Robin Wight, president of the Engine Group, an independent communications company based in the UK, was a speaker at the GoaFest. In an interview with Priyanka Singh and Viveat Susan Pinto, Wright, who is considered an authority on brain mapping, talks about his company’s plans for India. Edited excerpts:
Tell us something about the Engine Group and its relevance to Indian markets.
We are a group of 10-20 companies working under one roof, providing multiple communication options to our clients. After setting up our office in America, we are now evaluating other market opportunities as well. That is why I am here — to understand the Indian market. The pace of growth your country is seeing is simply amazing. The advertising industry here grew 27 per cent last year — at a time when other markets were struggling to achieve growth. India has produced some outstanding creative work in recent years. I am impressed with the people I have met so far.
Are you planning to start operations here?
We are reviewing our strategy for Asia. We are trying to decide on the best place to start. Clearly, India is a place full of opportunities. We are at the early stages of growing the Engine concept globally. At this stage, we are evaluating our options.
Are Indian advertisers ready to adopt the science of brain mapping — something that your agency is best known for — in marketing communications?
We have developed a concept in London which actually delivers this concept. We would be taking a few of the results of brain mapping used by our clients in the UK to other parts of the world. This would encourage advertisers in other parts of the world to invest in this technology. Great campaigns are the outcome of good research. We would show our clients how useful it is to apply brain science techniques to improve creativity.
How effective is brain mapping in advertising?
Most creative people in the world have learnt to harness the power of the unconscious mind, compared to the rational mind. You would be amazed to know there are a lot of emerging ways of learning and also measuring advertising. The most interesting way is to measure it through a brain scanner. Usually, when a consumer is questioned about an advertisement or his or her loyalty to a brand, one’s answers are misleading since one cannot see what is happening inside his or her brain. The technique that we have developed helps in accurately measuring how a mind would respond to a certain advertisement. In fact, one can actually see inside the unconscious mind and find out which parts of the brain code the brand loyalty. This is going to be a huge game changer in the coming years.
Do you think people in advertising are ready to make the transition, if required?
I know the inherent dislike advertising people have for science and numbers. In that sense, I find advertisers more progressive than agencies.
