Mumbai: Goafest 2023 started on a high note with the committee talking about the increase in the number of participating agencies and entries this year, as compared to the previous years. The fest commenced with singer Kanika Kapoor getting the crowd to shake a leg.
This was followed by the first session, which was presented by News18 Network ‘Future of Creativity’ moderated by Rohit Ohri chairman & CEO – FCB Ulka with panelists, including Anusha Shetty – chairperson & group CEO – Grey Group India, Josy Paul – chairman & group CCO – BBDO, T Gangadhar co-founder and group CEO Quotient Ventures, and Dheeraj Sinha – CEO & chairman – Leo Burnett & BBH. Firstly, the session focused on the future of creativity, which lies in the seamless integration of technology, empowering individuals to explore new horizons and redefine traditional boundaries, ultimately revolutionising the way we express, communicate, and experience. Gangadhar made a very interesting note about technology and our place wherein creativity is involved, “It’s not man v/s machine, it is man with machine. You need technology to run your data but you need a human mind to add value to it.”
Sinha on the other hand stated, “We believe that this is the best time to be in the business. Today, you have such a huge palette to play around with v/s images and copy that could be played around with back in the day. Creativity is the power to solve problems, which we have done, but now, imagine adding data and technology to it! The possibility is limitless!”
Discussing the transition you have seen and what has the journey been to you, Ohri asked to which Shetty replied, “I realised very soon, scale was not very easy, so I wanted to try something new and that is how we migrated to digital. Change is not easy for all. I saw a lot of hesitation with people and talent. This is the biggest challenge we faced.”
She added, “We took a call on focusing on learning digital and driving value to clients. Very few people were ready to learn and grow in the digital realm. Team members have realised if they don’t grow and change, they will be left behind. The game has shapeshifted today, but there is also an openness towards accepting those very changes.”
Gangadhar went on to add that it’s not man vs machine, it is man with machine. You need technology to run your 1and and 2s and you need a human mind to add value to that data. Using and harnessing data in the service of generating insights is very important.”
“We believe that this is the best time to be in the business. Today, you have such a huge palette to play around with vis-a-vis images and copy back in the day. Creativity is the power to solve problems and imagine adding data and technology to it. You have so many superpowers to work with. He also shed light on brands that have integrated tech into their works,” Sinha pointed out.
The importance of hiring capable talent that will only raise the bar of creation, was also discussed. To this end, Sinha rightly mentioned, “There is no future for business if there is no future for this talent.” More importantly, Shetty highlighted an opportunity, stating “With every change we witness, finding talent to embrace new changes, is getting more complex.” Josy made a statement regarding talents and searching for the right fit for an agency, saying, “A talent should be a combination of a visionary, missionary, and an artist!”
Finally, on the structure that organisations need to put in place to enable creativity, was questioned about by Ohri. The panels gave informative insights regarding structure requirements of an organisation and the need to rework the idea of hierarchy and designations.
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