Prasoon Joshi

Are big ideas relevant anymore?
Different people have different opinions of a big idea. Personally I think they are overrated and its definition should change. We are in the age of multiples and as the world becomes and expresses itself multiculturally and transculturally, a uniform pattern of a brand or a campaign or a big idea will be limiting. There could be one big idea or several of them or many small ideas. New windows will open up-in many cases the consumers becoming co-creators of the brand or its ideas. It’s like a family owned private company going public. The shareholder will express themselves. That will make the brand more layered and textured. So a brand will be more defined by threads of multi-ideas. A comfort level has to develop for this kind of a brand construct. The strength of a brand will be in its evolving multiple expressions and not necessarily a single one.

What role does technology play in the future? Does the future belong to specialists or generalists?
The present and future belongs to both. It’s like a Google map-the big picture is as relevant as zooming into a specific location. The holistic and the intricate will be part of the same aspect. As far as technology is concerned we are in the honeymoon period, euphoric about technology and its functions. We are eulogizing technology and going to extremes-everything that amuses or engages is technology. People are in awe of it. There has to be a certain period of time that has to pass before we become at ease with technology. Its real utility is not known. After some time, people would understand more clearly what is of real use and what’s a gimmick. We are not yet in rhythm with technology. Gradually it will become rhythmic.

Is the recession feeding creativity?
There’s been the good and the bad. From an advertising point of view-the clients are obviously more cautious. But when there is the tendency to be extra sure, to measure every move, the elbow room and space for imagination is curtailed. There’s more research, less risk and increased inclination towards the tried and tested rather than experimentation. Which in turn has a danger of the perception that creative is not working. The other side is that whenever there are limitations more innovative approaches are born. I tend to see creativity in two distinct compartments-for self expression and for commercial purposes. The first is innate, spontaneous. The commerce of it, if any, is just a by-product. Lately I have sensed this joy of creation taking the front seat once again. For a while now, art and commerce worked in tandem; perhaps too much so. There were too many market considerations. The aim was maximum output with minimum input. Creativity and its expression, was increasingly becoming made to order. Today, as we contend with an economic slowdown, the struggle with collective terror and the systemic failure of many socio-political structures, creativity is becoming more spontaneous, more genuine, more rooted and being viewed more responsibly than ever before. There’s genuine desire to get a grip. Creativity will perhaps be more profound, gritty and socially conscientious. Time I guess for the arts to find genuine lovers and not just consumers.

Do award shows matter any more, and who is qualified to judge work?
It is an individual’s decision. An award is as valuable as you think they are. I personally feel that any recognition of your work makes you feel good. The aspect of creativity and its acknowledgment makes our profession a little more than just transactional. It’s like viewing some athletes running a race. One can categorize them as getting from point A to point B, or who ran the fastest who came first, second or third. But if that is not all, if one can see the dance in his run, the rhythm in which his body moves, the way he converses with the wind and that in the act of running there is also art-if you feel like this, then awards are for you. And the people who have the eye and humbleness to look at that beauty and appreciate it should be judging it.

What keeps you up at night?
My dreams keep me up at night. A true dream is one that doesn’t let you sleep.