They have been awarded for t
heir creative work by Abby, One Show, D&AD, CLIO and Cannes Lions. But once the awards lineup reached 150, they stopped counting. Their middle-class family background has not enabled them to afford a ‘Creative flair-o-meter’, as they put it. But that does not stop them from executing ideas that resonates their passion and commitment. 4Ps B&M brings to you Manish Bhatt and Rahgu Bhat, Founder Directors, Scarecrow Communications who believe that it is the consumer who seals the fate of a creative creation.Were you always thinking of setting up your own agency?
Manish Bhatt (MB): Not exactly. In our advertising journey, somewhere along the way, we started taking ownership of clients. We had a free hand and could carve ideas our own way using our own methodology. Also, the exposure to different agency cultures helped. I still remember that it was at Contract that we learnt the craft of print. Every piece of work had to meet a certain set quality standard. It was an everyday battle that the agency was engaged in to ensure this quality. O&M on the other hand, had a very practical approach. We wouldn’t fight over every dangler or poster with the client beyond a certain limit. O&M therefore was a new school of thought altogether. At Ambience, we put this experience to work even as we were learning to deal with clients. Later, when McCann called us in 2004, it was Prasoon, whose strengths we could learn from. This was also a larger, powerful agency platform to stand on.
So, when did this actually happen?
MB: It was at McCann that freelance offers started pouring in and we realised that our equity had gone beyond the four walls of the agency. That was the first spark of entrepreneurship. Reputed brands were offering us freelance work. Most agencies we went to had their own philosophy of how things should happen. We started developing, over the years, subliminally, our own philosophy. While there was no friction, we realised that our philosophy was clashing with those of the agencies we worked for. In 2007, we moved from McCann to Contract. There we started forming an opinion on the way communication should happen, and the way an agency should function. We got a feeling that the optimum level of knowledge acquired over the years could help us set up shop. We were ready to take the plunge.
You have been together for more than a decade now. But how was the first encounter?
Rahgu Bhat (RB): We first met on the 3rd floor mess of Contract’s Delhi Janakpuri office in January 1996. I was a management trainee in Contract Direct. I was at my table, alone, having paneer pasanda, which was floating in oil. Manish joined me at the table and said (pointing to the paneer), “Lagta hai, aaj ka khana has been sponsored by Shell.” (One of Contract Delhi’s clients at that time). We decided to work together on a road trip to Bikaner and Bharatpur. While having a chai along with ‘mirchi ke pakode’ at a thela in Bharatpur, I got to know that Manish was not hitting off that well with his copy partner. I asked if he would team up with me. I was any way ‘single’. His only condition was – he wanted to participate in the ideation process and not limit himself to art direction. I had no problems. By the time the trip ended, I had no money in my pocket but I had a new art partner.
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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