News Headline
What 2020 taught me about the advertising business
MUMBAI: Indiantelevision.com is happy to bring you the year ender 2020 series Throwback 2020– a wrap up of major developments in the media, entertainment, advertising and marketing sectors during one of the most challenging 12 months mankind has faced in a century. We are also bringing you perspectives from executives – their POVs – of the year just gone by. Here’s one from Dentsu Webchutney CEO Gautam Reghunath, wherein he talks what the annus horribilis has taught him and his team at the agency. Read on to learn more from him.
Your Core Team Will Make or Break You.
Great teams aremade through endless iterations of roles cultures, processes, structures and tackling problems when they emerge. They are more than a bunch of well performing people put together. The only way to build these teams is through endless optimisations of how this team works together. I’ve never been more thankful to have had this core in place. Investing in culture and setting up a great core team has always been a priority at Webchutney but the last 12 months have just solidified how it is especially important during a rough year.
Agency creativity is now a rare product. We’re doubling down on it.
The truth is that over the past decade, creativity as a service has taken a back seat at most big agencies. In our industry right now distribution, productivity and efficiency are what’s valued, but the side effects are that they are all becoming commoditised. There’s little differentiation between agencies. As for Webchutney, it is only smart for us to maintain our focus of differentiation to creativity, a truly scarce resource whose value is always on the rise.
Remote-talent might just have saved advertising.
Clever, creative people don’t just live in big cities. Social media platforms have thrived on it but advertising will have to learn to embrace creativity from across the country for its own sake. But not before a serious change to what’s required. Remote work requires new infrastructure and management styles that we aren’t used to or taught. The hardest challenge with remote is trying to change the fundamental nature of agency floors: we're social creatures, we communicate synchronously, we ideate together, often loud. Self-discipline is hard. In advertising, it’s even harder. Companies which figure it all out have a massive talent arbitrage opportunity.
Resourcefulness and initiativestood out more than ever this year.
Resourcefulness is a competitive advantage. Too many organizations hire when they should be optimizing the people they’ve already got. Efficient people want to work in an efficient environment. The people who have stood out for me this year are the ones who’ve shown excitement about the opportunities for us this year, an ability to contribute the right way and those who’ve displayed apotential to learn and adapt. Initiative is contagious.
Client relationships – stop taking them for granted.
Over a period of time, agencies typicallystart takingclient relationships for granted. But the reality is that every day, they’re choosing to be your client or not. No year has this played out more than 2020. Somewhere a client relationship starts resembling a subscription you renew every year. Digital agencies who’ve grown up on project work might deal with this better. We’ve fought so hard for a seat at the table over the years that because we were always pitching, we developed a skill of communicating who we are and what we’re bringing that some of the older agencies forgot to do consistently.
Make a Plan, But Don’t Plan on Sticking to It.
Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” The key decisions this year challenged my willingness to evolve more than my aptitude or intelligence. 2020 taught me that you can make progress by planning but it’s more by deviating that the chances of success increase. It’s also proven to us in advertising that that we have so much more to learn as an industry on how to reinvent ourselves. Nobody ever regrets making fast and decisive adjustments to changing circumstances.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
