Advertising is the most dynamic industry that thrives on social connections: IPG's Nupur Jain

Advertising has been the perfect place to build connections, strong friendships and get over her creative block to lead iconic campaigns, says Nupur Jain, Associate Business Director, Initiative, an Interpublic Group company.

At the BestMediaInfo Rising Star Awards 2021, Jain won the High Chair in the Television category and was also a Finalist in the FMCG and Retail Category for the ‘Unlocking Harpic's Mission’ campaign.

“I am humbled and overwhelmed that my project got screened by prestigious jury members of BestMediaInfo.com and was worthy enough for the High Chair title. It is hearting to be in such a talented company of nominations, which is an encouragement. Now going a step forward and winning this prestigious High Chair is a massive acknowledgment of the hard work that has been put in. Especially during these hard times of Covid, any such recognition is a massive morale booster,” Jain said upon being questioned about her feelings after winning the award.

She stated the win has given her the confidence to be innovative, as well as the responsibility of living up to the reputation of being a winner. Although she won the High Chair, Jain said the success of the campaign cannot be attributed to one person but everyone who has worked on the project. “I was anchoring the project, my contribution has been working towards building an empire for my team (Harpic+ Initiative) and the ability to direct and drive individual accomplishments towards campaign objectives,” she said.

Jain explained the idea behind the campaign and stated that although Harpic is the number one toilet cleaner in the country, there is a sanitation divide in the country. She explained that despite the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, rural India has not continued with the maintenance and thus, abandoned the toilets built for their use. “The challenge was how do you make Harpic more relevant and get India to care more about its toilets?”

Jain has over nine years of experience in the industry and a strong portfolio as she has worked across various FMCG brands such as ITC - personal care, Nestle, and Reckitt Benckiser. Currently, she is finding strategic solutions for Amazon India. She pursued Master’s in Advertising and Marketing from SIMC. Further, to blend in the highly competitive industry, Jain went through rigorous training programs to bring the perfect balance of creativity and business.

The brands she manages demand wearing a dual hat of reason and inventiveness to address their constraints. So, she delved deep into finding the right insights and advocated how to get more non-users and generic users to adopt Harpic and drive the category growth.

“We could not talk in the typical Harpic way. So, instead of promising superior cleaning, I needed to bring toilets out of the shadows- from promoting Harpic as the best toilet cleaning product to normalising toilets. I identified the gap and ratified the target audience and launched value packs and curated performance-linked model to bring in the behavioural change,” Jain said.

According to Jain, she is a reflection of all her mentors, across her career trajectory, and each of them impressed her with their expertise. She added that she has been fortunate enough to work with stalwarts of the industry and learned to be strong, especially when tough decisions need to be taken.

“According to me the most challenging aspect of my job is to decipher a holistic view of offline and online consumer behaviour. Once I am able to crack this code and rely on comprehensive consumer understanding we can promise greater engagement with more relevant advertising. Advertising is the most dynamic industry that thrives on social connections. It has been a perfect place for me where I have built strong friendships and hammered my creative block to surface iconic campaigns,” she added.

“Over the years I have the earned reputation of being a highly reliable resource. Personally, I believe I’ve never shied away from taking the initiative and have been consistent in delivering on the projects with my sincere efforts,” said Jain.

According to her, the growth of audio is the next big thing in the industry. She stated the advent of the podcast culture has been the most disruptive so far and it has resonated with the market quickly.

Speaking about how the pandemic affected her personally and professionally, Jain said, “Pandemic upended my daily life. Although it was an equaliser of sorts. With fast adaption to tech, we were expected to be more agile in communication with clients and colleagues. In my personal experience, it was a hustle trying to balance the act and showcase efficiency across boards. Splitting time between personal unavoidable responsibilities and professional pursuits has been challenging so far since the volume of work also surged.”

She explained that on a normal day, her life is a hustle between prioritising professional and personal juggles.

“I follow a methodological routine that gives some method to the madness. My weekends are very sacred to me, and it usually flows by with me spending quality time with near and dear ones,” she stated.

Jain is also a foodie and tends to indulge in exquisite delicacies. One of the best ways to stay connected with friends and family for her is to arrange extravagant delicious meals for them.

Concluding the conversation, Jain said, “My goal and aspirations in life are to continue to learn and grow in exciting companies. I wish to contribute my talent in a meaningful way to make a lasting impact in advertising as a thought leader.”

Info@BestMediaInfo.com