Sujoy joined advertising because it allowed him to go to work in his cargo shorts. He is convinced that Superman exists. Has a couple of imaginary friends. And echoes Christopher Nolan’s belief that an idea is the most resilient parasite in the world.
11 years in the industry. 11 years at Ogilvy. 2 offices in India. And an expat stint at Ogilvy Sri Lanka has collectively increased his insatiable appetite for great work and ideas beyond boundaries. He has a Cannes lion and an Ad fest Gold along with credits at the London International Festival, Young Guns and World Press Awards. If he is on leave, you’ll find him fishing for talent as a visiting faculty at media institutes or creating curious Bong and Chinese concoctions at his father’s restaurant in Kolkata.
Why are you into Advertising?
Because I hate wearing a tie and absolutely despise formal trousers.
Did you attend school for fine art or design or Communications?
No. I learnt how to use alphabets to form words and sentences in school. And heading the Students Union as General Secretary of Presidency College, Kolkata, taught me everything I needed to know about management.
Tell us about your recent work campaign?
We have recently rolled out a campaign for Kwiknic, a nicotine gum from ITC and pulled off a charming poster on Hot Wheels.
Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
Yes. My dad is my hero. I have inherited his energy and passion. And my bosses Sumanto Chattopahyay and Zenobia Pithawalla are the reason why I have reached where I have. Without them I would have ended up as just another anonymous summer trainee at Ogilvy Mumbai.
Who was the most influential personality on your career in Advertising?
Piyush Pandey.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
By observing my 19-month-old son. He is the most creative person I know.
Tell us something about Ogilvy and Mather, Kolkata work environment.
Well, we’re a tight nucleus as a team. There are no cubicles. Its just one big floor full of loud and boisterous people jamming together to create meaningful work. And we hate to introduce ourselves as colleagues.
Tell us about your first job in Advertising.
I started with Ogilvy Mumbai. When the office was at Lower Parel. It was that Alice in Wonderland feeling. Distinct. Heady. And mind-boggling. I mean, Piyush Pandey walking up and down the isles of the Creative Department. That rabbit hole was the most colourful one I have ever seen.
What do you think of the state of Print advertising right now? At least here in India, the released work is most often too sad.
Good print advertising still works like magic. You just need to change the lens on it. I think the static work on the web is very similar to print advertising. Print, I guess, is evolving.
Do you think brands whose advertising wins awards, do well in the market?
Ab-so-lute-ly. Advertising that’s effective is creative. Look at Dove ‘Real Beauty Sketches’ and Dumb ways to die.
What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals?
Build a book that you’d like to place next to you in your grave.
Your dream project?
I would love to write an animation film for my son and get Pixar to do it.
Your upcoming campaigns, if you can talk about it 🙂
That wouldn’t be wise, right?
Who would you like to take out for dinner?
My wife, Sharmishtha. I can’t remember the last time we went out for dinner. We are the proud parents of a toddler, you see.
What’s on your iPod?
I don’t own one.
Mac or PC?
Mac.
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