Anti-client approach: Motilal Oswal on Amer Jaleel publicly accusing them of copying an idea
MullenLowe Lintas Group was appointed by Motilal Oswal to work on their creative campaigns on a project basis in 2017. The last work created by the agency for them was in January 2022
On October 15, MullenLowe Lintas Group CCO and Chairman, Amer Jaleel took to LinkedIn to share his dismay over Motilal Oswal Financial Services’ latest in-house campaign for not giving credit to the agency for the original idea and copying the creative.
Link to a similar campaign Mullen Lintas created in 2017 for the brand:
Following this, several industry leaders came in support of Jaleel’s clamour of clients not giving due credit to the original creator of the idea.
Come today, Motilal Oswal, Managing Director and CEO of the company, wrote on Jaleel’s LinkedIn post questioning why Jaleel didn’t first approach the brand before publicly calling them out for copying ideas. He also mentioned that Jaleel’s other clients would definitely take note of his ‘anti-client’ approach.
He commented, “Mr Jaleel, I don’t want to respond about this in public on merit although I would have loved to since u have shared it in the public domain. I respect you and your agency for doing a good job. Don’t you think that a good business practice is to first raise with the client and discuss it? My entrepreneurial experience of 35 years has taught me to first talk to the client for any issue to be resolved amicably rather than going into the public domain. I am sure your other clients would take note of your one-sided, harsh and anti-client approach.” (sic)
Mullen LoweLintas Group was appointed by Motilal Oswal Financial Services to work on their creative campaigns on a project basis in 2017. The last work created by the agency for them was in January 2022. Between 2017 and 2022, the agency worked on seven projects for the brand.
When Jaleel’s post created a stir in the industry, it took no time for the former Chief Marketing Officer of Motilal Oswal Financial Services, Ramnik Chhabra to respond to his post. He wrote that they had a great five-years long partnership and have always given credit to the agency. He also wrote that since the brand has compensated the agency for the idea over previous campaigns; it is the client's property and can be used for a campaign created in-house.
Chhabra wrote, “I always tried to acknowledge the agency for the specific work they had done through my posts on LI/SM as well as awards credits etc. At the same time; we had also made it clear that there would be some projects where certain circumstances demand we would not engage with an agency and do it in-house. Over the past 5 years, we have done 8+ such campaigns. This is one such; where; based on circumstances; we decided to do it in-house. We created the script/situations, and a production house added some more and executed the film.”
He added, “Didn’t realise this would create an issue. Acknowledge that while the original idea has come from the agency, we have built it together. Also assumed that since we have compensated the agency for the idea over previous campaigns; it is the client's property and can be used for a campaign created in-house. Apologies for any angst caused.”
Jaleel wrote on October 15, “There must something one can do about a blatant and brazen copy of one’s creative mehnat. But apparently, there isn’t. Still, there is IPR (and sadly agencies are not protected). And then there’s IPE. Ethics. Something we learn as practitioners of the creative arts. Forgotten! At least that one thing would prick your conscience when you’d have to put it on non-original work.”
He further said, “Perhaps our industry should introspect. It’s common these days to take the most valuable output of the agency, ‘the brand idea’ and move on. Get the exact same campaign done ‘outside’. No shame. No guilt. No ethics. To top it, some even prey on the creative greed of the agency by handing a pittance of a fee post-pitch, saying “you’ll grow with us”. And not just forget that promise but take the idea and fire the agency! Chalo take the idea, there’s plenty where that came from. At least acknowledge the source! Send a nod towards them.”
Several other thought leaders took to LinkedIn to share their points of view.
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