Ad land’s Young Guns: Pooja Manek, Dentsu Webchutney

Pooja Manek, Senior Copywriter, Dentsu Webchutney, describes herself as an “Ad bug”, who is occasionally sane and strongly believes that a glass of wine can fix a bad day. Manek, who is more right-brain inclined, started her career in advertising at Dentsu Webchutney, where she continues. She is an alumni of MICA. 

What does it takes to climb up the ladder in advertising? Here’s Pooja Manek in her own words... 

How did you get into the role you are serving?
It didn’t happen by chance. It dawned upon me early in life that my right brain was more functional than my left one. Well, the left still feels quite dysfunctional! After MICA, I wanted to deploy my right brain abilities in a digital agency that was not just creative but also innovative. And when I realised that Dentsu Webchutney is coming in for placements, I did my happy dance. I had always looked at their work and innovations with great admiration. When a place makes you think, “I wish I had done that”, you know you can’t miss the opportunity of stopping to wish and instead starting to do. That’s how I got Chutneyed

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table?
Hyperactivity, if that can be considered a skill. I think a large part of being able to come up with a good idea comes from how excited you are – you crack that brief. For me, this intrinsic motivation comes from seeing the brief as an opportunity and not as a challenge, which thereby results being driven with diligence to deliver better. 

One campaign that you have worked on that you are particularly proud of? Please take us through the making of the campaign.
One of the campaigns that really got my mind roaring was one for Nokia’s comeback in the Indian market with the launch of Nokia 3310. The challenge clearly was about selling a feature phone in a day and age where smartphones have taken the place of being our left arm, while always being on the left arm. And that was the challenge – 3310 didn’t have groundbreaking features, but it did have one thing the other phones didn’t – Love. Even after 17 years, people reminisced the endless hours they had spent playing the Snake game in their childhood. So, to launch the brand again, we decided to hit the sweet spot – nostalgia. 

Amongst the key highlights of the comeback of the Nokia 3310, we identified the return of the Snake game to be a game-changer. This favourite mobile game of the 90s kids was known for its signature perpendicular movement. Since we planned to hit the sweet spot with nostalgia and tug right at the heart strings of the audience, we launched the #MakeSnake challenge. We released three online films, each of them showcasing a snake pattern that the audience had to recreate creatively. Tactically, all the films did was to call on people to submit their entries on social to stand a chance to win, but emotionally it brought Brand Nokia back on to the centerstage of mobile phone category conversations. 

The real highlight of the campaign was the resurrection of UGC. With the entries that flurried in, it was evident that people had surpassed the average time taken to participate in a challenge online. We asked the audience to go beyond tagging and commenting, and instead make an effort to showcase their love. What really stunned us was seeing the audience go lengths and breadths by putting effort and creativity at the pedestal. We witnessed snakes made using grains, cutlery, makeup, hand-painted snakes and…human snakes! 

Well, you know you’ve hit the right chord when the manifestation of an idea exceeds expectation. 

While working on the creatives how do you prepare yourself? What goes on in your mind?
I like having a little honeymoon period with the brief to research about the category and the competitors. But with tight deadlines and endless new briefs coming in every day, digital advertising doesn’t give you enough time for that honeymoon. So, I usually resort to working on the brief alongside researching and bouncing the ideas off my seniors and juniors. The pressure is real, but I think that’s the charm of digital advertising – it makes ‘thinking on your feet’ a core part of how you function. I also work towards not letting the pressure and workload of another project, campaign or pitch stop me from doing justice to a new brief. 

Icons in advertising you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?
Neil French, for his brilliant skills in crafting copy that have the rhythm your mind can’t forget.

Bill Bernbach, for bringing simple truths to the table and showcasing them in thoughtfully written copy that infallibly hits the nail.

PG Aditiya, Senior CD, Dentsu Webchutney, for being a story-seller and not just a story-teller. The fact that his energy and achievements give me existential crisis, is enough to make me push my limits and keep bettering myself. 

What are the five most productive things that you do in your everyday routine?
I try as much to keep myself abreast with technology to extend the mediums through which a problem can be solved. Keeping a tab on the latest campaigns, good and bad, help shape the thought process. Reading for me comes under Maslow’s hierarchy of fundamental needs. By reading I mean holding a book, a physical one, with pages that can’t be bookmarked with a tap. It serves as detox, especially for digital professionals. As a copywriter, I strive to work alongside art to deliver creatives that have art and copy function symbiotically and not as distinct elements of the layout. 

Do you think a career in advertising is a viable one in the long term?
One hundred per cent. Though I’m not discounting the patience and hard work that this field demands. It’s a passion-driven career. So, the idea is to not let the fire in the belly subside even when you feel like setting everything to fire because of the pressure. 

What does it take to succeed in a career like advertising?
The willingness to be open to learning and unlearning. Taking criticism constructively is essential because we are dealing with intangible assets – ideas and behaviours that can be looked at from a myriad of perspectives. You never know which ‘what do you think about this idea?’ has the potential to transform your idea. 

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?
Your passion will take you places, but you need to know that it takes time. And know that opportunity won’t always come knocking at your door. So be proactive. Comfort zone is for the weak. Go beyond ticking off your job list. That’s the only way you won’t end up being a ‘me-too.’ 

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
In advertising. Creating, writing, innovating. Hopefully leading a team and serving as an inspiration to my juniors as well as my seniors. 

Is there any agency/ organisation that you would like to work with in the future?
I believe in letting good work take me places than letting an established name serve as a north star.

 

READ MORE:

https://www.adgully.com/ad-land-s-young-guns-aakash-chatterjee-watconsult-75247.html

https://www.adgully.com/ad-land-s-young-guns-ramya-nagesh-the-glitch-75126.html

https://www.adgully.com/ad-land-s-young-guns-raja-chakraborty-streamlyn-75039.html

Advertising
@adgully

News in the domain of Advertising, Marketing, Media and Business of Entertainment

More in Advertising