Defining Moments: Jude Fernandes: "I believe in keeping a low profile"

Jude Fernandes, chief executive officer, Mudra India and executive director, Mudra Group, talks to afaqs! about the memorable milestones of his three decades in the world of advertising, an industry he claims to have drifted into.

My first defining moment came about in 1982 at Lintas Kolkata. I was a 'temp' in the commercial department. It was a small set-up with overlapping account management, media planning and creative roles. One fine day, there was a crisis and I was pulled out and sent to handle the client meeting.

I was completely ignorant and didn't know the difference between a layout and an artwork. However, I met the client and got killed at the meeting! I learnt never to go to a meeting underprepared again.

Lintas, at the time, had brands such as Lipton, Reckitt, and Berger Paints. I got the chance to work with the creative team on some high-profile launches, though the maximum one could do was stand at the door during a creative discussion and listen! I was involved in media planning and buying, market visits and operations, and since it was a cut-paste studio, I was part of every triumph. The landmark campaigns were Lux (All Silk) and Reckitt (Charlie Chaplin), among others.

The Godrej experience

My second defining moment was when I got involved with the Godrej business at Clarion (now Bates), the most 'happening' agency of that time. I joined in Mumbai as senior executive. It's special because I've been with this account for over 25 years -- when I moved out to Mudra, the Godrej business moved, too. It was on this business that I grew from senior executive to my current position. I've worked very closely with the Godrej family and that experience was special as there was tremendous acceptance on their part and my vision got aligned to theirs.

It was at Clarion that I first got into branch management when I took charge of the Chennai branch. I trimmed the office strength from 70 to 20, and cleaned up the place. It had never made profits in the previous decade, and I took it up as a challenge. Eventually, we got new businesses and made a profit in Chennai.

Mudra Mumbai

Around 1993, Mudra's A G Krishnamurthy (AGK) interviewed me at length in Ahmedabad. I was charmed by the man -- he didn't talk about advertising, and instead just spoke about good people - and, his passion to grow businesses came shining through. The agency was doing very well in Ahmedabad and Delhi, but the Mumbai outfit hadn't tasted success yet. AGK handpicked the Mumbai team.

The first big break came with the HSBC win, followed by Max Touch. The next 18 months were full of golden moments for us. By then, even Godrej had been picked up. There was a slew of product launches (Fair Glow soap/cream, Colour Soft, Renew and Kesh Kala).

Other memorable accounts include LIC, Union Bank (re-branding), and Future Group.

I believe in keeping a low profile and letting my clients' market share do the talking. A campaign is just vanity if it doesn't translate into numbers. Once a quarter, I visit wholesale markets or small towns and chat with shopkeepers to gauge trends. I do this because I feel one cannot learn advertising by sitting in one's ivory tower office.