IAA's 'Let's Get Real' seminar: ‘Inclusivity is the new cool, exclusivity is old-fashioned’ - BBDO's Josy Paul

The IAA Indian chapter hosted a knowledge seminar on marketing of real estate titled 'Let's Get Real' on 9 October in Mumbai. Josy Paul, chairman and CCO, BBDO India, was among speakers.

 

Paul presented differentiation in the category one operates in as the most important aspect of building and maintaining a brand and its identity. He cited campaigns by BBDO India where differentiation played a big role, in multiple categories.

 

Speaking to the gathering of real estate, media and advertising professionals, Paul said, “The area where people can get better is the area of differentiation. It’s about differentiation, being unique and finding a point of view no one else has thought about.”

 

And differentiation can only happen if one is clear about the idea that has to be nurtured, he said, citing Gillete’s WALS campaign. 

 

He explained, “We had a small idea of creating a Facebook page called 'Women Against Lazy Stubble' (WALS). Even we at that stage didn’t realise the power of the idea. We started small but people, clients, media companies, publishers and PR guys made it great. We just started with a one-line idea. And that is the beauty of collaboration and of believing in the other guy. One should be a social artist rather than just an artist. That is how we slowly began to differentiate ourselves.”

Paul then cited the time when Visa was looking for a differentiated approach to its communication. He said, “Visa came to us with incredible energy. We spent three days meeting their brief, understanding the context and its context in India. E-commerce was rising, infrastructure was getting poorer. People are living at the edges of India, not allowed to become part of the party. How can Visa do more than just be a credit card company that celebrates spending? With Visa, we felt we’ve got to democratise opportunity and create greater inclusivity. Inclusivity is the new cool, exclusivity is old-fashioned. The ad film doesn’t look like a credit card campaign, it was a new language. There are new languages out there and we can create a new language in any industry - but only if you believe you can.”   

 

He credited Visa for being a bold client for allowing BBDO India to create a new voice for them. It resonated across the world and Visa moved its business to BBDO Worldwide, he pointed out.

 

He spoke about the work done for Aviva Life Insurance, which took the idea of ‘Education is insurance’ to heart and turned it into the brand’s commitment. The result of which was the ‘Great Wall of Education’.

 

The BBDO India head wrapped up with the case of 7Up. Paul said getting an actor like Irrfan Khan, mostly considered a 'serious actor', to dance, created the differentiation and helped 7Up carve a fresh identity for itself.