Adgully Exclusive | Brands should think long-term: O&M's Avasthi

When O&M orchestrated a clutch of promotions, one of which saw Abhijit Avasthi taking over as a national creative director, the company said the rationale for the move was to ensure that it remained "ahead of the game in these changing times." Adgully tracks Avasthi's rise from a math honors graduate to an advertising grandee who plots a business behemoth's fortune. Excerpts from an exclusive interaction:

"I am an engineer by training," Avasthi said, taking Adgully back to his college days. "I studied math honors at St. Stephen's College, Delhi. Then I pursued engineering and later worked with a steel plant. Due to personal problems I shifted back to Delhi and joined my father's business. Alongside, I worked with my friends who were trading in sarees and exporting match boxes."

It was as unlikely a start for a career in advertising as you would ever find, Adgully suggested. So Avasthi revealed the twist in the tale. "By 1996, I was bored of it all, and someone suggested that I try my hand at advertising. In January 1997, I came to Mumbai and went to Mohammad Khan because someone said he was a great teacher. He conducted a copy test and liked what he saw."

Though Avasthi earned the endorsement of a legendary figure, he had some self-doubts. "At some level, I had to convince myself that I could do the so-called creative stuff," he said. "Because, earlier, I had never written anything. No one at that time said that "he is a creative type'. To be very honest, I was slightly in the awe of the creative people because I always thought there was something really special about them."

It is evident that Avasthi began reflecting about the abstract quality called "creativity' very early in life; the meditation continues even today. "I was not a poet and I was really bad at drawing, and some notions of creativity will tell you that such inabilities show the lack of creativity," he said. "But later on, you realise that creativity is a vast open way of looking at things in life and that anybody and everybody is creative. The ability to think something different and original is creativity. In my mind, the most creative people are scientists and engineers."

Avasthi said exposure to varied intellectual stimuli shaped his thinking. "I believe I am very lucky because I have been exposed to a lot of things," he said. "I have the ability to enjoy everything in the sense that I love to read an article on economics as much as a thriller. My father was in the air force so I got to travel a lot, and have lived in 20 states of India."

The travels opened new vistas of perception and feeling. "You start enjoying so many things," Avasthi said. "I had friends from Manipur, who would bring so many dishes that were new to me. In the armed forces, you find people from all over India and you get to participate in all sorts of rituals and festivals. Those little things make an impression."

Avasthi craved engaging experiences and somewhere in his youth he understood where he could find an inexhaustible supply of them." I keep telling everyone that advertising is the most interesting profession in the world," he said. "Many rewards come to you in many different ways. On one hand, you get appreciation of peers and also the recognition through various ways, like those accorded at the international Cannes festival, or at Indian advertising awards ceremonies. On the other hand, when I travel to UP to visit my cousins and they discuss my work, it feels great."

Avasthi then recounts one of the experiences he truly cherishes. "A couple of years back, I had gone to Australia for a shoot and while travelling I happened to speak to a Pakistani taxi driver," he said. "During the conversation, he asked the reason of my visit to Australia and I told him. He said that they get to see Indian ads In Pakistan and of all ads "Pappu pass ho gaya' was his favourite. It gave me immense joy because I had created that ad."

No surprising then that Avasthi thinks advertising is the profession in which absolutely anything is possible. "There is nothing that is set and there is nothing that you have to follow," he said. "You just need to absorb more and more things and be open to more ideas. Success will come to you."

As for innovations, Avasthi keeps the bar very high. "Every day I see many things around me and feel it is great work and wish I had done that," he said. When asked about his own source of inspiration, Avasthi pointed to the universe: "I get them from everywhere. I don't think there is one source. I read somewhere that you have to be a sponge and absorb everything."

Adgully then asked Avasthi to describe his mission as an O&M leader. "We are doing many things, a little differently," he said. "We are mindful that India is changing and lot of interesting things are happening. Technology is seeping into our lives. Besides, we are trying to build different verticals. We have people with different backgrounds to help us not only in mainline advertising but also in the retail space and OOH."

But Avasthi could not be pinned down on the goals for the next quarter. "I don't know my plans for the evening!" he said. "I don't plan life quarter by quarter. The only people who can do this are hardcore analysts, who are only interested in bottom lines. Having said that, at each stage, you want to do something different and impactful."

Finally, Avasthi pondered the way the business has evolved in India. "I have been in advertising for 13 years and everything has been changing," he said. "The one big change that everyone is aware of is that the consumer can be caught at any point. But sadly, a lot of CEOs who have to report quarterly to quarterly, are not ready to take the risk of a long-term idea."