Dainik Bhaskar Group launches Mosaic

Mosaic compiles the best of Indian advertising's work in the print medium in 2011; the book was launched at a special event on June 29 in Mumbai.

The Dainik Bhaskar Group, in a bid to provide an impetus to and celebrate print advertising, has released a book titled Mosaic. The book compiles notable print work done by Indian agencies in 2011.

With a foreword by Girish Agarwal, director, Dainik Bhaskar Group, Mosaic features work from most of the leading agencies of the country such as Ogilvy India, McCann Erickson, Lowe Lintas & Partners, JWT India, Draftfcb Ulka, Taproot, Grey, Leo Burnett India, BBDO India and Wieden + Kennedy, among many others.

The 23 agencies featured in the book have contributed with what they consider to be their best efforts in print advertising in the previous year. Among the showcased campaigns are brands such as DHL, Cadbury, Audi, Ford, Fujifilm, Parker Pens, Woodland, Chlormint, Mercedes-Benz, Citibank India, Skoda, The Times of India and many more.

Every agency's set of work comes complete with a commentary by a creative leader of the organisation explaining the thought behind the campaigns.

To offer a rounded perspective, Mosaic also features media stalwarts Lynn de Souza, chairman and chief executive officer, Lintas Media Group; Mallikarjun C R, CEO, Starcom MediaVest Group; P M Balakrishna, chief operating officer, Allied Media and Punitha Arumugam, director, agency business, Google India - each of whom pick five of their favourite print works from the ones featured in the book, with their opinions on the same.

The initiative, supported by afaqs! and the Advertising Club Bombay, was launched at a Dainik Bhaskar Group event in Mumbai on June 29.

The event saw Sanjeev Goyle, senior vice-president, marketing and AppliTrac, farm equipment sector, Mahindra and Mahindra and Josy Paul, chairperson and chief creative officer, BBDO India offering the client and creative perspective on print advertising.

Goyle, celebrating the initiative, said that while it is natural for the television medium to take centre stage, print cannot take a backseat given the potential of the medium, particularly when reaching out to the consumers in the country's interior markets.

Paul put forward BBDO India's philosophy of action being at the centre of the idea rather than the medium. Using examples of Benetton's much popular UNhate campaign and a recent campaign by BBDO India for GE, he explained how the power of print does not lie in a mere innovation or a fancy folding but its potential to trigger an action.

In a conversation with afaqs! later, Paul also had a kind word for Mosaic. "There is a reason Mosaic looks like a coffee table book. Conversations begin at coffee tables. This too is a start, an effort to spark off a conversation," he said.

Also talking to afaqs!, Sanjeev Kotnala, vice-president, Dainik Bhaskar Group and one of the key people behind Mosaic, said that the idea was being toyed with for over two years now.

"Being the large newspaper group that we are, we realised that we have a responsibility. We went to several agencies and spoke at length on the potential of print advertising. We said that it was about time the young creative professionals realised what print can do," said Kotnala.

"With no 'Black Book', no collection of work to benchmark against for Indian print advertising so far, Mosaic will serve as one for everybody to look and see the kind of ideas possible on the medium," he added.

A total of 5,000 copies of Mosaic have been printed and will be distributed among creative agencies, media agencies and corporates.

Sharing the plans for the future, Kotnala said that in the subsequent edition of the book next year, a more thorough effort shall be made to also include innovations, deeper perspectives by advertisers, creative and media agencies, and the publishing house, as well as more regional work by local agencies.