In the past, few heads of the creative function at ad agencies made it to the top. Many chose to leave and start their own agencies. Those who did this include Mohammed Khan (who formed Enterprise Communications Pvt. Ltd in the 1980s and later merged it with Nexus Advertising) and Bharat Dabholkar (who formed Zen Communications Pvt. Ltd in the early 1990s and later sold a stake to Publicis Worldwide).
Many ad people say the growing number of instances of creative directors being made CEOs is a function of the rapid globalization of the advertising business, since most local ad agencies are now majority- or wholly-owned by international ad networks or global marketing communications holding firms such as IPG, WPP and Omnicom Group.
Says Santosh Desai, CEO, Future Brands Ltd and former president and chief operating officer of McCann-Erickson India: “Running an agency is simple enough in India. International funding is around and Indian heads need take no risky financial decisions or investments (involved in setting up one’s own agency). In addition, you could have a second in command under the chairman, who would do all the day-to-day work.”
Leading the pack: (clockwise from top left) Sonal Dabral, chairman, Bates David Enterprise India, with his team (Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar / Mint); R. Balakrishnan (Balki), chairman and CEO, Lowe Lintas India Pvt. Ltd (Photo: Harikrishna Katragadda / Mint); Piyush Pandey, chairman and national creative director, Ogilvy and Mather India, with his team (Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar / Mint); Prasoon Joshi, chairman, McCann-Erickson India Ltd (Photo: Madhu Kapparath / Mint); and Josy Paul, chairman, BBDO India (Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar / Mint).
Mature ad markets such as the US and the UK have tasted the success of creative chiefs as agency founders or chiefs. Examples include John Hegarty (who founded
BBH), Dan Wieden (founder of
Wieden+Kennedy Inc.) and Lee Clow (former chairman and chief creative officer at
TBWA Worldwide). Global networks are thus open to placing achievers such as Paul, Balki, Joshi and Pandey at the top of their local operations in markets of the future such as India.
History, too, has a part to play in the rise of the creative directors. “Most creative heads are backed by a legacy of solid infrastructure and sound management systems. These happen to be historically strong agencies that they (creative heads) have inherited and continue to run,” says Ranjan Kapur, country head, WPP Group.
The changing role of ad agencies in content creation is perhaps the single largest driver of the change. Traditional advertising messages on TV, press and radio are giving way to new ways of engaging the audience such as in-film product placements and advertiser-funded programming. Meanwhile, consumers themselves are emerging as co-creators of content in micromedia such as blogs.
Paul’s BBDO India, for instance, wants to create its own unique culture. “BBDO and the Swamys (owners of RK Swamy BBDO) are hugely ambitious in India. Josy shares that ambition. He brings experience tinged with edginess, a belief in the power of ideas and a desire to challenge the existing norms of the market,” says Chris Thomas, chairman and chief executive, BBDO Asia-Pacific.