Hasta La Creative!

Sudhir Das is a copywriter in Publicis Capital. He likes to read, watch B-movies and play computer games. He spends too much time online. He feels weird about referring to himself in the third person.

Why are you into Advertising?
When I was in Delhi looking for a job, I had a couple of friends in advertising. They wore shorts to office and were always hungover. I guess I was jealous. So I joined. I stayed because I discovered advertising is fun.

Did you attend school for fine art or design or Communications?
No. I gave the IIMC exams but didn’t get through.

Tell us about your recent work campaign?
Maggi Masala Dumdaar
Maggi Bhuna Masala
McVitie’s Digestive Biscuits
Nestle Neslac

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
Not really. I really, really liked Obelix from the Asterix Comics though.

Who was the most influential personality on your career in Advertising?
Actually, there’s several, but if I had to pick one, it has to be my current NCD, Emmanuel Upputuru. I have lost count of the times I went to him with an idea, and he has made it better, sharper. He’s added focus, make me say one thing when earlier I said three. He has set the bar high. At the same time, he is also one of the most unselfish creative people I know.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
I would have liked to say ‘Life’, but I’m not really a social person who meets new and interesting people. So,  I rip off ideas from music videos, art, comics, books and humour websites.

Tell us something about the publicis work environment.
It’s…ummm…good? Whenever someone asks me this question, I usually have no idea what to answer. I guess it’s a bit like every other agency in a sense there’s a constant tussle between the push to get great, edgy, exciting work out, and the fear that people ‘just won’t get it’. Usually, the latter wins. On the rare occasions when it’s the former, yay!

Tell us about your first job in Advertising.
It was in Joint Arms Communication, Delhi. Located right in the middle of the industrial area of Okhla. I used to eat Chinese food at a van near the place.  For close to a year, I was the only writer there. And I was an intern. My then CD just threw me in the deep end and left me. I did everything – fliers, press ads, TV commercials on every single brand we had. I grumbled constantly about how much work I was doing. Looking back, that was an incredible learning experience. I wouldn’t change it for everything. Except maybe the Chinese food – my stomach still hasn’t recovered.

What do you think of the state of Print advertising right now? At least ?here in India, the released work is most often too sad.
I think that is true to a very large extent. That’s because print is now treated as a support medium to TV. So what comes down to press is usually a watered-down version of the TVC.  Also with multiple insertions in multiple editions, press is so expensive. Having said that, I see a large number of local brands doing great work in press. I’m also guessing as technology becomes more pervasive, with QR codes and AR, press will come back in a more interactive avatar.

Do you think brands whose advertising wins awards, do well in the market?
Yes.

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals?
Be a sponge. Read. Surf the net. Hang out with interesting people. You will need all that stuff.
And be thick-skinned. Brilliant people, the kind whose feedback matters, can be very harsh.

Your dream project?
A DVD for the Guns and Roses reunion tour, original lineup.

Your upcoming campaigns, if you can talk about it
Sorry, can’t talk about it

Who would you like to take out for dinner?
Anybody who’ll come (I’m sad and lonely.)

What’s on your iPod?
Greatest Hits of the 80s. Bossa Nova. And lots of dubstep.

Mac or PC?
PC

Silver, Campaign India Digital Media Awards 2010, Website (FMCG)
Bronze, Campaign India Digital Media Awards 2010, Best Loyalty Campaign
Finalist, Campaign India Digital Media Awards 2010, Online Advertising
Finalist, Campaign India Digital Media Awards 2010, Integrated

The name of the followingcampaign was ‘Shredded Stories’. I think it’s pretty self-explanatory.
Copywriter: Sudhir Das
Art Director: Rajit Gupta/ Raylin Valles
Photographs: Getty Images
Image Finishing: StudioROM
Gold (Print) Goafest 2010. Bronze (Art Direction) Goafest 2010.