Ad Land’s Young Guns: Ambika Sinha, The Rabbit Hole

An avid storyteller and an ardent story seller, Ambika Sinha is a visualiser who likes to watch captivating tales on screen. She has worked with flagship brands like Netflix, Boat, Nykaa, Google, Big Bazaar, ZEE, Brand Factory, One Plus and Pepperfry, among others. As Associate Creative Director with The Rabbit Hole, she crafts magical campaigns for content marketing. Sinha s a comprehensive planner renowned for having the best of contingencies for any kind of emergency.

In conversation with Adgully, Ambika Sinha, Associate Creative Director, The Rabbit Hole, speaks about the power of overthinking, advertisements that have inspired her, long time career in the advertising industry and more.

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table?

As an over-everything, I think my over-thinking, over-planning, over-doing, and overachieving attitude finds its way somehow in how I operate at work. Whether it's putting a structure to things (scripts, campaigns, day, food orders, anything) or setting a direction and then letting the team gun with it, it really helps my creative side do its job without any hiccups. So yeah, structure, discipline, and strategy- drive this table.

How did you join your current organisation?

Having worked in advertising before, I had heard of The Rabbit Hole and all the mischief and cool work they were up to. After my 2.5 years of stint at The Glitch, it was time to follow a different calling. And boom! I joined The Rabbit Hole in 2021, and trust me when I say this, work has never been this fun before. It was a matter of chance that I applied here, but I think it was destiny that put 2 and 2 together, so I could be a part of TRH's mission- change the content game and how it’s consumed.

Icons in this field whom you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?

I love watching ads in my free time so I have a long list of work that has inspired me and influenced my writing. Iconic Fevicol ads, Superbowl ads, all the stuff that Nike does and just keeps doing, Netflix India, etc., have just taught me that there’s more than 5 ways of looking at one thing, and definitely 100 different ways of saying it.

What are the five most productive things that you do in your everyday routine?

1. Run – no, not from work or life problems. I like to run everyday to clear my head, put a road map of how the day is going to look like and then watch it all tumble by EOD. But hey, I try.
2. Make a to-do list - This really helps me align tasks of the day so I don’t end up missing deadlines and set agendas for the team.
3. Breakfast - A girl has to eat.
4. Take breaks - Work can get tiresome and doom scrolling on reels helps. However, working in an industry which eats, breathes pop culture - DOOM SCROLLING IS ALSO PRODUCTIVE OKAY.
5. Catch up calls - Set catch up calls with the team so everyone is aligned and viz on what’s happening. This may or may not involve some joke cracking, small talk and general conversations from time to time.

Do you think a career in this field is a viable one in the long term?

I think any career is viable in the long term as long as you keep evolving with the changing times and needs of the society. As advertisers, we pick human problems and give creative solutions for them. Now that the problems are changing, our solutions also must change so as to cater to new audiences and their ever growing new problems. This is the only way we can stay relevant…and happy doing what we do.

What does it take to succeed in a career?

I’ll fill this one when I find out!

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?

No matter what people say about advertising being a madhouse, crazy, and totally whack place…they are not lying. But if you love it, YOU WILL LOVE IT!

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

Neck deep in some pitch or brainstorm wondering where I’m going to be in the next 5 years after that!