"Advertising must be able to resolve social conflicts": Josy Paul

Josy Paul, chairman and chief creative officer, BBDO India, presided over two juries at Adfest 2016 - Media Lotus and Branded Content and Entertainment Lotus.

His own work for P&G's Ariel Matic (Share the Load) and Whisper (Touch the Pickle) has been shortlisted this year.

Tempted as I was to ask Josy whether he really does the laundry at home, I asked him a bunch of questions around global awards and creative juries.

Edited Excerpts.

Edited Excerpts

Here, it was a smaller, cozier jury of seven. Normally, there are 15-20 jurors per category. It's important for all the jurors to get to know each other (before entering the jury room) and have some 'chemistry'.

As president, one really doesn't need to do much; you just have to 'be there'.

Jurors don't only talk about the work. They talk about many other things that need resolution... they need the jury president to give them a point of view when there is a lot of discussion. So in a way, I'm like a conductor... I'm like Zubin Mehta here.

Sometimes I deliberately allow the 'discomfort' to stay in the room. I don't answer, on purpose. If I answer too soon, I'll be limiting the group. I deliberately refrain from saying too much, because the moment I say something, people think, 'Okay, that's it.'

But yes, as president, you have to set a certain standard for judging the work. We really start feeling like a group when we get down to discussing what should win an award, as that's when the group dynamics come into play. Jurors' backgrounds, perceptions, category codes come into play.

As jury president, it's important to allow everyone's individuality to come through. Some are naturally gregarious, some are uncomfortable with English and can't articulate their view... a jury president has to be like an animal and sense what each juror is trying to say.

... It depends on how you look at it... It is an interesting observation... but I wouldn't like to say that.

More than 'third world-ness', I'd say it's about 'every world-ness'... like Dove's Real Beauty Sketches or campaigns about gender-related issues.

... Today, there seems to be a movement towards work that is trying to resolve social tensions...

It's not a planned three-way thing. It's more like a spontaneous reaction to the world. We don't start with a script. We start with a social conflict.

Today, advertising is about social experiments. Advertising must be able to resolve social conflicts. Brands have a higher role. It's about letting the artist in you become an activist.

When we were given Ariel, we thought, "Right now 'Dirt Is Good' is a great idea by our competition (Surf Excel). How do we fight that incredibly emotional idea with an even greater emotional idea?"

That's a great question. It's an important question. It needs to be asked. It's something I'm still trying to understand too.

Asians have their own little quirks, though. In a jury session at Adfest, you can 'hear' those quirks; you may not have the time for that when you're at Cannes. In Asian award shows, a lot more discussion takes place.

Award shows are places for cultural exchange. I come like a pilgrim to all these award shows. It makes one culturally rich.

We, with all our competitive talk, have turned them into trophy making machines. Words like 'jury', 'judging' and 'awards' make it sound so transactional.

Award shows are good for tourism; when you see a great ad from a different country, it makes you want to visit that country.

The amazing thing that (the awards authorities at) Cannes have done is - they've given you a two-minute window to explain your localisation. That case study presentation is your cultural ambassador.

When I took Touch the Pickle around the world, no one understood anything. Firstly, our pickle is different from their pickle; theirs is some funny, long, green, cucumber-like thing that they put in burgers. Touch the Pickle is the most extreme case of localisation and we managed to get through to the most Western audience.

How's that any different from the way we present ourselves when we meet someone in, say, an arranged marriage scenario? You have a two minute window to package yourself well. So it's not a new format; we've been using it as human beings all our lives. All communication is manipulation, anyway.

Asia is the zone of emerging energies: Japanese ads are very technology-strong. Chinese ads come from a liberated, 'young' space, with themes like 'breaking out' and 'opening up; Chinese advertising is all about creative liberalisation.

Australian advertising is getting very bold and audacious. Take for example the public service campaign that was aired across porn sites. (See the case study video below).