Local advertising talent makes waves abroad

A story of Kavita Saney, who, with her talent and style, is already making waves in the hyper-competitive advertising space of San Francisco

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | August 2, 2012

There are individuals whose name adorns the door. There are individuals who head major advertisers. And then there are extraordinary individuals who are taking their advertising talent to the other side of the globe and proving their talent. One such Indian, Kavita Saney, may not have her name on the door of a major advertiser yet, but there is no doubt to her talent and style that is already making waves in the hyper-competitive advertising space of San Francisco.

The advertising landscape in India is already familiar with Kavita's body of work. As Sr. Art Director at Ogilvy & Mather, India's preeminent advertising agency, she created many campaigns people talk about to date. Even with all the talent surrounding her, she built a brand for herself by working on some of the biggest brands and largest campaigns in the country.

The list included high profile brands like Axis Bank, The Economist, Lakme, Ponds, Kamasutra, Carlton, Westside, Mattel toys. The Economist campaigns are known for their wit and award winning qualities, and as such are regarded as a great opportunity for an Art Director to work on. Axis bank name change was significant for the sheer scale of the challenge and the success it achieved. The campaign stuck chord with its 10 million customers making it was the third most recalled campaign in India in 2007. As the Lead Art Director for the campaign Kavita supervised hundreds of artworks that were used across media throughout the country. The campaign was a spectacular success - the new brand's recall was at 81% and Axis bank's profits soared 77% during second quarter of 2008-09, at a time when many were struggling with slowdown. Then in 2009, she decided she wants to conquer a new world and left India for the US.

After a hiatus of 3 years, Kavita has re-emerged in San Francisco, USA. With a BANG! She designed a print campaign for World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to raise awareness about Global Warming. When asked why she thinks the campaign will motivate people to conserve energy, she said, “Because people care, people care about the world they are going to bequeath upon their kids and what they can do to help conserve it. My campaign gives them at least one simple thing they can do to help.” So what is the central theme she creates her campaigns around? "The consumer is not a moron, she is your wife. Never write an advertisement you would not want your own family to read. You would not tell lies to your wife. Don't tell them to mine," replied Kavita quoting the famous Ogilvy quote. Accolades for this campaign are pouring in. By the time I interviewed her this summer, she had already won the San Francisco ADDY Gold and National Silver.

As Indians we feel proud that one of us has crossed continents and created campaigns that are gaining universal appreciation. While it may be too early to brand her India's best advertising export, she is on her way to being just that.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com