MUMBAI: Ashish Khazanchi took the stage at Goafest 2025 with neither glitter nor gloss—just a blunt reminder: advertising isn’t about awards, it’s about expression. Delivering his keynote titled “Ignite Your Mind”, the Enormous managing partner reminded attendees that the work must speak before the metal does.
“Self-expression, not awards, is the true reason to enter advertising”, he declared, dismantling the decades-old belief that awards define success. According to Khazanchi, awards are nothing but the inevitable byproduct of solving real problems with genuine passion.
He emphasised that modern judging panels don’t have time to savour slow-burn brilliance. “Immediate impact is key—judges don’t have time for nuance”, he said, urging creatives to cut through the clutter with speed and surprise.
Craft, originality, and clarity formed the holy trinity of his talk. “Craft and surprise make ideas stand out”, he added, nudging creators to resist the temptation of safe bets. Khazanchi pushed the idea that creativity thrives not on briefs but on boredom. “Great ideas often come from proactive, self-initiated work”, he said.
He advised attendees to never settle for their first idea. “Always explore multiple executions”, he said, adding that lazy storytelling is the fastest route to forgettable work. The real win, he noted, comes when the message lands with both the jury and the janitor.
For those chasing visibility, Khazanchi had a pragmatic tip—amplify. “Use LinkedIn and media to get your work noticed”, he quipped, reinforcing the need for creators to be their own hype machines.
From dissecting campaign anatomy to elevating originality, Khazanchi’s keynote was less a creative sermon and more a survival manual. His final rallying cry? Keep the story clear, the spark original, and the execution bold.