"Strength of a creative campaign lies in how rapidly others can build on it" - Yash Deb

With the year's biggest international award shows done and dusted, I chatted to the regional jurors ahead of the upcoming Loeries Creative Week. Next in the series is this year's Integrated campaign, Film & Radio, and Radio Craft juror Yash Deb, also managing director and chief creative officer at Isobar, Kenya.
Yash Deb, managing director and chief creative officer at Isobar, Kenya and this year's Loeries integrated campaign, film & radio, and radio craft juror.
Yash Deb, managing director and chief creative officer at Isobar, Kenya and this year's Loeries integrated campaign, film & radio, and radio craft juror.

At just 30 years of age, Deb is a Nairobi-based, award-winning creative professional, who has worked on some of the world’s most loved brands with some of the world’s biggest agencies and at inspiring creative shops – currently managing director and chief creative officer at Isobar Kenya, ranked as the number one creative agency in Kenya by the APA Loeries.

Little wonder that Deb says his biggest achievement is having set up Isobar’s creative department in Kenya from scratch, while also playing a pivotal role in winning and servicing all the accounts currently at the agency.

That’s no mean feat and Deb clearly understands what drives the creatives who thrive in this industry. Though this will be his first visit to Durban he has visited SA numerous times, so who better to judge on the 2019 Loeries’ Integrated campaign, Film & Radio, and Radio Craft work, under Radio and DStv Film jury president Nedal Ahmed?

I chatted to Deb about regional differences in creative work, his judging expectations, and more…

How does work from your region differ to what you’ve seen from SA?

It’s amazing to see how creative work in SA is always evolving and adapting to the ever-changing needs of the consumer landscape.

One great example is the Nando’s “More South African Flavour” spot. The ad questions the surplus of “Afrofuturism” on our screens.

It questions the way we celebrate the diversity and beauty of Africa. Should the portrayals always be so bizarrely over the top?

Do consumers really see the same Africa that is being shown by brands?

The Nando’s approach puts the consumer at the centre of the campaign and beautifully weaves the product into the narrative.

Such bold work that goes against the ordinary is quite literally food for thought for both brands and agencies.

Kenya is also doing some great work creatively. We have no shortage of passion or imagination and in recent times, Kenyan work has been celebrated and awarded on the global stage.

However, what we do lack is enough culturally inspired work.

Authentically Kenyan work. I believe that this kind of work helps a brand in activating its purpose, signalling a point of difference and above all, embedding itself in people’s lives.
Don’t get me wrong, there have been examples of work like this in Kenya in the past, but there has always been a trend of looking for inspiration to the West, while all we really need to do is look really hard at the consumer and the ideas, customs, achievements of our country and society as a whole.

Definitely. What is unique about brand communications in Africa and the Middle East?

The shift towards culturally and socially relevant work has been a breath of fresh air. We’ve started to move from safe to provocative by relooking at tradition and questioning the status quo. It is an extremely exciting time to be alive!

That it is! What in particular makes you excited about brand communications? What new skills and technologies do you see coming through in media and advertising right now?

The evolution of data and what we can do with it. It has made us start rethinking not only how marketing gets made within marketing departments and in partnership with agencies, but also how it lives and breathes in the wild.

I believe in the balance between math and magic — head and heart — this is a big consideration in putting the right stories in front of the right people and level setting the huge amount of data we now have at our disposal.

What kind of innovation and creative work will you be looking for as a judge of the Loeries 2019?

I won’t just be looking at innovation. I will be looking at how creatively a piece of work has crafted a solution to a problem.

BizcommunityDo you think the tenets of a successful media campaign are universal? What makes a campaign work in your country?

Definitely not. I feel that more and more we’ll see that the strength of a creative campaign lies not in how well it can be controlled but in how rapidly others can build on it.

When it comes to Kenya, I feel that campaigns that build strategies around local culture, the addressable consumer and those that are brave enough to cede control, win.

These elements help personalise the brand message to the individual consumer and make them the champions of the campaign.

Lastly, what are you most looking forward to from Loeries Creative Week 2019?

I’m really looking forward to seeing all the amazing work and engaging with the brilliant creative minds we have in the region!

Excellent insights on the power of telling better regional stories. If you can’t wait for Loeries Creative Week Durban, taking place from 22 to 24 August 2019, keep an eye on the Loeries’ Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds and stay tuned for my interviews with more of the regional jurors and all the latest updates in our Loeries’ special section. You can also follow Deb on Behance and Instagram and Isobar Kenya on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About Leigh Andrews

Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen, is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews.
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