Ad industry can help brands become more relevant

Per Pedersen

Advertisement is like a kaleidoscope of a nation to the world on how people communicate with each other. Optimism and the pride of being a Bangladeshi are reflected in advertising here, said Per Pedersen, deputy worldwide chief creative officer of Grey Global Group.

In a recent visit to Dhaka, Pedersen spent time with Grey Dhaka to rediscover Bangladesh by understanding and creating contents and ideas that the people of the country can relate to.

Much of advertising here is influenced by the West, which he does not think is a good idea. To connect people, one needs to understand the heart and soul of Bangladesh, he told The Daily Star in an interview.

Creativity will ultimately play an important role in making progress and putting on important subjects for discussion that will eventually lead the spirit of a country, Pedersen said.

He mentioned a new term -- Solvertising -- as part of brand relevancy where people can solve things with ideas by creating creative awareness.

The creative industry needs to get much further by creating real differences and helping brands become relevant in a world that is extremely transparent, he said.

"If you go to North America, people are sub-divided and there are actually very few things that connect people. But in Bangladesh, people talk about the same things, which is an opportunity for advertisers to create a conversation."

The Cannes Lions Titanium award winner said Bangladesh lacks brands having an international footprint, while Japanese and Korean agencies are getting benefits because their brands are now global.

Considering ideas as the core of successful products of a business for creating value, Pedersen thinks creativity and business never conflict. For years, he has been preaching to turn consumers and clients into copilots because best advertising happens in collaboration.

At Grey, they are connecting other offices at micro levels to share ideas as part of cross-pollination. He thinks companies that deal with creativity can never isolate themselves.

There is still a huge opportunity as no media ever dies; it only changes its role from time to time, said Pedersen regarding the future of press ads.

Speaking from 25 years of experience, he said newspapers are now giving the opportunity to advertisers to use multiple platforms, where print advertisement is part of a bigger thing only. It is when print, digital and newscast are going to work together, the new world of media will give a credible experience, he added.

He urges the creative people of Bangladesh to create good print ads that people will put up on a wall as part of an artistic experience. The official also suggests young advertisers in Bangladesh should keep in mind that the minute there is one master in one media, another pops up and this is the beauty of it.

Digital and mobile advertisements are shaping the print in Bangladesh as 3G is available and everybody can access anything, anytime no matter where they are, Pedersen said.

Mobile advertising in most markets, including Bangladesh, is still undiscovered, he said. It exists mostly in the format of apps or banner ads, but creative use of mobile marketing in most markets is yet to be explored, he added.

Ideas will not only change but also save the world.

In countries like China, India and Bangladesh, he thinks ideas can give a break to the nations by solving the real issues.

The interviewer is strategic project planner of Business Development at The Daily Star.