Per Pederson, Deputy Worldwide CCO of Grey Global Group, recently paid a visit to Dhaka on an official tour from July 14 to 16, 2015. With 113 Golden Lions wins at Cannes this year, Grey Global has achieved immense success and the need to become a globally aligned creative network has become a priority for the renowned agency. Pederson’s visit to Dhaka, straight from the Cannes Awards, is a manifestation of the importance of Bangladesh’s participation on a creative global platform. During his short visit, Dhaka Tribune had the good fortune of having a conversation with him. What followed were his insights into the realm of advertising in the context of Bangladesh and by extension the rest of the world.
Q. What made you choose Bangladesh for a tour?
In my opinion Bangladesh has a job to do to put the country on the map, because most people think only of poverty and overpopulation when they think of Bangladesh. I’m happy to be here because not only is Grey Dhaka the number one agency in the country, even within the Grey global network it’s quite successful. I’ve been following Grey Dhaka for some time and when I found the opportunity of coming here I took it. The most exciting things happen in places and markets that are going through stages of development, and I believe that’s exactly what’s happening here.
Q. Now that you have seen Bangladesh with your own eyes, what is your opinion of the country? Was there anything in particular that surprised you?
My experience of the creative industry of Bangladesh tells me that it’s a nation that is still discovering itself. Advertising is often the kaleidoscope of a nation, what you see in ads is what’s reflected in the prevalent culture; so in a way, the creative industry is a mirror into the soul of a nation. Unfortunately, through your advertising, I haven’t had a feel of the real Bangladesh, instead I was surprised to see a predominant fascination with the western culture, not to mention the fact that it seems the entire nation is bent on showcasing cricket players. If we are to solidify the identity of our nation we need to delve into the underbelly of it and pull out that which defines us as true Bangladeshis.
Q. Is there anything specific that our creative industry may be doing wrong?
The Bangladeshi market is still too traditional with its massive focus on TV commercials, and extremely basic printed communications like posters and such. I miss the creative utilisation of other means such as subtly tailored PR work and the use of digital media. As one of the most connected nations in the world with 3G technology, I have yet to witness this opportunity maximised for everyone’s benefit.
Q. In your opinion what should Bangladeshi advertising agencies do in order to find our true identity?
As an agency when we work for brands, we need to make them relevant for the people in terms of habits, religions and traditions, which is precisely why I’m not interested in your fancy malls and posh restaurants. I want to see the steamers at the harbour, and the busy roads of old Dhaka, people returning to their villages by train for Eid - places that truly capture the soul of Bangladesh. Advertising is all about understanding what people are doing. The love for a brand is created when people can easily identify with it, be it through pride, habits or cultural background – whatever makes them feel something strong and positive.
Q. You acheived immense success at Cannes Lions. Please share some experienced from the festival with us.
The Grey network is a small one compared to some of the really big names, and in spite of that for us to have achieved such huge success is truly inspiring. Furthermore, what makes me really proud is that we didn’t win Cannes Lions for sticking to traditional media, our Lions were awarded particularly for our skills at being innovative with what we could do as part of our communication campaigns. The creative industry looks at Cannes for inspiration as something that will influence the industry in the future, and I’m glad to say we did that just right. We explore uncharted territory and try to do things that would makes others say, “I had no idea you could do something like that.”
Q. In which direction is the global advertising trend currently moving? What changes are taking place?
The current global advertising trend no longer looks or feels like advertising at all. It’s more about getting involved with pressing social issues. Volvo for example, popular for being the safest car out there, is now catering to bicyclists with fluorescent spray paint to reduce bicycle accidents; Lego’s advertising is actually its collection of witty and intelligent Lego movies and video games which people gladly pay good money to enjoy. Advertising is slowly but surely moving away from imposing itself forcefully on its customers to becoming more deserving in customer attention by solving more and more real problems. Advertising in its future facing trend has essentially become "solvatising."
Q. Grey Dhaka is already the top creative agency in the country. Where do you want to see it reach next?
I want this agency to be the first in the country to integrate digital and mobile media in their future campaigns. As a market leader it has a special obligation to show the way forward for the rest of the industry. When an agency gets to a certain size, it can begin to take bigger and more responsible ambitions. I believe that’s where I want to see Grey Dhaka reach next.
Q. There are markets larger than ours in countries like India, Japan, and China etc. Do you see possibilities that even with the presence of such influential markets, Bangladesh can draw attention in globally acclaimed platforms?
In my experience the size of a country doesn’t matter, ideas come from everywhere. All it takes is to find the most creative minds of the nation and put them together to come up with brilliant and innovative ideas that will focus on making a brand relevant for the people and often go out of its way to think out-of-the-box and come up with plans that will really solve difficult prevalent issues for a nation. For even better results, teams should have inherent diversity in order to break away from the trap of the sea of sameness. If Bangladesh focuses its efforts in this manner I see no reason why it shouldn’t be able to draw attention in globally acclaimed platforms.
