 'A'. We are working with some of the best creative and strategic minds in the world. We are also working with a great set of people at Nokia and getting a chance to produce some strong work with them.
Q. In India, though the creative output is substantial, agencies here still find those international awards elusive. Where is Indian creative lacking?
Again, the focus is on process rather than output. Management and creative people need to really understand what makes a piece of work beautiful, they need to develop a deep understanding of the art. Creativity isn't intangible or subjective. The problem is that right now everybody pretends that things are perfect. They're not. And that's why we don't get international awards.
Q. What are the opportunities you see in India compared to the global network?
India is the world's fastest growing democracy and we've got all got the opportunity to create history and shape the future.
