The Hindu Business Line : `I expect Mudra to be a top 3 agency'

At point blank range, Bob Kuperman, Vice-Chairman of DDB New York, comes across as a very different person. It is hard to believe that the man who created the iconic Energiser Bunny or the `hot pink hare' feeds on loads of murder mysteries and detective novels. In a quick interview with Catalyst, Bob shared his expectations about Mudra, and how the `Bernbach effect' could do the magic for them. Excerpts from the interview:

Your first visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of Mudra. What do you bring along with you as an anniversary gift?

I'm basically here to talk about Bill Bernbach, who's the founder of DDB, and was part of the combined agency — the merger that took place in 1986 between DDB and Needham. I worked with Bill Bernbach during his last 7-8 years at work, early on in my career. I did a lot of Volkswagen advertising and basically have been going around the world talking about Bernbach, his principles, what they meant, the legacy of Bill Bernbach, and seeking his philosophy in today's world and in today's advertising.

Your latest account on Subaru of America saw cyclist Lance Armstrong being replaced as the brand ambassador. Was it a deliberate strategy? Do you think the magic of celebrity endorsement is fading?

DDB NY worked on Volkswagen and then Audi and did not have a car account for a while. Now we have got Subaru of America. In fact, Lee Garfinkel, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, DDB New York, started his career in Subaru, and this account completes our product basket. However, there has been no deliberate attempt to remove Lance Armstrong as the brand spokesperson, and further, this does not suggest any kind of trend on brand ambassadors being out of fashion in product promotions.

The first four months of the year had witnessed all DDB top bosses from Keith Reinhard to Matt Freeman visiting India. Is India emerging as a critical nerve centre for you?

The agency as a whole, from a worldwide perspective, is trying to make sure that we all sing from the same song sheet. That word from DDB Worldwide is that there are some principles and legacies of Bill Bernbach that need to be well entrenched in each of the agencies around. This happily coincides with the Mudra anniversary. But I myself have been visiting Toronto, Vancouver and Prague. So it's part of an ongoing overall programme to spread the agency's beliefs and principles around the network.

What are you expectations from Mudra?

I expect Mudra to be in the top three agencies in India and after that expect it to be the top agency. I think from what I've seen so far, they are doing some real good work and all well in the way to do that. From everyone I have spoken to, it is certainly their intention to do that. So I feel certainly very positive. What impressed me was that they have good work across the board and a lot of different accounts and not just one account that is really good work.

Bill Bernbach's creative philosophy does not seem to be cutting much ice in India. The agency bagged very few awards at the Abby festival this year.

I think it just takes time to have everybody continually improve and get to the level you want to get to. It would be difficult for me to comment on that not knowing much about Indian market. What I see is that the agency is doing some really good work and wants to improve.

Which of your campaigns do you rate the best?

It's tough to pick one but campaigns for Volkswagen, Energiser Bunny, Cat food Meow Mix, the award-winning Teachers Scotch, a few jobs for Nissan Cars remain memorable ones. Few of the print works for Volkswagen are hanging in the Smithsonian Institute.

What is the global alignment scenario between DDB Worldwide and Mudra?

I know they just got Philips, which is a recent one. I think where it makes sense to align globally we are doing it. Some global accounts don't operate the same way (in all markets). Some of them don't have the control of what happens in regions from a central point of view.

What is the leadership pattern followed by DDB Worldwide?

It's a combination of leading from the front and inspiring from the back. Leadership's responsibility is to define reality and to say thank you. I think you have to have people involved with it. We believe in people, product, profit. We start with people because that is what we are about. If we do not have the right people, we won't be able to get out the right product. If we cannot make the right product, we cannot make the right money. Our whole philosophy is built on people.

Lastly, what is your opinion on consumer insights in brand building? Does this whole business of research methodology in finding key consumer insights hold any water?

I think it's a combination of both. Great creative directors have an instinctive, intuitive feel about people. But I think you need to be informed about what the product is, and how consumers perceive it. Generally that's all about research. However, it's not about what you say about the product. How you say it is where the magic comes in.

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