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| R. Balakrishnan (Director, Paa and Cheeni Kum) |
The IIMs have played host to many a CEO and budding entrepreneur in the past – learning the latest in management trends across the traditional industry verticals. Tuesday evening came as a welcome refresher when IIM Lucknow invited one of the most creative minds of the country - R Balakrishnan, aka R. BalkiAd Film Professional-turned-Film Director par excellence, Balki is the Chairperson and Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of Lowe Lintas and the director of Cheeni Kum and Paa. for an interactive session with its MBA students.
Balki is known for his no-nonsense approach to advertising as exemplified in his “Daag Achche Hain” campaign for Surf Excel. His “Jaago Re” ads for Tata Tea and “Walk when you Talk” Idea Cellular campaign have brought in a much needed fresh social voice to advertising. His penchant for exploring different creative avenues led him to Bollywood. He wrote and directed Cheeni Kum, with Amitabh Bachchan and Tabu in the lead. Paa (2009), starring Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan and Amitabh Bachchan was his second directorial venture.
The interactive talk was held on campus as part of ‘Prodigies – the Leadership talk series’ facilitated by the student run Industry Interaction Cell of IIM Lucknow. Based on the theme of ‘Ad & Film Making – Through the Management Lens’, it was very well received by the IIM Lucknow community with a jam-packed auditorium. From the Lalitaji of Surf to the Auro of Paa played by Mr. Bachchan Senior, Balki had the audience floored with his anecdotes. Over the course of an hour and a half, he took the students through his journey of ad making, playing out different ads and explaining their significance, story board and the like.
The session gave the students a flavour of how the Indian advertising industry works in general and how Lowe Lintas, with Mr. Balki at the helm, succeeded in producing top-notch, eye-catching ads. Highlighting the nuances of designing integrated ad-campaigns, he shared his perspective on the changing consumer behaviour in India which throws up new challenges to today’s marketers. The students were particularly amazed about his experiences as a director to some of the most noted actors in Bollywood.
“The advertising world is a business of disparate, different brains”, says Balki. It is ready to play, ready to risk all the challenges and accept new ideas. For instance, Surf Excel, a detergent brand, is celebrating the glory of being dirty! TATA tea puts an awakening thought in your mind each and every day! Havells is ready to experiment with a new idea each time! Marketers have now become more forthcoming in implementing out-of-the-box ideas generated by advertisers – ideas which do not necessarily highlight product benefits but rather make the consumer’s life more interesting.
The greatest challenge for Balki is to take up the most boring brand and making it the most noticeable. He says success comes only to those who step into the discomfort zone. The best advertisements are those that remind you of the brand and not the ad itself. Commenting on the talk, Dheeraj Sarwaiya, a second year student said, “Today’s MBA student is more enterprising and bold than ever before. We have students who choose not to tread the beaten path but simply follow their dreams in unconventional fields. These talks are a good source of inspiration for us to pursue what we truly believe in.”