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Tag: Sonal Dabral

  • CCOs are shepherds, not showmen, say ad veterans in spirited Goafest debate

    CCOs are shepherds, not showmen, say ad veterans in spirited Goafest debate

    MUMBAI: At Goafest 2025’s high-energy panel “WTF is Creative Leadership Now?”—powered by Sun NEO and Amar Ujala—the crowd wasn’t just fed insight, it was served a full-course debate. The motion on the table: “The chief creative officer (CCO) is no longer the heart of the creative agency”. What followed was part philosophy, part punchlines, and all-out passion.

    Moderated by Ohriginal founder Rohit Ohri, the session featured industry legends and present-day captains: Bobby Pawar, Sonal Dabral, Senthil Kumar (VML India), and Lulu Raghavan (Landor APAC). The format was unconventional—a structured debate—and emotions ran high as both sides made their case.

    Pawar, speaking for the motion, fired the opening salvo: “The CCO has become a generalist, not a specialist”. He lamented the erosion of focus, saying creatives today juggle too many hats—part spreadsheet warrior, part HR liaison, part plumber of broken processes. “The CCO is supposed to make people better, not just the work”.

    Dabral echoed the sentiment. “The role’s been marginalised”, he said. “Once upon a time, creative work brought in the revenue. Now, we’ve surrendered that ground to consultants and growth officers”.

    On the other side, Raghavan mounted a spirited defence. “The CCO is the custodian of the brand’s unified creative vision”, she said. “They’re culture magnets and client counsellors. Yes, the role has evolved, but that doesn’t mean it has weakened—it has amplified”.

    Kumar brought the flair, calling today’s CCO a “playing captain”, not a bench-bound boss. “They’re curators of talent and makers of movement. They must know when to step up and when to step back.”

    The debate heated up as rebuttals flew. Pawar quipped, “If the client only wants to speak to one person, why do they need the rest of us?” Raghavan countered, “Then make that person the one who inspires, not just manages”.

    What united both camps, despite the sparring, was a shared reverence for creativity’s core purpose. All agreed that CCOs must move beyond ego, protect originality, and build cultures that nurture bold thinking. In Ohri’s closing words, “It’s not about idea ownership anymore—it’s about creating open spaces where ideas can roam freely and return home safe”.

    The rapid-fire round that followed was peak Goafest theatre. The panelists defined today’s CCO in their own punchy terms: “instigator”, “playing captain”, “creative curator”, “versatile”. When asked to choose between a Cannes Lion or a lifetime client, most cheekily opted for both.

    As the session wrapped, the takeaway was clear: the CCO isn’t dead. They’re just shape-shifting—and perhaps learning to lead not from the podium, but from the pasture.

  • #Throwback2020: Rejigs in the Indian marketing world

    #Throwback2020: Rejigs in the Indian marketing world

    NEW DELHI: Change is the only constant, and 2020 was a year of change. Big ones.On personal and professional fronts, both. Folkspicked up new skills, explored previously untried things, made self-discoveries. The trend reflected in the way people moved across industries, looking for fresh challenges and opportunities – looking for change. The marketing and advertising industry was also no stranger to this. There were a number of movements within agencies, some also chose alternate industries to grow, and many others were promoted to new roles. Here is part one of an intensive overview of how the year fared for the marketing and advertising world in terms of people movements, appointments, and elevations: 

    The year started with WatConsult founder Rajiv Dingra vacating the CEO chair and taking up an advisory role in the agency from the house of dentsu International (earlier Dentsu Aegis Network). He was replaced by Heeru Dingra. Rajeev went on to launch a new venture, RD&X Network, later in the year. 

    Next, Cheil India social media strategist Abhishek Mudgal exited from the agency to join Cars24 as brand manager -digital. Erstwhile CCO south-east and south Asia and VC – India at Ogilvy Sonal Dabral moved on from the creative powerhouse after a two-and-half-year stint to start his journey as an independent creative consultant. 

    Sonal Dabral

    Another big exit from the agency world came whenHavas Media India and SEACEO Anita Nayyar ended her 13-year-long journey with the agency. She later joined Zee5 as head – customer strategy and relationships. Following her exit, Mohit Joshi was elevated to the India leadership role. 

    Anita Nayyar

    The next big transition was made by Anita Kotwani. She left the post of SVP – new business and client lead, The Walt Disney Business at Mindshare India, ending a 16-year-long relationship with the agency, and headed to Carat India as its CEO. 

    Anita Kotwani

    Most recently, Nabendu Bhattacharyya, an industry veteran with more than two decades of experience in the Indian out-of-home (OOH) space, stepped down as CEO and MD of Milestone Brandcom, the India-based OOH specialist agency from the house of dentsu international. He is moving on to follow his personal interests after spending six years with the network. 

    Another exit from dentsu International came earlier in the year with Isobar India’s chief growth officer Shekhar Mhaskar departing the company. Also, Dentsu India CCO Malvika Mehra bid adieu to the network to begin afresh as an independent creative director and brand consultant.  

    Malvika Mehra

     

    Dentsu roped in Rohit Mukherjee as creative director, south for Isobar India. Prior to this, Mukherjee was associate creative director with Bates India. 

    A slew of exits happened at Publicis Worldwide India too. Managing director for the company’s India operations including Publicis Ambience, Publicis Capital, Publicis Beehive, Publicis Health and Publicis Business Srija Chatterjee left as the group dissolved the position. CCO and MD Ajay Gahlout also stepped down from his position to pursue personal interests. Chief strategy officer and managing partner Neeraj Bassi also called it quits in 2020. He went on to join Havas Group India as the chief strategy officer. 

    Neeraj Bassi

    On the other hand, Publicis announced the appointment of Sanju Menon as chief operating officer of Publicis Ambience and Publicis Beehive. He joined from Leo Burnett India, where his last role was as executive vice president managing the entire Bajaj portfolio for the agency. The group also roped in Deepak Pant as head, data science practice, from Cognizant where he worked as the director AI & analytics of the digital business.

    GroupM, South Asia COO and CFO Sridhar Ramasubramanian on boarded as the CFO for Publicis Groupe, South Asia. The group appointed Mimi Deb to lead its dedicated bespoke unit platformGSK. 

    Simultaneously, Rachana Lokhande, co-chief executive officer (CEO) of GroupM-owned outdoor agencyKinetic India, chose to resign from her position. She was replaced by Ajay Mehta who took on the additional charge as MD – Kinetic along with the post of managing director of cinema (ITV). Mehta also joined the GroupM India executive committee (ExCo).

    Wavemakar also found its South Asia CEO in Ajay Gupte, who was earlier the COO for Wavemaker India, after Kartik Sharma moved on to join Omnicom Media Group as Chief Executive for India operations,

    Ajay Gupte

    In another internal rejig within the GroupM network, Mindshare Fulcrum SVP Premjeet Sodhi joined Wavemaker India as chief growth officer. He was soon elevated to the post of chief strategy officer. Mindshare chief innovation officer – South Asia Mac Machaiah was appointed as the lead of Wavemaker unit for ITC business. Vishal Jacob returned to Wavemaker India as chief digital officer, after close to two years with GroupM as a principal consultant – change planning and transformation. Additionally, Sandeep Pandey, who led product and strategy, was elevated as Wavemaker’s global head of analytics.

    Additionally, Mirum India brought on board former 82.5 Communications SVP Mohit Ahuja as the director of brand strategy and client services. 

    To be continued… 
     

  • Ogilvy Bangalore drives UberAuto to Chennai with ‘No haggling, No Hassles’

    Ogilvy Bangalore drives UberAuto to Chennai with ‘No haggling, No Hassles’

    MUMBAI: Ridesharing company Uber has launched its latest campaign ‘No Haggling, No Hassles’, encouraging people to avail UberAuto services in Chennai. The campaign has been conceptualised by Ogilvy Bangalore.

    Ogilvy vice chairman India and chief creative officer South and Southeast Asia Sonal Dabral added, “UberAuto has brought a dramatic change to the way our audience uses auto rickshaws by bringing them never before convenience and peace of mind. It’s therefore fitting that we are introducing this epic service to our audience with an epic story full of humour, drama and suspense. I’m sure that our audience will enjoy this campaign as much as we enjoyed creating it.”

    Uber head of brand – rides, India and South Asia Saakshi Verma Menon commented, “Uber’s vision is to build globally and live locally. UberAuto takes away the daily hassles of hailing an auto by harnessing the power of technology. This campaign aims to connect with our communities, driver-partners and riders in Chennai. Ogilvy South has been a great partner in bringing this creative idea to life in Chennai."

    Ogilvy South president Ram Moorthi said, The flavour of the relationship between an auto rickshaw and it’s rider is a uniquely local one. From Ogilvy’s South office, we’ve used a South Indian flavour to help UberAuto convey its hassle-free message to its customers. Full credit to our client partners for going with our audience understanding while keeping us honest in terms of the Uber brand’s values.”

    The campaign shows the name of the protagonist (witness), ‘Selvam’ echoed around the city dramatically. As unique characters ranging from policemen to politicians scream Selvam’s name in anticipation, we finally see Selvam haggling with a regular rickshaw driver for his ride. As the Voice Over resolves Selvam’s conflict by introducing him to UberAuto, we see him happily arriving at the court much to the relief of everyone. The film ends with the most relieved of them all, the accused who is thankful that his witness has arrived on time.

    As part of the campaign, Uber is also set to release print, outdoor, and radio ads with the same message.

  • Ogilvy names Ritu Sharda chief creative officer Ogilvy North

    Ogilvy names Ritu Sharda chief creative officer Ogilvy North

    MUMBAI: Ogilvy is happy to announce the appointment of Ritu Sharda as Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy North.  This appointment is effective April 2019.

    Ritu comes to Ogilvy with over 18 years work experience that covered work on brands like Quaker Oats, Mirinda, 7Up, Zandu, Wrigley’s, SC Johnson and Exxon Mobil, McDonald’s, Samsung, Maggi, Dabur, MasterCard, Coca Cola, HP, Microsoft,  HBO to name a few.

    Ritu is a much awarded creative professional. She was a part of the Cannes Cyber Jury in June 2018 and also a speaker at the prestigious 3% Conference. 

    She is also the winner of accolades at international award shows such as Cannes, The One Show, The Andy’s, LIA, The Work and ADFEST. Her work includes celebrated campaigns like #ReleaseThePressure for Mirinda and #StandByToughMoms for SCJohnson.

    Sonal Dabral, Chief Creative Officer South & South East Asia and Vice Chairman India, Ogilvy, “I’m thrilled to have Ritu join us to lead the creative for Ogilvy North. Ritu is a celebrated new age creative leader who believes in the power of creativity and technology to drive business growth. She is an innovative thinker and has created big bold work on big businesses. Ogilvy North is an important office with some significant brands and strong, experienced creative teams. I’m sure with her multidisciplinary expertise and her energy she will help lead the agency to the next level.” 

    Kapil Arora, President, Ogilvy North: Ritu has the passion for ideas, the energy and mindset that will not just benefit our client brands, but will also enhance the formidable talent force of our creative team. With Rohitash (head of planning) and Ritu, we now have the final, critical piece of our Next Chapter plans in place and I am looking forward to their partnership in setting new benchmarks for the work from Ogilvy.”

     “We are at a very interesting point of inflection in our business, a point that is both intimidating and exciting. The stellar leadership of Ogilvy along with its pedigree talent and enviable list of clients, is poised once again to blaze a new trail during this time. I am excited to play my part in this,” said Ritu Sharda. 

  • Ogilvy appoints Reed Collins, Sonal Dabral to head APAC team

    Ogilvy appoints Reed Collins, Sonal Dabral to head APAC team

    MUMBAI: Ogilvy announced today a new creative leadership team in the Asia Pacific region. Reed Collins and Sonal Dabral will lead the agency’s creative efforts throughout Asia Pacific, with Collins continuing his focus on North Asia while Dabral will take on the role of leading the agency’s South East and South Asia offices. Eugene Cheong, who has served as Ogilvy’s chief creative officer in Asia Pacific for the past decade, will be transitioning to a new role that is being finalised in joint conversations with Ogilvy and WPP.  

    Ogilvy worldwide chief creative officer Piyush Pandey said, “I would like to thank Eugene for his invaluable contributions throughout his tenure. He is a fantastic Creative champion, who has helped Ogilvy shine around the world”.

    On the appointment of Dabral and Collins, Pandey added “I have great confidence in our next generation of leadership with Reed and Sonal to continue to deliver great creative solutions to all our clients.”

    “Reed and Sonal are true Ogilvy giants with modern marketing skills and the right experiences to take the agency into the future. They are both dynamic, inspirational creative talents whose energy and ambition are infectious”, said Ogilvy co-chief executives Kent Wertime and Chris Reitermann.  

    Collins joined Ogilvy in 2013, has since served as chief creative officer in Hong Kong and was announced as chief creative officer, North Asia in 2018. Dabral will remain based in India, where he has held the positions of chief creative officer and vice chairman of South Asia. Collins and Dabral will work closely with Reitermann and Wertime in their business leadership roles, and with Piyush Pandey, as Ogilvy’s chief creative officer, worldwide.

    “I am proud of all that we have accomplished over my ten years as regional Creative leader for Ogilvy. Our offices, according to Campaign Brief Asia, are amongst the hottest in their markets with a few exceptions of course. We have, in my unbiased view, the best team of CCOs and ECDs in the Ogilvy world. If you want proof, our being named Cannes “Asia Creative Agency of the Year” in 2018 is hard evidence of that.” added Cheong.

  • Ogilvy creative for HUL’s Start A Little Good initiative

    Ogilvy creative for HUL’s Start A Little Good initiative

    MUMBAI: Promoting ‘Start a Little Good’, the CSR initiative of Hindustan Unilever Ltd, Ogilvy Mumbai has created a thought-provoking film centred on water conservation.

    Produced by Little Lamb Films, the film opens on an urban shower booth in the middle of a rural village. A villager steps inside out of curiosity. He turns on the shower and to everyone’s surprise, he starts drinking the water to quench his thirst instead of taking a bath. One by one, all the villagers queue up to drink water from the shower. The juxtaposition thus beautifully highlights the value of water and the need to conserve it.

    Ogilvy India vice chairman and group CCO Sonal Dabral said, “When a powerful initiative, like ‘Start A Little Good’, meets a fresh creative thought, the result is pure magic. ‘The Shower’ is a great example of the impact cut-through creativity can have in promoting critical issues like water conservation. Kudos to HUL for all the work they are doing in this area to help improve the lives of millions across India. Proud of our teams at Ogilvy for creating this brilliant moving evocative piece of work.”

    Ogilvy India (West) chief creative officers Kainaz Karmakar and Harshad Rajadhyaksha noted, “Unless we understand the value of water, we will not be motivated to save it. This is the simple insight we had when we started to think of this film. From there came the idea of taking a city shower into a village and showing how almost half a village can drink water, in the time it takes one city dweller to take a shower. If the film punches our conscience, it is meant to. The society needs a mirror to see its behaviour and the film is holding up that mirror.”

  • Ajay Gahlaut resigns from Ogilvy India

    Ajay Gahlaut resigns from Ogilvy India

    MUMBAI: Ajay Gahlaut, the deputy CCO of Ogilvy India and CCO of Ogilvy North has resigned from the company. 

    Gahlaut leaves Ogilvy to pursue his own interests.

    He first joined Ogilvy in 2001 and was with Ogilvy until 2005.  He then rejoined Ogilvy in November 2007 and between his first term and the second, he has spent a good part of his career with Ogilvy.  In the last ten years, Gahlaut has worked to help build brands such as Pernod Ricard, BMW, KFC, Taco Bell, Dabur, Perfetti Van Melle, Mother Dairy, Pizza Hut,  Sprite, Best Foods, HT Mint, Philips, to name a few.

    Ogilvy India group CCO and vice chairman Sonal Dabral says, “Ajay did some excellent work in his decade long innings in Ogilvy Delhi. I'd like to thank him for building a great team and wish him all the best for all his future endeavours.”

    Ogilvy south Asia executive chairman and chief creative officer Piyush Pandey adds, “Ajay is looking for life beyond advertising and for that reason, I cannot stop him just like I couldn’t stop Abhijit. If Abhijit was going to another agency, I wouldn’t have let him go. Everyone has a dream and unfortunately, I can’t fulfil that dream. He has done a stellar job and I am very proud of him.  He worked very closely with me and I will miss him. He is a very dear friend.”

  • Fevicol makes a banner that actually sticks

    Fevicol makes a banner that actually sticks

    MUMBAI: No one pays attention to web banners anymore. So Fevicol, India’s leading adhesive brand, decided to make a banner that would genuinely stick and not just figuratively.

    The sticky banner appears to show up in YouTube pre-roll ads of other brands, like a standard in-video banner. And the adhesive power of the banner is so strong, that even the characters in the ads can’t escape it.

    This effect was achieved by making videos that closely mimicked the ads viewers were used to watching every day, and deploying them as seemingly ordinary pre-roll ads on Youtube.

    Ogilvy vice chairman and group chief creative officer Sonal Dabral notes that Ogilvy has a long history of creating memorable television commercials for Fevicol. “Stories that always leave you with a smile. So when it came to pre roll ads in the digital space we decided to say it in the same Fevicol voice. Quirky little ads that will leave you with a smile and a message that will remain stuck long after the ads are over. Like all Fevicol advertising, we hope the consumers will enjoy this campaign too and will have as much fun watching it as we had creating it,” he adds.

    Pidilite Industries CMO Vivek Sharma mentions, “Fevicol is known for its innovations in product and marketing, especially it’s entertaining TVCs and activities. Continuing its tradition of innovation and targeting the young digital generation, Fevicol has devised these creative digital interventions with the aim of pleasantly surprising the consumer while giving its message of unbreakable bonds.”

  • Peter England aims at being relevant to youth

    Peter England aims at being relevant to youth

    MUMBAI: Peter England is desirous of strengthening its appeal among the newer generation of users while retaining the same core principles on which the legacy of the clothing brand has been built. Its latest campaign marks a big shift in tonality/brand conversation distinct from earlier messaging.

    The new campaign is inspired by the philosophy of young India that life experiences are as important as material wealth.

    It’s no longer about a single minded goal, but a host of exciting things happening at the same time. Increasingly, the youth don’t want to be stereotyped as unidimensional and want to be seen as their multidimensional self

    This campaign includes print ads led by the TVC of a young man at an interview. He faces a panel of three ‘formal’ gentlemen who ask him what is probably the most repeated interview question: “Where do you see yourself five years from now?” The protagonist’s answer is the perfect showcase of this generation’s multidimensional and eclectic thought process. The multitude of experiences, not only showcase the protagonist’s passions in life but also highlight the versatility and range of Peter England’s apparel within those experiences.

    The baseline “Be everything you love” is carefully crafted to sum up the attitude of today’s youth. It also aims to reinforce the idea that whoever you wish to be, Peter England lets you be fashionable while pursuing this goal.

    The campaign has garnered an impressive 352,000+ views on Facebook and a remarkably fast 470,000+ views on YouTube for its innovative breakthrough commercial.

    DDB Mudra group chairman and chief creative officer Sonal Dabral says, “There is a restless creative energy about the youth that makes them want to learn more, explore more. Peter England as a brand has always been a beacon to them, never preaching but always encouraging, guiding them in their journey. In keeping with the many exciting options and choices youth face today the brand’s new campaign encourages the young to try out the opportunities, to evolve, to be creative and yet with some conscience and goodness attached to it. Most importantly it tells the young that the old codes of success are not applicable anymore. Go ahead and succeed on your terms. I’m very excited by this campaign from our teams in DDB Mudra South & East. It’s being loved by our audience and it’s another example of great creative and effective work now being produced by offices across the DDB Mudra Group.”

  • Sonal Dabral starts second innings at Ogilvy India

    MUMBAI: Ogilvy India has announced apointment of Sonal Dabral as the group chief creative officer and vice-chairman.

    Ogilvy south Asia executive chairman and creative director Piyush Pandey said, “This is a first-time designation at Ogilvy & Mather in keeping with Sonal’s stature. Sonal was my first partner in building the creative reputation of Ogilvy India as it stands today. I am sure we will have a great partnership again to take Ogilvy to even greater heights.”

    Dabral worked at Ogilvy India from 1991 to 1999. He then took over as the Creative Head of Ogilvy Malaysia and within three years made it the No. 1 Creative Agency in that country. Thereafter he took on the reins of creativity in Ogilvy Singapore as its leader and raised the flag even higher, after which Ogilvy India wooed him back to India as the chairman India and regional creative director for Bates Asia-Pacific. He then took on the responsibility at DDB Mudra as Chairman and Chief Creative Officer.

    Pandey added, “As my partner in the 90s, he hired more creative talent than I have done in my life. He not only hired them, but inspired them and gave them wings to fly on their own. Sonal is a popular speaker around the world and a favourite jury member on every international award show. There is so much to Sonal’s achievements, that if I write them all, his joining us will get delayed.”

    This appointment is welcomed and celebrated by John Seifert, Chairman & CEO of Ogilvy Worldwide, ThamKhai Meng, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer and Co-Chairman of Ogilvy Worldwide, Kent Wertime, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Ogilvy Asia-Pacific and Eugene Cheong, Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy Asia-Pacific. The Ogilvy leadership looks forward to Sonal injecting additional energy to the creative powerhouse for which Ogilvy India is well known around the world.