AgTalk | We have been toying with the idea of brand licensing: Creativeland Asia's Sajan Raj Kurup

Not many people venture into the dodgy terrain of going solo. Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder & Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia, in an exclusive interview with Adgully, talks about his solo act and about the consistent effort to deliver path-breaking work. Excerpts:

Adgully (AG): What inspired you to start Creativeland Asia?

Sajan Raj Kurup (SK): The over-riding thought was the fact that, the industry was at a very important juncture when I thought of launching my venture. The market was opening up and it was also a time when I clearly started seeing a needgap. There was a major difference in what marketers were expecting and what traditional creative setups were offering. So we started Creativeland Asia, with a view to not just further the business of advertising but also the business of creativity. Hence what we managed to do is unify a lot of different creative offerings under one philosophy called- Creativeland.

AG: What is the one word that signifies the strength of the team at Creativeland Asia?

SK: Consistency. We believe in delivering excellent services consistently. At this juncture we want to create a culture that delivers cutting edge creative work consistently. All the work that Creativeland Asia has done so far is strategically sound and we have been able to do that every year. Our basic work ideology is "common sense'. It is also our single most important tool that we use whenever we approach a problem. Our ability to grasp the problem, come back with a strategically sound advice and creating a cutting-edge creative rendition of it, is what makes us different in terms of our approach towards our work.

AG: What has been the thought behind some of your path-breaking work?

SK: The most important thing is to be honest with the problem and the brand one is handling. We also make sure at the same time that we fashion out an excellent solution which is true to the brand and which will very clearly deliver the right returns for the brand. We have our own in-house Market Research team, nothing in Creativeland Asia starts without a survey. Our ears are always in the ground and we use these insights to design a cutting-edge solution for our clients.

AG: Can you point out one of your memorable ad?

SK: Every single piece of work that we have put out so far is very dear to me. We probably don't have the volume and the depth that other established agencies have in the country as yet. So when we take on any piece of work we tell ourselves that "it is one more opportunity for us to deliver our best and further our consistency'. Everytime that we have come up with an innovative idea I would like to point out that it would not have been possible without our client partners. I genuinely believe that a client partner has to be equally creative if not more, to be able to buy great work. Moreover as a policy we do not believe in pitching recklessly we charge a client for a creative pitch of our idea. It also works as a gate-keeping mechanism so that only clients with a serious intent reach us. Most of our clients have come through word-of-mouth.

AG: What have been some of the key learnings?

SK: I believe everyday one learns something new. I have always understood that at the end of the day whatever you do its foundation has to be faith, belief and respect. Money and fame will not remain forever, but as long as you believe in your strengths and in your people then you will continue to keep up the good work.

AG: What are some of the challenges and opportunities for the agency right now?

SK: The biggest challenge at this point in time is to manage growth. We know that we are growing but we have to have a growth which does not overlook the kind of culture we have built. So we are genuinely trying to manage our growth as carefully as possible. At the end of the day a good consistent creativity does not come from a one-off.

AG: Tell us a bit about Creativeland Ventures?

SK: Creativeland Ventures is looking at a lot of new business models. We have been toying with the idea of brand licensing. We are looking at setting up some really interesting divisions through Creativeland Ventures, which will also be investing in other creative businesses.

AG: What prompted you to launch Creativeland Pictures and School Design?

SK: School Design is our design arm where we create comprehensive identities and product design. We have Creativeland Pictures where we are creating content, our first feature film has been an adaptation of Shakespeare's play in Malayalam. We are also working with a few channels for some show formats. We also have our very own advertising production unit- Crocodile Films. So we are not looking at creating verticals but unify the various creative units and call it Creativeland Asia.

AG: How important is digital in your scheme of things?

SK: Digital is very important. However I will not call it digital, I will term it as technology. Today technology is extremely important because when one combines creativity and technology, one can create magic.

AG: Any message for young talent.

SK: I think it is very important to be honest with your work. Creativity is where the whole world is going to go to. Some of the best businesses that have emerged over the few years have had a strong creative philosophy and this trend shall continue. | By Prabha Hegde [prabha(at)adgully.com]