"The tagline belongs to the brand; it doesn't matter who coined it": Sashi Shankar, CMO, Idea Cellular

We spoke to Idea's Sashi Shankar and his recently appointed creative partner Josy Paul of BBDO.

When an agency and brand decide to end a 16-year relationship, what happens? And when a new agency is brought on board to take the brand's media presence forward, how do both parties deal with the change? We conducted a joint interview with Sashi Shankar, chief marketing officer, Idea Cellular and his recently appointed creative custodian Josy Paul, chairman and chief creative officer, BBDO India, at the brand's Mumbai office, to find out. Last September, Idea and Lowe Lintas parted ways; the agency was in charge of Idea's creative product since 2001 and put the telco brand on the creative map with buzzy campaigns like 'What an Idea, Sirjee' and several spin-off campaigns thereof like 'Honey Bunny', among others.

From left to right - Sashi Shankar and Josy Paul

Talking about the reason for changing agency partners, Idea's Sashi Shankar, who has been with the brand since 2001, tells afaqs!, "Well, both of us (brand and Lowe Lintas) had reached a stage where we felt that we need to look at other options. We had a long discussion about it and called for a pitch and BBDO came through that process. Lowe has been the agency that gave birth to the brand. Idea, as a brand, is extremely close to their heart and they have treated it with a lot of love and affection; nurtured it for 16 years. They have been excellent with their creativity and execution and have made so many memorable campaigns which have made Idea what it is today... it has been a fantastic journey for both of us, but we just felt that it was time to look at other options."

Idea's recently released TVC - Idea 4G - A video can change your life (by BBDO India)

We asked BBDO's Josy to tell us how he approached this new account, one that had already enjoyed a fair amount of glory in the media - surely there must be some 'creative baggage' to cope with, yes? "We don't think too much about it. We are not weighed down by the great works of the past. To be honest, it really doesn't affect us. We never feel the baggage because we don't believe in focusing on the past," he fields, "... a lot of our work is a response to the 'now' - immediate, spontaneous response to a 'today world'. That's why a lot of our work tends to have a contemporary sound to it."

Idea's TVC - RC 179 - Unlimited Calling + 1GB data (by BBDO India)

Even so, is there a downside to having to ideate on an account with so much 'creative legacy'? Josy says, "I think when you get a legacy account which has some powerful ideas in a way which influenced you as a person, you do feel the weight of great work, but at the same time, you are emboldened because you have been given a certain power. Therefore, it's a responsibility - you should enjoy that power and take it in the right direction. That's why our need to focus on bright ideas becomes even greater. We are all super energised... the agency has come alive because of this. We are completely involved and absorbed with the brand as well as what is happening in the telecom industry."

Idea's TVC for Idea Movies & TV app (by BBDO India)

The brand continues to use old catchphrases like An idea can change your life. We asked Shankar about the process of re-using lines cracked by a former creative partner. He says, "The tagline belongs to the brand. It is a brand's promise and persona. We will carry it wherever we go. It is a part of the Idea DNA. It doesn't matter who coined it."

Another TVC by Idea for Idea Movies & TV app (by BBDO India)

Idea has always been a TV-first brand when it comes to advertising. Will that strategy be retained? Or will there be a change on that front? Shankar says, "TV still continues to be the major driver for getting the fastest impact, but the digital medium has definitely shown a lot of increase in the last couple of years. So yes, we have had a change in how much we spend on which medium. 40 per cent of our advertising spends go to TV, about 12-14 per cent go to digital and the rest goes towards print, outdoor and BTL activities. So digital has definitely become the second medium for us, post TV. We will do a lot of digital advertising going forward and this gives us an opportunity to create advertising in a slightly different manner. We need not always be constrained by a 30-seconder or a 45-seconder to make an impact."

Idea's TVC for Idea Music app (by BBDO India)

Josy made detergent sexy - at least on the advertising circuit - with his award-winning 'Share the Load' campaign for P&G's Ariel. Going forward, what is he planning to do with a telecom account; a service. Let's admit, that isn't inherently exciting. "It is a good question, but it feels a little pompous to answer it. There is no 'Josy factor'. I am a mutation man..." he says.

Idea's TVC for Idea Games app (by BBDO India)

Of course, we asked him to explain that: "I mutate with time, challenges and issues on hand... so I really don't know. I am keeping myself so open that I can find something truly new rather than say, 'This is what I am and this is what I want to do'."

Sashi Shankar

Josy Paul

Note that the first burst of communication from BBDO's stable has already hit TV screens. The focus is on the brand's 4G offering and on mobile video consumption. Commenting on the evolution of his brand's advertising strategy, Shankar says, "I think it has become far more contemporary. Initially, we took a lot of societal issues and spoke about causes... (he reminds us of an ad in which people are identified by their mobile numbers - 'koi apne naam se nahi, number se jaana jayega')... that has become a reality as people are now known by Aadhar numbers. Many of our campaigns have come true in real life. But today, given the way the internet is exploding, we needed to contemporise ourselves. We didn't abandon it, but moved our messages from 'societal' to 'personal' (he's referring to the 'telephone exchange' and 'no ullu banaoing' campaigns)."

About the strategy in the days ahead, Shankar adds, "Idea has always been propagating causes and has been a brand with a purpose. We will always continue to do that. That is something which has enabled us to be differentiated in the market. People would say 'Idea never talks about products'... but because of the change that has happened in the industry, we will also talk about products, but our main campaigns will always centre around the purpose."