Iraj Fraz on Nurturing Talent and Innovation in Advertising
With a rich background in advertising, Iraj has held prominent roles at various agencies, including DDB, Scarecrow Communications, and Young & Rubicam.
Speaking with LBB, Iraj discusses his advertising journey, which was sparked by his time at the University of Mumbai, which gave him the confidence to enter the industry.
He notes the challenge of cultivating a fearless creative culture in Delhi to retain local talent and expressed pride in the successful 'Mera store, Meri story' campaign for Meesho, which empowered women entrepreneurs.
Iraj emphasises the importance of fresh ideas, drawing inspiration from younger colleagues, and sees the advertising landscape evolving back towards the value of traditional creative agencies over in-house teams.
LBB> What inspired you to pursue a career in advertising at such a young age?
Iraj> At 18, when I was about to give up on my creative ambitions with Engineers and MBAs in the making, the University of Mumbai launched a Bachelor of Mass Media degree. We were the first-ever batch, and we were exposed to copywriters, photographers, and media professionals who were coming in as lecturers at National College, Bandra. And I got the confidence to walk into agencies as a summer trainee.
LBB> Have you always been a creative person, even as a child?
Iraj> So I’ve been told. My mother sketched well, my father could write sarcastically, and I’ve got a fair bit of blessings from Saraswati. Our house in Chandni Chowk had Ghalib, Goethe, Sartre and Faiz. Also, being somewhat of a failure at academics, my teachers giving up on me early on freed up a lot of time for me to be a nerd and sit down and draw. By the time I was in junior college in Mumbai, I could sell pencil portraits.
LBB> Can you share a specific challenge from your time at DDB Tribal that significantly impacted your professional growth?
Iraj> The challenge in Delhi advertising is never advertising itself but the culture. Delhi has the highest quality of talent, and the city, unfortunately, regularly exports to cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Dubai, and New York. Talented creatives also frequently quit advertising, like Gursy, who started Lovebirds Studio, a fashion house.
My challenge is to create a fearless culture so that the industry gets more Made In Delhi advertising heroes than just Anuja Chauhan, V Sunil and Swati Bhattacharya. And, of course, my growth in the current role depends entirely on how many Avengers discover their superpowers at DDB Tribal.
LBB> What project or campaign are you most proud of during your tenure at DDB Mudra Group?
Iraj> The Meesho launch. Meesho’s origin story is of a company that empowered women to start their own businesses with no investment except a basic smartphone. Our campaign ‘Mera store, meri story’ built a strong brand and also won us a WARC Gold.
LBB> How do you keep your creative ideas fresh and innovative in such a fast-paced industry?
Iraj> I feed off the energy of the 22-year-olds and partake in their meme-sharing like a student. My generation bugs have the craft and experience to take the ideas far, but ideas must be mined from all directions. For the last six years, the sign outside my cabin has read: बकचोदी: परमो धर्म:
LBB> What has been your career's most rewarding collaboration or partnership?
Iraj> A Bintang campaign we did out of Y&R Dubai, circa 2014. Heineken is called Bintang in Indonesia, and working closely with the Y&R Jakarta team was part of a cultural exchange programme.
LBB> How do you balance your professional responsibilities with your personal interests in woodworking and motorcycling?
Iraj> I’ve got a reciprocating saw attachment for my drill, so cutting more significant pieces of wood has become simpler. Two bikers at DDB Tribal, Shubham and Ashwini, have bought new motorcycles recently, so we will have a weekend biking trip to Uttarakhand soon.
LBB> What are the critical differences in the creative environments of agencies in different regions, such as India and the UAE?
Iraj> UAE is high on craft, with a focus on luxury. India is 1/5th of the world’s humans and cultures, so we have the wealthiest insights and human stories. Dubai, being a first-world city, pushes the creatives to be timely, systematic and polished. At the same time, creatives in India must be high on hustle, drama and storytelling.
LBB> How do you approach mentorship and nurturing young talent in your role as a creative head?
Iraj> I’m still learning and finding my ground at that. I’ve been lucky to learn storytelling from Aggi and Raghu-Manish and craft from Priti Kapur, Shahir Zag and Kalpesh Patankar, and I’m being trained on how to put them all together by Rahul Mathew. My team also benefits from my mentors because I quote them often.
Every creative starts with a core strength and needs to build on other areas to become well-rounded. I try to identify that area for my team, and I try to fill them with self-belief. It’s the ones who follow the process and endure who become unstoppable.
LBB> What are your thoughts on the evolving advertising landscape, and where do you see the industry heading in the next five years?
Iraj> We are at the end of the cycle of startups and corporates starting their in-house creative shops, hoping to build their brands internally. Most have already begun working with full-time ad agencies, as it used to be and should be. Creative agencies are structured to have an environment that enables fresh thinking that in-house departments can’t emulate. The plan can work in the short term by hiring capable creatives trained at proper agencies until the creatives themselves become uninspired or outdated.
Yes, short-term performance-driven communication is needed, but it can’t beat the need for enduring brand ideas.
TL;DR? Ad agencies are going to become stronger and more valuable in the next five years.
