At the Association of Advertising Producers (ASAP) Changemakers 2024, held in Mumbai on 8 August, Rajdeepak Das, chairperson, Leo Burnett India and chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe South Asia, shared the importance of creativity in advertising, through personal anecdotes, client work, industry insights, and bold visions for the future.

Reflecting on his journey, Das kicked off the session speaking about three serendipities he has had in his life. 

The first serendipity 

Das recounted a pivotal moment in his life, when an executive shared a blunt assessment of India, while Das was working abroad.

"First, it's not creative enough. Second, there’s no infrastructure to support us” — left him reeling. 

"That really shook me," he admitted, sparking a determination to change the narrative in the ad industry. 

The second serendipity 

Das shared another transformative encounter, this time with David Droga, who had just launched Droga5. "Droga had started something revolutionary," Das recounted, describing their meeting at Adfest. "He secured a USD 150 million budget from GE for what was supposed to be the largest campaign ever for the Beijing Olympics. But instead of pouring it all into a traditional advertising campaign, he envisioned something entirely different—a blueprint for a building resembling a shiny disco ball floating in a river."

Das elaborated on Droga’s concept: "The structure had three distinct sections—the first drew water from the river, purified it, and returned it. The second housed the world’s first environmental university, and the third was the largest sustainability lab ever built. At the heart of it was a sphere, with each glass panel sold as part of the project to generate clean energy."

This encounter, Das emphasised, was a game-changer, shifting his perspective on what creativity could truly achieve. "Droga’s idea was simple yet profound," Das reflected. "It showed the enduring power of trading ideas, proving that they can be far more impactful than just running a campaign."

The third serendipity 

Das moved to Leo Burnett when he was 33 as the country’s youngest CCO and had replaced KV Sridhar (Pops). In his first month, he was working with Amazon, and was going to Bengaluru. On the flight, he met a legend from the ad industry in India, who congratulated him on his new role but reminded him that he has a long way to go. 

Later, on the bus to the Bengaluru airport, the advertising legend urged him to think about the future. He shared, “As we were driving, we noticed the billboards had changed from HSBC to Aditya Birla. Despite the crores spent on those billboards, no one seemed to care and everyone was just staring at their phones. 

Das asked the legend, "What will we do?"

"I have four years left in this industry," he told me, "but you have 30 years ahead of you. What you solve, what you define, is your problem."  

This, Das said, was a turning point in his career, pushing him to think beyond traditional advertising. 

Apollo 11

Discussing the creation of Apollo 11 at Leo Burnett, a project born out of the desire to do something extraordinary, Das emphasised the importance of experimentation and finding new solutions.

"We weren’t interested in just doing the same old thing. We wanted to create things that would make both our clients and ourselves uncomfortable,” he remarked. 

Over the last decade, Das and his team have tackled complex challenges for some of the world’s biggest brands, from PepsiCo to Whisper, always aiming to solve real problems rather than just creating ads. 

“We’re not just about making good case study videos; we’re about solving real problems for the world’s largest brands,” he asserted.

Key projects 

The first big break came when we convinced Bajaj to buy the INS Vikrant when it was being scrapped and create a motorcycle out of that metal.

“It wasn't just advertising; the brief was to create another 'Hamara Bajaj,' but we aimed for something even better. We had designers and people who could create prototypes, so we took the idea to the next level. We wanted to make every Indian feel like they had a piece of national treasure. The concept was powerful, and it’s still one of my favourites,” he shared. 

Das went on to speak about the second project which.

He said, “How many times have we been asked to design a t-shirt or a logo for a jersey? Usually, it's just about making sure the brand logo is visible. But this time, the client gave us the freedom to design the entire jersey ourselves. We didn’t just design it; we integrated cutting-edge technology into the process. The fans loved it, and the Instagram buzz was off the charts.”

Another project close to Das’ heart was their work on ‘Whisper’s Keeping Girls in School’. 

“We fought for ten years to tackle the dropout problem, and in the last five years, we started building schools. It was an impossible project at first, but we partnered with UNESCO and 15 state governments to make it happen. The impact was massive, and it’s something I’m incredibly proud of,” Das shared. 

Das added, “Then there was a project where we recreated something from the past, using future technology. It was an eight-month-long project, spanning three continents, to digitally recreate Kapil Dev’s iconic 175 innings. This wasn’t just about nostalgia; it was about using technology to relive history in a way that no one had seen before. The effort was monumental, but the result was worth every bit of the struggle.”

Das highlighted one of his recent favourite projects—an impactful collaboration with Pepsi. "We had just won the business," Das recalled, "and while everyone else was celebrating, my mind was already on the challenges ahead." 

He explained that PepsiCo’s Lay’s relies heavily on local farmers in India, particularly in regions like West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. The government doesn't permit importing of potatoes beyond a certain extent.

"We travelled to these farms to get a firsthand understanding of the challenges farmers face," Das said. "The world is changing rapidly, but farming methods haven’t kept up." 

This led to a year-and-a-half-long project focused on leveraging technology to address these agricultural issues. "It wasn’t just about advertising," Das emphasised. "It was about finding real solutions that could make a lasting difference."

Lastly, we worked on a project called 'Turf Finder' for Gatorade. He shared, “The client called me early in the morning - it was 10 am IST and I was in Sweden, and it was around 5 am there. Tarun (Bhagat) said they wanted to do something big, something that would make a statement. We ended up creating sports turfs in areas with no playgrounds, using data and technology in a way that had never been done before. It was an ambitious project, but with the right partners, we made it happen.”

"What I've learned over the years is that the biggest clients don’t just want good advertising—they want solutions to their most pressing problems," Das remarked.

Das went on to share that their strength isn't just in understanding the present; it's in understanding solutions for the future. "We need to tell our story, not just focus on today, which might seem gloomy for our industry. Ten years ago, people said advertising would die, but here we are, still one of the most polished professions, evolving quickly," he expressed. 

As he wrapped up, Das reinforced the idea that the advertising industry is evolving into a 'creative solutions' space. “We’re constantly searching for partners to help us shape the future, even if we don't know who they are yet. If not you, then who? If not now, then when?", he challenged the audience, leaving them with a sense of urgency and positivity for the future.