What is your view on usage of animation and 3D techniques in advertising?
Keeping Amaron as a reference point, I feel that there is a lot one can get away with by using animation. Like for example, we spoofed politicians, I don't think real life characters would be able to carry off something like that. Also, it would create a huge controversy.

The other point is, when the world 'zigs' you 'zag'. Claymation stands out as different. When we started out with Amaron, it was the only brand on television using the technique. Bazee.com and others followed. Even their background scores were similar. So now claymation may soon become another blind spot on TV. Probably next time, we will have to work harder and discover something fresh and different in terms of treatment.

Tell me something about the anti-smoking ad "Cancer Cures Smoking" that got the Gold Lion at Cannes in June 2003. How did this idea come about?
It is difficult to say how ideas come about. Very often you struggle for months and nothing happens. Sometimes you crack three good ones in a day. I believe that ideas are always complete serendipity and nothing else.

What is it like working with India's most highly rated creative professional - Piyush Pandey?
Piyush himself was asked this question once, that how do you get the best out of your creative directors and he said - "I leave them alone." That's the reason why there are so many different styles at Ogilvy. There are guys writing funny commercials, guys doing copy led stuff, guys who create visual led press ads. Each one to his own.

If I need Piyush's help in selling, he is around. And he's got the kind of credentials and presence that knocks down a lot of barriers.

What do you think has been the key in differentiating O&M as an agency?
My friends working in other agencies are going to kill me if I answer that. On a more serious note, the biggest difference is that the the creative guys here are a part of the client relationship. I have not seen that in too many other agencies. This makes things so much easier and efficient.

Also, the attitude here is, if you think you've got it in you, then deliver and prove it. If you don't then we'll correct and help you. (Read, kick your arse)!!

Do you think that campaigns today have a shorter lifespan? If yes, why?
The days of Vicco Vajardanti which ran for decades are gone forever. Campaigns today have a much shorter lifespan due to media clutter. In the good old days there used to be just one channel - Doordarshan and everyone would crowd around to watch the Sunday movie or the Marathi film on Saturday. Nowadays, there is so much clutter and splintering that at times I have missed out my own creatives which are on air.

Also, a lot of advertising that we see today, at least from the bigger spenders, looks, feels and sounds the same. It's a vicious cycle that further makes the campaign's life span shorter.

How significant are awards to you? Do you work on a campaign keeping awards as an ulterior motive?
Awards are great fun. You go up on stage, collect your trophy and feel good about yourself in front of your peers. But that's about it. I don't take them any more seriously than that.

If you work with only awards as a goal then often you are not true to your audience. And that is asking for trouble. You may get away with such indulgent work once but the next time around the client will box your ears.

Having said that, great ideas and crafting works with the audience and wins you awards too. It is not an either-or situation.

Have you ever come to a point where you've felt stagnated in your thought process? Do you leave the work or do you still pursue the thought?
Each time I face a blank piece of paper, it is the scariest feeling on earth. And I pray I had a method or system to produce ideas. Of course, there isn't one. There never will be. Sometimes just putting your head back on the job and persisting gets you the desired results, sometimes just leaving it and coming back to it at the eleventh hour will get you the result. And sometimes it never happens.

What kind of problems do you face in this industry, if any?
Oh! I can write a book on that! Jokes apart, one problem that has gotten more pronounced of late is the dearth of quality ad film makers. Each time there is a script approved by a client, I run through the top four or five names and if they are busy then there are huge worries. Because I would certainly not like to trust glorified technicians with my work. And a majority of them are exactly that.

We shot the last Ceat film with a foreign film maker and I think this trend will increase more and more, especially in light of the fact that quality directors from South Africa, Spain and the far east are eminently affordable now.

Another problem is that some clients are not bold enough to experiment with something new and always seek comfort of the precedent. Thanks to intense competition in the marketplace, this problem is on the wane.

What also gets my goat is media guys doing their plans in complete isolation of the creative product. This is increasingly happening because creative and media duties are being split up across specialist agencies. I make it a point to let the media guys see any new creative there is, so that they plan accordingly. But it's not always possible as a lot of these processes are done simultaneously.

Apart from that the normal set of problems persist... don't get paid enough..... too many long hours... (laughs)

What is your view on creative teams - two creative professionals working together as a team?
I think in print advertising it is especially helpful to work as a team. Like for example, when working with Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar I never look into the art direction. Because I know that he will do a much better job of it than I can ever imagine or hope to do.