Ascent of the youth brigade

The creative talent in ad agencies is getting younger and winning accolades abroad.

Nikhil Panjwani, a copywriter with Rediffusion, Mumbai, works on Colgate, Taj and Onida accounts. Nothing unusual except that Panjwani also models and is still pursuing his graduation degree. He is 21.

Twenty-seven-year-old Rondeep Gogoi and Sumanto Ghosh, 25, from Leo Burnett, Delhi, have been selected to attend the Clio FutureGold Creative Portfolio Review to be held in Miami later this month.

Ambience Publicis' Mumbai-based Rishabh Kaul, Shahrukh Irani and Saumitra Korgaonkar will compete with 45 teams at the Young Creative Contest at Cannes next month. Kaul is 24 while the other two are aged 27.

The creative departments of advertising agencies seem to be getting younger. The average age of executives in these departments across agencies is under 30.

More important, by the time they cross their 20s, they have already shown their work at international ad festivals abroad. The average age of creative directors, in turn, varies between 29 and 35 years.

Sample this: 10 creative directors at O&M, Delhi, McCann-Erickson's four in Mumbai and Lowe's 10 in Mumbai are all in their 30s.

Says Prasoon Joshi, McCann-Erickson's regional creative director: "The profession is getting younger because there is a huge requirement of people with high energy levels and a very fertile mind."

Another point of view is linked to consumer research that indicates that the buying power rests with the 18 to 35 years olds.

"So most brands we create ads for are targeted at the young buyers," says Rachna Roy, Leo Burnett's 30-year-old creative director in Mumbai. And that's why clients demand young, vibrant creative minds.

"The younger lot is less exposed to stereo-typical ideas and is able to think out of the box," claims Leo Burnett's Rondeep Gogoi whose ultimate dream is not to become a CD but get noticed globally for his good work.

And that's exactly what Indian advertising industry seems to be doing: seeking recognition at international ad festivals.

The industry is looking beyond the Abby's and the AAAI awards and eyeing Cannes, Clio and the AdFest. Clearly, the exposure of youngsters to international advertising is immense.

"We didn't have this kind of exposure when we began our career and there were fewer opportunities to showcase your work," points out Mumbai-based Priti Nair, CD, Lowe.

Some say that the ad industry has always been young. "What's happening is that agencies are now more willing to reward people on the basis of talent and ability," says Mohit Beotra, executive vice-president Lowe.

Critics argue that being a "young" creative is highly overrated. "The youngsters seem to be award-oriented. They will burn out faster," remarks R Ramesh, senior CD of O&M, Delhi.

O&M, he says, has a blend of the young as well as the cool-headed, experienced seniors who understand the brand better.

Clients, too, are keen to have young creatives full of trend-busting ideas on their account but they also look for an anchor, a senior professional in the team.

Even as the spotlight falls on young creatives winning laurels, the bottomline is that it's 'talent' and not just 'age' that counts.

"After all, what is required in the industry is not physical strength but agility and fertility of the mind," maintains Joshi.