Name Sumanto Chattopadhyay
Job Executive creative director, South Asia, Ogilvy & Mather
Professional mission Kick ass. Without getting yours kicked.
Personal mantra Burn the candle at both ends. But don’t forget to replenish the wax.
Job Executive creative director, South Asia, Ogilvy & Mather
Professional mission Kick ass. Without getting yours kicked.
Personal mantra Burn the candle at both ends. But don’t forget to replenish the wax.
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7.00am Glug down a pick-me-up of coffee, cocoa, vinegar, coconut oil and honey in hot water. (After this, I’m up for anything.)
7.30am Jump into the shower. Remember my commitment to water conservation. Jump out. Make liberal use of cologne. Feel très French.
8.00am Try to sort out my semi-dreadlocks. Give up.
9.30am On my laptop, on the road, deleting spam – which, in a sense, describes most of my inbox.
10.00am Make new business pitch. It’s showtime, folks! ‘…and this is the outdoor campaign,’ I say with a flourish. ‘Beg your pardon? Er, yes, it’s a direct adapt of the print campaign.’ Curtains.
12.30pm Reach office. Indulge in, what else, office politics.
1.00pm Eat Lovelunch, my super dabba meal.
2.00pm Quaff a cappuccino with a double shot of espresso at Gloria Jean’s. (aka ‘team meeting’.)
4.00pm Beg producer to reduce costs. (Grounds: the unfavourable exchange rate of the Sri Lankan rupee.)
5.00pm Listen to Chewing gum hai chabbi ja online. I fantasise I’m a planner doing profound research into Bollywood / the Punjabi language / the meaning of life. So far it’s thrown up more questions than answers. ‘Fikar hi gum ka papa hai’? Who’s your daddy?
6.00 pm ‘So, um, what’s the product connect?’ (Question to team who are presenting an ad concept.)
6.30pm Crack an idea. Phew!
7.00pm Call. Call drop. Call again. Call drop… (Trying to use my cell while going up and down flyovers on the Western Express Highway.)
7.30pm Kick, spin, punch, somersault, kick. (Learning capoeira, the Brazilian martial art; it’s a lot like advertising, actually – see professional mission above.)
9.00pm Realise that the deadline for my advertising column was the day before yesterday. Help! Somebody give me a topic! Ah, got it: ‘Has advertising become a victim of unreasonable deadlines?’. Panic over.
10.00pm Laphroaig. Neat, almost. Bliss.
11.00pm Jump into bed with Anna Karenina. Good night!
