AI will take away mediocrity: Parikshit Bhattaccharya

Delhi: While there is a growing trend of people turning independent, moving to the brands’ side or other platforms, Parikshit Bhattaccharya, Chief Creative Officer at BBH India, believes that this profession is suited only for those who have a genuine love for advertising. 

He added, “An advertising agency provides the perfect playground for people passionate about advertising. Diverse and interesting individuals converge at an agency to collaborate on ideas, and one never knows what exciting developments will unfold next.” 

Bhattaccharya joined BBH India in March 2023 leading all creative functions at the agency. His body of work includes more than 10 world-first ideas, including the world’s first social media answering machine, the world’s first game of golf played with neurofeedback, the world’s first first-aid response app, the world’s first women’s self-defence device, the world’s first eye language, amongst others. 

Bhattaccharya was associated with TBWA India for 10 years. After working for so long in a company, one tends to absorb its culture, and it isn’t easy to shake off. When asked if TBWA still influences his work?

He answered, “Every achievement builds upon previous accomplishments. But I believe in focusing ‘in this birth’. Currently, I'm just trying to be a great black sheep and shaping the agency to excel in the current market landscape.”

In the last one year, BBH India has won over dozens of pitches including brands like HDFC Ergo, UpGrad, and IHCL, among others. Some of the other BBH India clients include CaratLane, Red Bull, and Beam Suntory, among others.

Bhattaccharya wants BBH India to emerge as a leading creative powerhouse globally. “We're steadily progressing towards this goal, continually challenging ourselves to surpass our previous achievements,” he added.

Excerpts: 

It’s been exactly a year since you joined BBH India. What did you do in this period? 

Last year was all about building a high-density talent team, shipping modern work and creating a culture where everyone is at the service of an idea.

Generally, people work step by step—building a team, creating a work culture, and then working on ideas. How challenging was it for you to do all at once?

The pace of advertising has accelerated significantly, demanding simultaneous attention to idea generation, team building, and participation in pitches, all within strict deadlines. Despite these demands, we achieved an impressive success rate in converting pitches. Presently, we have assembled an adept creative leadership team comprising motivated and diverse talent, dedicated to producing modern ideas.

Given your mention of the pace of advertising, do you believe that the constant pressure to be 'always on' is causing us to overlook creativity driven by 'big ideas'?

The timelines have sped up. It takes nanoseconds to make or break a brand. We are currently seeing a lot of fireworks and less of lighthouse kind of ideas. Having said that, there is no long-term without short-term. As stewards of brands, we must maintain a holistic perspective, leveraging every opportunity that comes our way swiftly, while also ensuring we maintain the brand's integrity with only a few short-term fixes. Striking a balance between short-term gains and long-term brand health is crucial for effective brand stewardship.

What are your aspirations for BBH India in both the short and long term?

My vision is for BBH India to emerge as a leading creative powerhouse globally. We're steadily progressing towards this goal, continually challenging ourselves to surpass our previous achievements.

After working for 10 years in a company, one tends to absorb its culture, and it isn’t easy to shake off. How did you deal with it? Does TBWA still influence you?

Every achievement builds upon previous accomplishments. But I believe in focusing ‘in this birth’. Currently, I'm just trying to be a great black sheep and create BBH India, shaping it to excel in the current market landscape.

One always says advertising is people’s business. Although there's no data to support this, why is talent not happy at ad agencies? There's an increase in people going independent or moving to brands’ in-house teams, joining OTT space and digital platforms.

It's a function of perspective. I've been a true blue lover of advertising for more than two decades that I have worked. While I may have aspirations to explore other avenues, advertising remains my first passion. This profession is suited only for those who have a genuine love for it. An advertising agency provides the perfect playground for this passion. Diverse and interesting individuals converge at an agency to collaborate on ideas, and one never knows what exciting developments will unfold next. Those who understand how to cultivate this environment have always succeeded.

It doesn’t matter if people are turning independent in advertising, launching their setups or joining in-house at brands’ end. It's not a binary world and somebody doesn't have to lose for one to win. Everybody can thrive together. 

You champion "creativity for good," yet there's a perception that cause-driven advertising is often pursued for awards. Can campaigns effectively merge brand sales goals with positive societal impact?

We must remain mindful of the Zeitgeist. If one looks around, people are overstimulated, underslept, fairly anxious, and supremely time-poor. If we live in a world like this, a brand that helps people with something will thrive. A brand of use will always be seen in a positive light. 

However, it's a brand's responsibility to be useful and produce quality products. So, where does advertising fit into the equation?

The advertising’s job is to dramatise the difference the brand is bringing to the table. That being said, advertising professionals should generate as many ideas as possible and bring them to fruition, especially if they have the potential to make a positive impact. If an idea can help someone, bring it to life.

How much time should creative professionals spend in preparing case studies for awards as it has an important role to play when it comes to increasing the probability of winning? Can great advertising not win an award without great case studies? 

People judging at global awards come from diverse countries and backgrounds. Hence, it's crucial to provide the right context in case studies, enabling them to grasp the local nuances of the country for which the idea is crafted. If I want to benchmark my work against the world, then I have to represent the idea in the best possible manner. A case study video is the shortest way to do this job. Another interesting thing is that a case study is an ad for your idea. Know that the sharpest creatives excel at case studies because they can craft a beautiful story to articulate their ideas.

Throughout your 20-year career, have you encountered a case study that you believe received an award solely because it was well-presented and not because it had a wonderful idea? 

While global awards typically have robust audit systems in place, there are going to be hits and misses, as ultimately, it's people evaluating your work.

Let’s come to another important aspect of advertising, which is artificial intelligence, mainly GenAI. Would you also give the same answer that GenAI will assist creatives’ jobs and not eat them up? 

AI will take away mediocrity. If you're optimistic, you'll see these developments as opportunities for experimentation. As a practitioner, the more you engage with AI, the better equipped you'll be to integrate it into your work when necessary.

How can creative agencies advocate for a fairer share of the advertising expenditure from brands? Is there a viable solution to this long-standing issue?

From the perspective of Publicis Groupe, our robust capabilities in technology and data analytics provide us with a competitive advantage, for which clients are willing to pay. However, it's important to recognise that success today hinges on your ability to collaborate with multiple partners across the spectrum.

What keeps you hopeful about the Indian advertising industry and what gives you sleepless nights (not in literal terms)?

I am very bullish about Indian creativity. India is on its way to becoming a creative superpower. The task ahead is to create world-beating solutions at scale with amazing frequency. However, I don't think, as a nation, we have converted big ideas at scale in the way that we have done in the last few years.