Creative outburst could be much acclaimed in any art form irrespective of whether it meets commercial success but it is a different ball game altogether in the ruthless world of advertisement. The question of accountability towards the client for which an ad agency is working then becomes issue of paramount importance.

She was speaking at a panel discussion ‘Does Accountability Hinder Creativity’ organised by Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM) in Kolkata on Monday. She lamented the fact that some pseudo-creative people has given bad name to the ad industry. “However, creativity has only one business today, to enhance sale,” she concluded.

S Venkatramani, head corporate communication of ITC Ltd, noted that there was no dissonance between being creative and accountable. In fact, accountability should force agencies to become more creative. “A consumer is being bombarded with lakhs of media communication every year. To create a brand, agencies need to be creative,” he pointed out.

His views were echoed by Sugata Halder, senior manager of Hutchison Telecom who argued accountability actually challenges creativity.

D K Guha, assistant vice president of Lowe Lintas, defended his community by saying that creativity connects common people with the brand. He urged clients to take long term view in building brand.

Others who spoke on the occasion Sharmila Sinha and Kanchan Dutta of Inner Circle, a local ad agency.