He told the ad people assembled that
they should first try to be very good if not great team players. "This
is not a one man show. Keep your eyes and ears open because ideas
are found in life not in black note books." He went on to stress
the importance of not
giving in to pressure. He offered the example of the Cadbury's commercial
where a woman runs onto the cricket field as an example. At that time
O&M was on a pitch after having been with Cadbury's for years.
The FMCG was angry at the time.
 However
the O&M team did not play safe and dived head in. The result
was a series of ads that rejuvenated the brand. "Those who
succumb do mediocre work. Those who view pressure as an opportunity
rather than a threat will make it."
He also said that a creative director must stand by the people
who work with him. He must remember that it is not a bad thing to
argue with a client when you are
sure that you are on the right track. "Sometimes I have gone
to the extent of taking the client aside and telling him that if
he continues to argue in this fashion then his company's advertising
programme will definitely get fed up."
He also stressed the need for patience among creative directors.
"If you think that an idea is initially bad at least sleep
over it before chucking it out. Initially I thought that the ad
for the cigarette hazards, which said 'Cancer cures smoking' would
not work. I was skeptical at first as it seemed so simple."
"Creative directors also need to be gentle with ideas while
at the same time sifting the good ones from those which are lousy.
They must be careful not to dampen the enthusiasm of young people
who have recently joined the agency."
On the originality front he said that if a creative director develops
a unique style the people working under him would respect him. That
according to him was much better than trying to be the clone of
someone famous. He admitted to having made people creative directors
in the past when they did not command the respect of their peers.
Another way for a creative director to make a mark is to work on
a concept that others are afraid to touch.
He gave the example of taking on Fevicol in the 1980s when nobody
wanted to touch it. The result was the tug of war ad.
He showed visuals comprising of four creative directors who had
words of advice. As a warning one of them said that creative directors
should be wary of those who create out of fear or out of a sense
of insecurity. "It is important for a creative director to
lead by demonstration. You should at least be able to give the seed
of an idea to your team. When dealing with ideas you need to be
stern and ruthless. There is nothing worse than creative director
letting a lousy idea run its course because he does not have the
gumption to put a stop to it."
To give an illustration of teamwork, talent and patience Pandey
gave the example of the animated movie Alladin. Inspiration can
sometimes come from weird sources. Therefore it is important to
keep your eyes and ears open. For instance the rap singer MC Hammer
was the inspiration for the opening sequence of the film.
The patience came from the writers who had to convert their storyboards
into cinema language. He also said that creative directors should
have passion and find joy in the work they do. The body language
of the singers who composed and sang tunes like 'A Whole New World'
for the film exuded just that Pandey said.
(Piyush Pandey's picture courtesy adol.com)
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