With the advertising landscape changing as quickly as it is, the need for creative agencies to position themselves as true brand builders is more urgent than ever today. Moreover, with a plethora of career options available to young talent, how can advertising agencies make themselves attractive to GenZ?
These were some of the talk points raised on day three of the Goafest by a panel of agency leaders including Anusha Shetty, chairperson & group CEO, Grey Group India; Jitender Dabas, COO and chief strategy officer of McCann WorldGroup India and Babita Baruah, CEO of VML India. The panel, which was moderated by Dheeraj Sinha, group CEO, India and South Asia, FCB Group India examined ways in which advertising can attract and retain young talent in the business. VML India’s Baruah, who currently helms the newly merged entity of Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R, stressed the need to define the organisational culture that can allow young talent to take pride in their work and workplace.
The other big discussion point was the longstanding debate on agency remuneration. Shetty observed that the advertising business is becoming too transactional because clients are demanding a quicker turnaround for deliverables and agencies are willing to meet impossible timelines without a fight, thus undermining their work in the process.
McCann’s Dabas argued that this being an industry with low entry barriers, it is incumbent upon creative leaders to ensure that the price of creativity is not allowed to fall. Sinha closed the panel discussion by saying it is time for the industry to stop viewing itself as a cost but rather as a partner that adds value to brands.