Ogilvy has a reputation that we have to beat: Senthil Kumar

One is a veteran at J Walter Thompson for over 15 years, while the other has been in the system for just about two and a half years. The disparity in the number of years put in at one of WPP group’s largest ad agencies hardly shows when Matt Eastwood and Senthil Kumar are together though. The two — Eastwood is J Walter Thompson’s worldwide chief creative officer and Kumar is the chief creative officer for the agency’s South Asian region — appear to be on the same page on most issues. Eastwood, who has worked with creative powerhouses such as DDB before picking up the top job at J Walter Thompson in 2014, admits his biggest challenge has been to ensure consistency across the latter’s 200-odd offices. India is a market, Eastwood says, he is particularly excited about because of its “tech-forwardness”. “The world comes to India to develop technology and technology I believe can enable creativity,” he says. The smooth partnership between Kumar and Eastwood is also predicated on the fact that the former is regarded highly for his digital work on brands such as Pepsi, Kit Kat and Nike in India. Kumar’s appointment, in fact, to the top creative job at J Walter Thompson, South Asia was intended to give a digital push to the agency here, where it has been in existence since 1930. In an interview to Viveat Susan Pinto, Eastwood and Kumar map the road ahead and discuss whether taking on Ogilvy’s creative might in the country is on the cards. Edited Excerpts:

Since your current India trip stretches for close to a week. What is your agenda while you are here?

Eastwood: I have a tight five-day schedule, where I will be reviewing work of the various offices here. I will barely get time to soak in the sights and sounds of this fabulous country. But I am excited to see the work coming out of India and the South Asian region. India may seem chaotic to a visitor, but there is a method to the madness here. India’s soft power, its arts and culture, that is, give it that creative edge. Add to this its tech-forwardness and what I can see is technology enabling creativity. It is already happening — the campaign for The Hindu newspaper by the agency is an example. The campaign, which is a mobile experience — you turn it one way it gives you one message, you turn it the other way it gives you another message — is creative technology at work. 

How is the global creative vision percolating down to India, where the agency has been for nearly nine decades?

Kumar: Matt is our guiding light when it comes to the creative product. I am constantly in touch with him, ensuring our ideas reach him at all times. I am also part of the global creative council, where we meet four times in a year to review work that comes out of the agency worldwide. This gives me a chance to better understand where Matt wishes to take the agency and how we can contribute to this and better our work. Besides, there are a lot of initiatives globally, which inspires me to build it into our system here. Matt, for instance, had a Global Young Creative Council; of people under the age of 30 years, who’ve done stellar work. I have replicated that here with a South Asia Young Creative Council, where young stars get a chance to voice their opinion; to tell us what they would like to work on and what they expect from us. The idea is to allow their voice to get louder.

What about your other interesting programmes such as ‘In Your Shoes’ and ‘Future Leaders’?

Eastwood: ‘Future Leaders’ is to help us identify the next generation of leaders in the agency. It allows us to groom talent, who can take over once the front-line leadership moves on. ‘In Your Shoes’ is an exchange programme that literally allows you to be in the shoes of an individual in the agency, who you’ve swapped roles with. 

It is a short stint of three months, but many enjoy it because it gives them a chance to understand a new market and new role. 

Where does the agency stand in the debate on effective versus award-winning work? It has polarised the industry here.

Eastwood: You must have work that wins you awards as well as work that is famous (effective). Because one acts as a magnet to get you talent and the other will help you win clients. We are going after both.

Given that the agency is trying to get its creative chops back, will you aim for the position of a creative powerhouse enjoyed by Ogilvy here?

Kumar: To me taking on Ogilvy is a thing of the past. For the last three years, we’ve been the leading agency at India’s only known creative awards (Abbies). While they (Ogilvy) have opted not to be a part of Goafest for the last two years, the hope remains that they will eventually make their way back. The reason being that you need a national yardstick to measure your work and motivate people. It boosts their morale. Also, in 2016, we were on the top in the Gunn Report, a global yardstick to measure creativity. Ogilvy was no where on the list. Having said that, Ogilvy has a reputation that we have to beat. The better the work we do every year, our creative reputation will be built.