Ad land’s Young Guns: Nabil Kureshi, Gozoop

Nabil Kureshi, Senior Account Executive, Gozoop, is a part of the account management team that leads media & entertainment and lifestyle brands at the company.

Having worked on brands like Mahindra Lifespaces, Viacom18 and Ace Blend, Kureshi now has a bit to share about each of these industries. His love for observation and critical thinking is what drives him to go the extra mile in every piece of communication that is put out. 

How did you get into the role you are serving?
I’ve always been interested in creating things. As a child, my parents would always find me tinkering with anything and everything. This obviously led me to think I’d become an engineer someday, but then I realised neither is science my zone, nor is it the only path that leads towards creating something meaningful. 

While I was trying to find my calling, I started writing and creating my own pieces of content, one thing led to the other and I was soon at ‘Top Gear’ magazine. There, I worked closely with the copy editing team and was slowly introduced to advertising. That was the moment I realised my love for crafting communication campaigns and here I am at Gozoop today, creating campaigns and content that serve a purpose – either I’m helping a brand create its image or sell its offerings. 

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table?
I believe knowledge goes beyond textbooks and this is what made me a very curious person. Today, I can’t stand among a group of people and not observe their behaviour and draw analysis there. What*started off out of*as curiosity is now become a skill which I put to use for every piece of communication we create for brands here at Gozoop. I’m also a brilliant critic. I like to poke holes and expect something better whenever there are loose ends and this includes criticizing my own work too.

One campaign that you have worked on that you are particularly proud of? Please take us through the making of the campaign.
One campaign that will always remain close to my heart is the #IAmGreenArmy Anthem campaign. It was a crowdsourced campaign that we conceptualised for our partner – Mahindra Lifespaces. It was an amalgamation of the power of the audience and an imminent influencer, Kenny Sebastian, to create awareness about the #IAmGreenArmy initiative of the brand. The campaign only strengthened our belief in the power of the audience and the crucial role of users to drive home the brand’s message. 

While working on the creatives how do you prepare yourself? What goes on in your mind?
It all starts with understanding two major things – Brand’s ONE objective and the TG’s multiple interests. After this, you move on to finding daily scenarios that the brand can talk about and the TG can relate to. Bingo, you’ve cracked it! Well, Its not as easy as it sounds but this challenge is what keeps me on my toes every day.

Icons in advertising you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?
This question, according to me, doesn’t fit the advertising world, because it’s very difficult to be inspired by just a single person. We’re always around people (Not just the creative ones) and every person inspires us in some way or the other. There’s a bit of everyone in each piece of content I create and I’d like to give each of them credit here and wish I could remember a thousand names, I’d happily name them all. 

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

• Talking to people (My way of finding inspiration for all my work)
• Reading news and articles (My way of finding out what’s happening in the world and the digital world)
• Competitor mapping (My way of finding out what’s cooking in my neighbour’s house)
• Observe and learn at least one thing about human behaviour every day
• Put one thing I’ve learnt in the day to good use, whether it benefits my professional life or my personal

Do you think a career in advertising is a viable one in the long term?
It definitely is! Communication has been around for centuries ever since the time of town criers and today, we see multiple forms of it through advertising. However, as consumers evolve due to the dawn of internet, advertising, too, needs to keep evolving to survive. 

What does it take to succeed in a career like digital?
Digital is one of the most evolving mediums today, and evolving with it is what will help you succeed. One needs to adapt, evolve and constantly keep learning to succeed here. Criticism could be your best friend in this industry, because that’s what drives you to always work better than your last piece of work. 

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?
A good idea is a good idea. So, speak up whenever you have an idea, it doesn’t matter what’s written on your email signature. Keep learning and keep asking questions whenever you find a creative person. 

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
Digital is evolving every minute, as I said earlier, even as you read this, there are multiple advancements happening. Keep this in mind. I’m not sure what new avenues would open up in this industry, and if there is something more interesting here, I’d obviously love to try it. I’m sure of one thing beyond all this. I’d be definitely be affecting brands and consumers on a larger scale. 

Is there any agency/ organisation that you would like to work with in the future?
So far, Gozoop’s been that place that I always longed for, where I get to work with brands and experts who let me create campaigns and communication that make a difference. With a support system like this in place, the thought of moving has never crossed my mind.