I would have spent less time on the mobile and been more mobile: Dentsu's Titus Upputuru

Campaign India's countdown to the end of the decade will feature leading names from the marketing and communications fraternity. We ask senior executives from the advertising, marketing and media fraternity about the last 10 years and the year to come.

 

Here's what Titus Upputuru, creative head, Taproot Dentsu, Gurugram and NCD, Dentsu One, had to say:

 

One piece of work created by a competitor in the last decade that you wish you had created/worked on?

 

Ten years is a long time. We have seen so much of work. If you ask me, two pieces stood out most. Incidentally, both were released the same year. 

 

One is the P&G best job in the world campaign. A new narrative was born. P&G put a spotlight on mothers and said that a) they have a job b) their job is the hardest and c) their job is the best. It changed the conversation. When I saw the film 2012, it moved me. 

 

The other piece that really stood out for me was the famous ‘dumb ways to die’ by Melbourne Metro. It was so refreshing in the category. The execution was so lovely. The song was so hummable. It swept all the Grand Prix awards that year in Cannes. 

 

If hindsight is 20/20, what is the one thing that you could have done differently in the last decade?

 

The last decade saw the mobile phone taking over our lives. If I could go back in time, I would have spent less time on the mobile and been more mobile. I would have spent a lot more time walking through the galis, having chai in different nukkads, hitch-hiking bus rides, hopping on to rickshaws, riding on bullock carts and experiencing the smells and sights of this country. 

 

One skill that you would want to pick up in 2020 and why?

 

Data mining. Data is now, what digital was a few years back. To my mind, data is and was, always important. The Holy Bible says, In the beginning was the word. It is that ancient. Each of our DNA carries so much data. I would like to invest myself deeper into this new D, unearth greater insights, for more fabulous work. 

 

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