#Sajan Raj Kurup

[afnews7]

Creativeland Studios Entertainment Ropes in Amish Tripathi, Unveils ‘Shri Radha Ramanam,’ a Global Epic on Lord Krishna (EXCLUSIVE)

http://www.afnews.info segnala: Creativeland Studios Entertainment is set to bring the tale of Hindu god Lord Krishna to the global stage with its ambitious new project, “Shri Radha Ramanam.” The India-U.K.-U.S. collaboration aims to present the story of Krishna’s love to international audiences. C. Sajan Raj Kurup, founder and managing director of Creativeland Studios Entertainment, has joined…

[youthblogs]

Sajan Raj Kurup wants to motivate young talent in the advertising industry

The art of conveying a message to the masses is called Advertising. It is one of the chief divisions of any industry, ensuring the brand’s influence and competitiveness in the corporate setting. In today’s rapidly growing Indian economy, a career in advertising is highly lucrative and extremely competitive. If you are an enthusiastic, independent, and optimistic type of person, you will feel right at home in the advertising industry.  

In recent years the focus of advertisers has greatly moved to cater to the youth. 60% of the population of India is under the age of 30 and roughly half of the Asian population is in that group. This statistic hasn’t changed for about a decade now and doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. More than the statistic, it’s a mindset. The world is getting younger through the internet. Brands and companies are morphing their traditional methods to better suit the current environment and to be creative is to be current. 

One such company promoting its content to a youth-centric audience is CreativeLand Asia (CLA). CLA is a multinational advertising agency looking to promote creative content through advertising, film production, branding, and licensing. Founder and Creative Chairman, Sajan Raj Kurup has been adamant about positioning his content to cater to a younger audience. His belief is that a younger audience provides us with better metrics for the future. In advertising, you need to be constantly positioning yourself to the current and most relevant environment, you can't be rigid in your thinking as the terrain is ever-changing and ever-evolving. In Sajan Kurup’s own words, “there are no long-term horizons in marketing only medium-term horizons” 

Kurup also believes that there is a high level of interest in the youth of India to partake in the creative industry. As a budding entrepreneur himself, he started CLA on his living room dining table with 4 other people. CLA commenced its operations back in 2014 and has since been recognized as one of India’s leading advertising agencies. Kurup believes that there is no shortage of young talent in this industry, he says that India is a very creative environment and Indians have always been taught to think ingeniously which is an important aspect of creativity. Alongside creativity, an interest in brand design and communication is very inherent to the youth of India. Kurup has always been an advocate of promoting and motivating young talent to start their careers in advertising. In 2014, he set up youngcreative.org, a student arm of CLA that promoted and offered guidance to up-and-coming young talent. He says its more than a responsibility to share experiences and knowledge with the people trying to get their foot in the door, Kurup was quoted saying “When I was young I didn’t know who to learn from, I think I learned from all the accidents that have happened to me along the way. All I’m doing is sharing that with a few people if I can, and giving them a chance to nurture their creativity”. He also launched a scholarship program called Creativeland Fresh Picks. CLA proposed to send one final year student from art and design schools to attend the seven-day festival at Cannes. The student will also be awarded a one-year contract to work with CLA. The objective of the trip is to hone modern talent at a very young age and familiarize them with the way of work done internationally, which is otherwise hard to get. An experience like this is sure to get the student’s career in advertising kickstarted. 

Sajan Raj Kurup has been a great promoter of young talent in the advertising industry as he sees the future of this industry ride on the backs of these youngsters. He has been an inspiration for many young talented people that have a keen interest in creativity and advertising.               

[techminsolutions]

Adman turned investor Sajan Raj Kurup backs gaming firm Revenant Esports

Adman turned investor Sajan Raj Kurup backs gaming firm Revenant Esports

Adman turned investor Sajan Raj Kurup has made close to a $1 million investment in Revenant Esports. With this investment, Kurup has become a 40 per cent stakeholder in one of the fastest-growing gaming companies in India. Revenant Esports is home to over 25 Esports athletes including various popular mobile titles like Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Clash of Clans and FreeFire. The…

[moneycafe]

Adman turned investor Sajan Raj Kurup backs gaming firm Revenant Esports

Adman turned investor Sajan Raj Kurup backs gaming firm Revenant Esports

Adman turned investor Sajan Raj Kurup has made close to a $1 million investment in Revenant Esports. With this investment, Kurup has become a 40 per cent stakeholder in one of the fastest-growing gaming companies in India. Revenant Esports is home to over 25 Esports athletes including various popular mobile titles like Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Clash of Clans and FreeFire. The…

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Food type

by Creativeland

[youthblogs]

Sajan Raj Kurup’s most Creative Ads on TV

Advertisers have always found new ways and mediums to reach their intended audience. It is important to find the right method in which your message is conveyed to your audience. Whether it be billboards for your movies or small pamphlets for your local restaurants, how you reach your audience impacts your overall reach. Especially with the digital era we live in today, brands are constantly finding new and innovative methods of content delivery. Although we are making strides towards new platforms, Television has always been and is the world’s favorite video platform. Television has been remarkably resilient to the changing nature of content consumption. Despite the emergence of online video platforms such as YouTube and Netflix, TV remains steadfast around the globe. TV continues to be at the top as it remains the most trusted form of advertising, viewers are more likely to trust the advertisements they see on TV as compared to the ones they see on online platforms.

Brands have always tried to capitalize on the effectiveness of TV advertisements and give their audience entertaining and compelling ads. TV has limited time to spare on advertising, so brands need to come up with quick ways to introduce their products and entice the viewers to buy the products. Because of the limited time, TV ads usually end up being about 30 to 40 seconds. This restriction of time forces advertisers to become innovative with their storytelling and find creative ways to sell their products.

One such company that pushed the TV advertisement space forward is Creativeland Asia (CLA). Founded in 2007, CLA is an Indian Advertising agency headed by Founder and Creative Chairman, Sajan Raj Kurup. Kurup is a firm believer in creativity and aims to bring out the best version of his client’s products to the screen. Ever since its inception in 2007, Kurup and CLA represented several multinational brands and designed many creatively compelling ads. These ads range from funny to downright iconic.

Ad campaigns like the Audi A8 series campaign showed innovative use of CGI to depict the comforts of a sedan. The A8 series is a luxury sedan aimed at customers who want a comfortable ride, and to showcase this Kurup and the team used CGI to visualize the experience. They created a 40-second ad in which we can see an entire corner office smoothly gliding down a road as the man inside sits in comfort at his desk, the camera quickly pans across the office and watches him step out of a door, revealing that indeed he was sitting in a car. This clever visualization used CGI to great effect and illustrated that the Audi A8 is a luxury experience.

Another ad campaign that showed great use of CGI was the ‘MTS Internet Baby’ campaign. The internet baby ad is a 60-second spot that shows a mother giving birth in the hospital, the ad starts off frantic but quickly comes to a halt as a completely animated baby crawls out of the doctor’s hands and starts using a mobile phone. This funny little ad manages to create a strong impression on the viewer’s mind. Seeing a baby immediately starts to walk out of the womb and go viral on the internet will surely make you remember the MTS brand.  

Ads like the HomeShop 18 spot also used CGI to great effect. This ad campaign showed two completely animated cats as father and son. Both the cats sit at their desk and talk to the camera explaining the process of ordering something from HomeShop 18.

CLA also had great success with visualizing beverage brands such as LMN (or lemon), a lemonade brand. The whole conceptualization, packaging, and branding of LMN were handled by Kurup and his team. They crafted several stories of ads revolving around thirsty people looking for a drink. One of the iconic ones was ‘Dehydrated man’. It showed a 12-inch tall man stranded at the beach looking for a drink in the scorching sun. The man tumbles through groups of people, trying not to be crushed by these giant humans, finally finds a vendor selling LMN, drinks the beverage, and turns back into a fully grown man. The ad is exciting, chaotic, and overall very comic. It grabs your attention and sells the product while keeping you entertained.

Another beverage brand that CLA worked extensively on was Frooti. For Parle agro, one of their marquee clients, CLA rebranded Frooti as an exciting and fresh drink. Their ‘Crazy Mango Fun’ comprised of two videos, one was a mango-themed outdoor game show and another was a string of pranks done on pedestrians. The prank videos comprised of huge mangoes showing up in unexpected places like falling from a tree, rolling down a street, or in people’s baggage claim at the airport. The objective of these ads was to enforce to the community that Frooti is made with fresh and natural mangoes.

Over the past 14 years, Sajan Raj Kurup with CLA has worked with over 30 clients and made hundreds of TV advertisements. Their talents and creativity have boosted sales for their clients and promoted artistic content on the Television platform.

[youthblogs]

Sajan Raj Kurup’s top 5 Ad Campaigns

Adman Sajan Raj Kurup is quite possibly the most sought-after and talked-about person in the creative industry in India today. Founder and Creative Chairman of Creativeland Asia (CLA), Kurup works with some of India’s most famous multinational brands to help them communicate their product to their users. Some of his clients include names like Parle Agro, Mercedes, Hippo, Amazon, Cafe Coffee Day, Kalpataru, and Taj just to name a few. With over 14 years of experience and a huge roster of famous and iconic Ad campaigns under his belt, he has elevated the status of his clients through his work. Here are some of Sajan Raj Kurup’s Best Ad campaigns.

Audi: When Audi India wanted to launch their brand new Audi A8 series, their premium luxury sedan model in India, the job fell to Kurup and his team at CLA. The brand wanted to showcase premium comfort and details with their new sedan and CLA was right on the mark with their 90 second Ad spot. The Ad shows a man floating in the air as the Audi A8 slowly and one part at a time assembles around him. The Ad uses CGI to great effect as each intricate detail of the car assembles and the man sitting observes. We cut out of the car as the assembly finishes and the previously weightless car suddenly drops to the ground with a satisfying contact. The camera quickly shows the suspension system taking the hit and the man inside looks as comfortable as ever.

Appy Fizz: CLA’s ‘Appy Fizz & Grappo Fizz’ Ad campaign aimed to introduce Appy Fizz’s new flavour Grappo Fizz made from grapes. The new flavour had to fit right in with pre-existing lineup while creating hype. The campaign showed the two distinct flavours as cousins, to state that they are indeed different but from the same family. Appy Fizz was already popular for portraying its bottle as an animated character who could move, talk, and hang out with people, so Grappo Fizz, its cousin was the newer and cooler kid on the block. Showing up in a video ad, Grappo Fizz was a loudmouth, cool, and laid back friend who was fun at parties.

MTS: The ‘MTS Internet Baby’ campaign by CLA for the telecom giants MTS was a highly debated and controversial Ad. The 60-second spot showed a newborn baby take control of its own birth by using the internet. The baby comes out of the mother’s womb and through a mobile phone researches how to cut the umbilical cord before posting on the internet about his arrival. The ad caught the attention of many people quickly becoming one of the most viewed online ads in India. Bloggers and international media quickly started to discuss the implications of the ad showing a new generation of people that view the internet as their ‘birth right’.

AMG: AMG is the high-performance subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz brand. AMG is synonymous with high-performance motoring and cutting edge innovation. So to introduce the AMG brand to the Indian market, CLA connected AMG to the clever creative expression - ‘Ah My God’. It denoted the strong feelings one gets when driving an AMG vehicle. A TV commercial promoting the expression ‘Ah My God’ sees the brand’s then-new CLA 45 AMG model alongside images of fast-paced sports such as surfing and snowboarding.

Pizza Hut: A fairly recent collaboration between CLA and Pizza hut sees Kurup and the team completely reinvent Pizza Hut’s image. The Pizza Hut campaign for the brand aims to show the brand as an on-trend, cool and crazy pizza company. Heading the campaign is internet celebrity Bhuvan Bam. Commercials for the campaign see Bhuvan Bam getting frenzied at the thought of eating a pizza, accompanied by a catchy jingle. Bhuvan then dances his way to a Pizza Hut to full fill his wish. The jingle ‘Pizza Hut Javenge 99 Mein Khavenge’ repeats the brand’s name and mentions the hard to resist offers while staying catchy and memorable.  

[youthblogs]

A Look at Sajan Raj Kurup’s Award-winning Advertisements

Creativeland Asia (CLA) is one of India’s most awarded and recognized advertising agencies with several multinational clients. They serve brands like Audi, Hippo, Cinthol, Frooti, and Godrej just to name a few. Founder and Creative Chairman, Sajan Raj Kurup believes in creativity above all else. His goal is to provide his clients with a creative and innovative platform on which they can build a lasting and proactive relationship with their customers. CLA’s activities involve advertising, brand management, film production, digital media, and even brand incubation. Since founding CLA in 2007, Sajan Raj Kurup has consistently pushed out great campaigns for their clients, winning them countless awards along the way. Here is a look at some of the Advertising campaigns CLA produced and the awards they won.  

Hippo - Plan-T  

Campaign Digital Media Awards 2011 - Gold in Best Loyalty Campaign, Gold in Media Innovation, and Gold in Best Social Media Strategy

Cannes 2011 - Best use of Technology winner

Goafest 2011 - Best Creative use of Social Media winner

In 2010, the wheat-based baked chips brand Hippo was launched in India. With a successful launch in a market populated with fried chips, Hippo managed to break through the norm and establish its presence. However, the newly found brand found it hard to keep up with its competition as the nascent sales and distribution system found it challenging to keep track of stock. The 400,000 stores across India were slow to resupply their stock and the brand’s reputation was in peril. To solve this problem, CLA proposed an Ad campaign called ‘Plant-T’. Plan-T asked Hippo’s followers on Twitter to tweet whenever they couldn’t find the snack in their local stores. The move proved to be successful as tweets flooded in across 50 cities, which were then collected and analyzed to relay the information to the respective distributors. With this information, Hippo managed to resupply their stores within hours of a tweet, and overall sales were increased by 76%.

Audi - A8L 3D Campaign  

Spike ASIA 2011 - Grand Prix in the Best Media Category

Goafest 2012 - Grand Prix award, a Gold, and a Silver award

Campaign Digital Media Awards 2011 - Gold in the Automotive category, Silver in Online Advertising, and Silver in Best Integrated category

Effie 2011 - Bronze in Consumer Durables category

For Audi’s launch of the A8L, a luxury and premium sedan, CLA went 3D. The A8 is a premium sedan and looks to promote comfortable and luxury features. It’s an “experience”, Audi says, and to visualize this experience CLA opted to use CGI to great effect in their ad. CLA designed a 90-second video ad, which starts with a man standing in an empty space, he takes a deep, relaxing breath before he is flung into the air. As the man slowly floats in mid-air, the CGI elements start. The luxurious A8 starts to slowly assemble around the man as a seat catches him. He looks around at every mesmerizing detail, the door handles, ac vents, seat covers, all assemble around him as he enjoys the experience. The assembled car then gains weight while in the air and drops to the ground as the suspension system bears the force. The man then breathes out and the film ends with the tagline ‘The Advanced State of Mind’.

Frooti - The Magic of Frooti

Asia Pacific Advertising Festival (ADFEST) 2014 - Bronze in Film Craft Lotus (Directing), Gold in Film Craft Lotus (Original Music Score)

Goafest 2011 - Silver in Film (Food and Beverages), Integrated Bronze (Food and Beverages)

In 2013 Frooti grabbed Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan for their upcoming ad campaign. The campaign named ‘The Magic of Frooti’ aimed to mesmerize their viewers with the fresh and juicy mangoes of Frooti. So CLA crafted a TVC featuring Shahrukh drinking Frooti as onlookers are irresistibly mesmerized. The ad starts just after a football practice game and sees Shahrukh guzzling down a bottle of Frooti. We then cut to a group of little kids desiring the mango drink. The kids drool uncontrollably at the thought of drinking a Frooti as Shahrukh finishes the whole bottle by himself, he looks back at the group, who we find out are actually adults staring at him with child-like innocence. Shahrukh’s “What?” finally breaks their spell and they get back to what they were doing before. The ad ends with two actual kids laughing at the group from a distance as they see the whole thing unravel. The entire shot is held together by the ever enchanting score and jingle of  Frooti.  

[youthblogs]

Sajan Raj Kurup’s history with Award Shows

Awards are a token of recognition. They are a badge of excellence that recognizes an individual or a brand’s contribution to their work. They act as symbols of excellence in a certain field that motivate and appreciate a person’s work. Awards help individuals gain the recognition they deserve as this could lead to further opportunities, they also motivate individuals to strive for better results creating competition and camaraderie. Awards exist in all sorts of fields to honor excellence, and the advertising field is no different. Advertising festivals like Goafest, APAC advert festival, and Spikes ASIA hold yearly festivals to award the latest and greatest talent in the industry. One of India’s most recognized and awarded advertising agencies is Creativeland Asia (CLA).  

CLA was founded in 2007 by Adman Sajan Raj Kurup. Founder and Creative Chairman, Kurup is a firm believer in the power of creativity. Over the past 14 years, CLA alongside Kurup has driven and nurtured many famous multinational brands such as McDonald’s, Toyota, Appy Fizz, Frooti, Cinthol, Hippo, and Godrej to name a few. CLA has also gained a great number of awards through the years. They’ve been a frequent contender for the top spot at the Goafest for several years in a row, gaining multiple silver awards for their campaigns for Frooti and Hippo. Their complete redesign for both these brands was highly recognized by the community and secured them several awards. The Hippo ‘Plan T’ campaign also won them two Grand Prix at the FAB awards in 2012. Their ad campaign for the Audi A8 L that presented a 3D model of the Audi A8 being assembled around a man, won them two Grand Prix at Spike Asia and GoaFest in 2011 and 2012 respectively. The Audi campaign named ‘The Advanced State of Mind’ was also accompanied by what CLA claimed to be India‘s first 3D microsite, where users can further explore the intricate detail within the vehicle. In 2011 CLA was also awarded the ‘Independent Agency of the year Award’ alongside a ‘Bronze Spkie’ in digital marketing. They were recognized as the best advertising agencies that amassed the most points across all categories that year. Apart from these, the agency has been finalists at many festivals such as D&Ad, Cannes Lions International, Spikes Asia, Asia Pacific Adfest, and Abbys. Sajan Raj Kurup himself has been a frequent Jury member at the aforementioned international festivals. He has been recognized as one of the most enterprising entrepreneurs in the business of creativity.

Although Kurup and CLA have enjoyed many awards recognizing their talents over the years, in 2013 Kurup made a personal decision to opt-out of judging the Goafest awards. Kurup believes in authentic recognition creativity and found that brands were ‘faking’ their success just to achieve a gold medal. With many controversies surrounding the categories of awards that year, Kurup decided not to attend in an attempt to stand up against the scam culture plaguing the industry, calling it an “award hunger strike”. Sajan Raj Kurup says, “Awards are nice. I have nothing against awards, but I think the credibility of an award is very important.” He believes that the status of winning makes recognition a mandate for many people. It makes people think that the award is a measure of success and not winning one means you failed to make an impact. This affects people’s creativity especially young talent in the industry and creates a “generation of hollow creative people” Kurup quotes.      

[youthblogs]

Sajan Raj Kurup’s 14-year journey at Creativland Asia

Creativeland Asia (CLA) is an Indian advertising agency. But its Founder and Creative Chairman, Sajan Raj Kurup would rather call it a creative agency. Since CLA’s inception in 2007, Kurup has aimed to provide a platform for creative people to come up with design solutions for their clients. The company’s activities range from advertising, brand management, design, film production, digital media, and event management. It is often considered as one of India’s top advertising agencies with several multinational clients like Audi, Cafe Coffee Day, Godrej, Kalpataru, Mercedes, The Indian Express, Taj, Pizza Hut, and  Parle Agro just to name a few. With over a decade’s worth of experience and an inspirational story, CLA has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Here is a recap of the ups and downs, CLA has gone through over the years.

In 2007, after working as a Creative Director for several ad agencies, Sajan Raj Kurup decided to start his own venture. Creativeland Asia was born at a dining table in Kurup’s living room alongside four other people. Kurup believed in creativity over everything else. He was a non-compromising dreamer who wasn’t afraid to break the norms of this industry, norms like pitch fees. Kurup states that CLA never participates in free pitches as they are only interested if the agency has paid a fee for the effort. “If we win the pitch, the fee gets adjusted against our remuneration. And if for any reason we don't win the business, the pitch fee comes to us as a rejection fee and compensates us for the time spent.” Kurup quotes. As they’ve grown and expanded, CLA has moved from advertising to film production, design, digital media, and even brand incubation. Kurup didn’t want CLA to be focused on one task and rather be a “creative culture”.

CLA has served many iconic brands over the years but notable among them is Parle Agro. Parle Agro is an Indian beverage brand and CLA handled the creative mandate for their brands Frooti, Appy Fizz, Hippo, Bailey, and Cafe Cuba. Running several famous ad campaigns for all their products, CLA clocked in about 18-19% of their revenue from Parle alone. A massive decision for Kurup then to end their partnership in 2015.  Parle Agro’s chief marketing officer Nadia Chauhan is in fact married to Sajan Kurup. Both husband and wife state that the split was a mutual decision to separate their personal life from their professional one and Kurup was quoted saying “Sometimes you have to make tough decisions and put personal life above business.”

Losing Parle Agro surely was a big hit for the company but it didn’t keep Kurup down and over the years CLA bagged brands like Audi, Mercedes, Pizza Hut, and Kalpataru. Kurup doesn’t think that Parle defined his career, rather a stepping stone for the company. “I didn't start Creativeland to become a force to reckon with or to become the largest or the biggest. Be it creating a flier for Café Coffee Day or a poster for Medimix to creating an integrated campaign for Audi, all of them, have marked a turning point in CLA's growth trajectory.”

In 2017, a decade after starting CLA, Kurup launched Ventureland Asia. Ventureland is an investment firm that funds, partners, and guides the marketing efforts of budding entrepreneurs and businesses. Backed by the experience at Creativeland of branding and design, Ventureland aims to provide a platform for entrepreneurs to achieve success. "The kind of segments Ventureland Asia will be looking to invest in would be infrastructure, lifestyle, retail for marquee and design-tech driven concepts, innovation for bridge rounds. But both will be B2C-focused. We may take the majority in marquee fund but obviously not in bridge”

Creativeland Asia also has a student arm, youngcreative.org. It offers guidance and motivation to up-and-coming talent in the industry alongside scholarships and promotion for their work. Kurup believes it’s more than a responsibility to share experiences and knowledge with the people trying to get their foot in the door.  

From a starry-eyed hot-blooded upstart creative enthusiast to a wide-eyed optimist, Sajan Raj Kurup has brought CLA from his dining table to set up in three different cities, with over a decade of learning to take into the future, Kurup and CLA are ready to springboard into a world of new possibilities.  

[youthblogs]

Sajan Raj Kurup’s life story will surely inspire you

Founder and Creative Chairman of Creativeland Asia, Sajan Raj Kurup is one of the most discussed and elusive creative heads in the industry. With well over 200 employees and 14 years of experience, Creativeland Asia’s clientele comprises names like Mercedes, Kalpataru, Micromax, Cinthol, Dominos, and several brands from Godrej. 

Kurup’s dedication and uncompromising nature have brought the company many multinational and high-profile clients, but the agency wasn’t always on top of the world. His underdog story will surely be an inspiration to you. In March of 2007, Sajan Kurup started the company in his dining room with no more than 4 people. Their goal was simple, to provide brands with design solutions to build energetic and driven relationships with their customers.  

Humble beginnings it was for Kurup and his team, and the road had a tough trudge. Despite industry pressure and trends, Kurup has always stuck to his beliefs of creative design over everything else. Even avoiding labeling themselves as an ‘advertising’ agency and preferring to call themselves a ‘creative’ agency. This belief, Kurup says, has been there since his childhood. Growing up with his father who worked in the National Institute of Design (NID) Sajan Raj Kurup was exposed to a life of creativity and design from a very young age. The campus provided him with knowledge about aesthetics, design, and innovation. And although he never studied there, he says the NID campus played a huge part in helping him grow up in the way that he did. He also claims that while at NID he has attended more pre-diploma projects than the average design student. 

For Sajan Kurup, the entrepreneur bug had grown at a very early age, in an interview with UTV, Kurup tells a story about how he convinced a newspaper delivery boy to let him help deliver newspapers to earn enough money just to buy some samosas. In the same interview, he let us into his personal life. He also claims that he worked as a bartender at a friend’s place when he was just 16 years old. In his own words, Kurup has come from a “starry-eyed hot-blooded upstart creative enthusiast to a wide-eyed optimist”. From a creative enthusiast during his time at NID to a creative investor, launching and investing in several innovatively driven projects, Sajan Raj Kurup seems to be at top of his game for his entire life. He started his now multinational company as small as one can and built it brick by brick, his motivational non-compromising attitude and sheer will have allowed him to launch himself to be one of the most sought-after creative heads in the industry today. 

[youthblogs]

Sajan Raj Kurup: The Life story of the Indian creative genius

Sajan Raj Kurup is an Indian entrepreneur and businessman. He is the Founder and Creative Chairman of the Advertising Agency, Creativeland Asia (CLA). Kurup and his team at CLA aim to provide their clients with creative and innovative marketing solutions. It is now one of the most sought-after advertising agencies in India.

Sajan Raj Kurup has made many strides in the creative industry since CLA’s inception. Kurup has garnered and provided services for several multinational brands such as Godrej, Audi, Mercedes Benz, Frooti, Appy Fizz, and Taj just to name a few. His success has been ever-expanding, but like all things in life, his journey in the industry started small.

Sajan Raj Kurup attended Xavier’s college and graduated with an honors degree in Mathematical Economics and later dropped out of business school to opt for a career in creativity. Kurup’s interests in creativity and design bloomed at a very early age in the campuses of the National Institute of Design (NID). Kurup grew up with his father who worked for NID and stayed on the campus. Kurup never studied at the campus but staying in a community of design and creativity, molded him to be the person he is today. The campus provided him with knowledge and insights about aesthetics, design, and innovation. All of these qualities allowed him to shape his career in creativity.

He started his career in 1996 and worked as a Senior Copywriter at the DDB Mudra Group before moving onto work as a Creative Director at Leo Burnett, Lowe Lintas, and Grey Worldwide. In 2007 Kurup finally made the decision of starting his own company. With four of his colleagues from Grey Worldwide, Kurup started Creativeland Asia from his living room dining table. A huge risk at the time, Creativeland Asia strived to be a platform for creativity and innovation. Their goal was to provide their clients with solutions that create strong and proactive relations between the brand and the users. Starting off as just an advertising agency, CLA’s activities now range from branding, design, licensing to film production, digital media, and event management.

Kurup’s huge success in the industry stems from the uncompromising beliefs and the lifestyle he follows for creativity. His personal life beliefs in creative thinking come from his love for history, religion, and the study of ancient cultures. He loves to study the psychologies of the human mind to better understand people’s thinking about his products. He practices Bach flower therapy and counsels people with psychosomatic disorders. He is a very spiritual person and loves to spend his time practicing yoga, chantings, and meditation.

[youthblogs]

The Next Generation of the Advertising Landscape by Sajan Raj Kurup

The advertising industry is a constant flux. Whether it’s the changing perception of the consumers or the changing mediums, advertisers have had to constantly adapt. Just this last decade as social media has taken over our lives, digital marketing came to the forefront as the decisive medium for advertising. The internet has brought methods of communication we didn’t think possible 10 years ago, data collection and management allow advertisers to understand their customers better, and has fundamentally altered the relationship between an advertiser and their consumers. Shifts in the industry are no surprise as brands try to stay on the cutting edge of the future of advertising. There is no guarantee of how the next decade or even the next five years of the industry will shape up but following trends in the market can give us an idea of what the trajectory of advertising will be.  

The biggest change we have been seeing and we will be seeing in the future is the domination of digital over traditional media. Traditional marketers like Print, Television, and Radio are losing their foothold in the market fast and trying to cope up with the emerging digital standard. Success in advertising is now being achieved on the latest consumer trends in social media, like the rise of influencers, brand sponsorship, video advertising, and content marketing. Companies like BBC, a company that grew and became iconic through traditional media, is quickly changing their focus to digital mediums through podcasts, OTT platforms, and web content.

This change in medium has come through a natural shift in the younger generation trends. Younger generations like Millenniums and Generation Z are attracted more towards visual mediums. Where the older generation preferred their information through print or Television, the ‘digital natives’ seek info exclusively through social media. Mobile phones, tablet, laptops and similarly easy to use technology has now become the norm. We are not only finding products on our mobile phones but making purchases using them. The emphasis on mobile advertising and integrating products into our daily content can offer significant returns and will likely continue in the future. Integrating products into our daily consumption of content will become the norm as we start to personalize ads as per the viewer.  

Personalization of ads is another trend we are seeing now that is very likely to expand into the future. Personalized ads that seamlessly and consistently integrate into the customer experience while not disrupting that experience just might be the future. We are now at a point of data sharing that advertisers can make intentional and relevant targeting of their audience based on the dynamic content they consume.

As the marketing world changes, like many other industries, advertising will also become increasingly automated. The use of algorithms and data analysis to determine ad performance and monetary value will allow companies to provide better, and more importantly the right content to their audience. Tech companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are slowly getting into the marketing landscape and providing platforms for both brand owners and consumers to better understand each other. Tech companies are integrating into the advertising market and they are here to stay. As Adman Sajan Raj Kurup says “it is inevitable”. His Advertising agency Creativeland Asia seems to be prepared for tech companies forward integrating into the creative landscape.  

We have seen the landscape of marketing drastically change over the past decade and with our current fast-paced technological progress, we can only speculate and guess where this landscape might go in the coming decade. But following trends and staying current would help us determine the right business practices to follow.

[youthblogs]

Sajan Raj Kurup’s Empowering Brand Redesign

In marketing, the consumer base is divided into segments. Segments that help brands to sell their products to different pockets of people seamlessly. One segment of the market which is often overlooked and underdeveloped is Women. This might be surprising because women make up almost 50% of the market. Companies often consider women in a homogenous group with predictable behaviors, but that is far from the truth. It is important to think of women as individual buyers. Women make the major decision in a household, they influence at least 80% of all household spending's. So it is of course profitable for companies to focus their efforts towards a female-centric audience. Above all else, what female consumers really want is to build a relationship with the brands they use. Companies should gather intelligence and personalization tools to target female consumers with specific messages to help build these relationships. Women often do extensive research before buying a product, so by promoting added value, such as after-sale services, companies can help women buy the right products. It is also crucial for brands to avoid stereotypes when it comes to women and promotes positive ideas instead of negative ones.  

Faith Popcorn, one of America’s consumer trend experts, in an interview quoted “Companies think they're marketing to women - but they're not. They really don't realize that women have a separate language and a separate way of being.” It is important for companies to realize how to market their products specifically to the women sector of the market, without being stereotypical and patronizing while empowering Women and building a healthy relationship with their customers.

One such company is the sanitary napkin brand ‘She Comfort’ by Emami. The Emami Group is a Home-grown FMCG that acquired the sanitary napkin brand ‘She’ in 2014 from Mumbai-based Royal Hygiene Care. The brand under Emami has been silent since then. Although the brand had its presence in selective pockets, it could never reach a broader scale of people especially when the female hygiene segment is dominated by companies like Procter & Gamble, Hindustan Unilever, and Johnson &Johnson. It even gathered rumors of Emami selling the product in 2018. The brand needed a dire refresh, and the task fell into the hands of Creativeland Asia (CLA). CLA is an Indian multinational advertising agency that took on the task of relaunching ‘She Comfort’ with creative ads. Apart from integrating marketing communications, CLA will be creatively redesigning and revamping the brand including its packaging design to empower and elevate the brand. It is to be seen how CLA brings the product back to life with their 14 years of industry experience. For now, the product page on CLA’s website just reads “Emami's She is an innovative sanitary napkin brand that has a new story to tell. As a brand that truly understands women and their discomforts, She has a warm new message for them.

[youthblogs]

Sajan Raj Kurup Acquires Rolling Stone India and Man’s World Magazine

Ventureland Asia, the Mumbai-based Investment advisory firm has recently announced its acquisition of the controlling stake in MW.Com India Pvt Ltd (MIPL), The publisher of magazines like Rolling Stone India and Man’s World (MW).  

Ventureland Asia’s Founder Sajan Raj Kurup announced on the 6th of September 2021 the acquisition of MIPL, which was previously owned by the publishing company Spenta Multimedia. Kurup, in a statement, said that Ventureland Asia plans to use its strong presence in areas of marketing, brand building, visual communication, and new-age technology to chart an omnichannel digital-oriented growth strategy for Rolling Stone India and MW.

MIPL is a Mumbai-based publishing company that was started in the year 1999. The company’s first magazine Man’s World was launched in February 2002 as India’s first men’s luxury lifestyle magazine. MIPL’s other major publication is Rolling Stone India, the Indian edition of the world-renowned Rolling Stone Magazine. Rolling Stone is often appraised as the world’s best-known music and pop culture magazine for youngsters.  

Sajan Raj Kurup and Ventureland Asia have been busy in 2021 as they expand their business in India. Earlier this year, the firm bought a 40% stake in the gaming organization Revenant Esports. They also launched an e-commerce based end-to-end organic food market venture named Saintfarm. Kurup’s Ventureland Asia firm has been known to invest in small startups to fund, partner, and guide their marketing efforts.

Before Ventureland, Kurup launched Creativeland Asia (CLA) in 2007. CLA is a multinational advertising agency promoting creative content through advertising, film production, branding, and licensing. His experience in the creative field has alluded him to invest in media, e-commerce, education, healthcare, Agritech, and esports – with technology innovations as the common investing theme.

Sajan raj kurup investment in MIPL, Kurup has entered the pop culture market. He believes that at this moment in time, media as a whole is undergoing a massive change, with increased interest in pop culture. “If you look at the history of the pandemics, right after the Spanish Flu, there was a boom in pop culture,” Kurup said “This is also the time when the society, as a whole, resets its cultural tone. There is also a reset happening in the content space, with people looking beyond Bollywood for popular content.” He added.  

Sajan Raj Kurup, Creator-Investor and Founder, Ventureland Asia, the investment arm of Creativeland Asia, I have closely witnessed transformation in media consumption, media buying and media marketing. Rolling Stone India and Man’s World enjoy high levels of credibility and loyalty among its target audience. Piggybacking on that, we will bring in advanced tech interventions, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to better understand the reader and transform the hardcopy publishing to an omnichannel digital-first magazine.”

He believes that the content we consume is moving over to OTT platforms and going beyond Bollywood and Televised content. He says there is also an emergence of esports and gaming, so, the whole entertainment industry is in an interesting space of reinvention.

Kurup explains that his focus for these publications will solely be on the digital wing as “...the print numbers are not as high as they used to be...We’ve all been living in our caves for the last 18 months and our cellphones have become the window to our world. Now is the right time to bring the legacy of print to handheld devices.” Kurup said.  

[youthblogs]

Five reasons why Advertising is an Amazing Career for Women

Advertising is a field of the business unlike any other. It is one of the chief divisions of any industry that ensures a brand’s relevance in the corporate setting. It is an exponentially expanding field with constant opportunities for success, especially for women. The key element for success in advertising is communication, and women are often considered to be better communicators in a social environment. If you are a woman and are unsure if you want to start your career in advertising, then here are five enticing reasons to consider that leap.

An In-demand Profession: The advertising industry is unique when it comes to its functioning as it is an integral part of any industry that sells products and services. It is an essential wheel that ensures the presence of a brand in the public’s eyes. The importance that advertising holds in the market has made it a very alluring career option. With such a fast-growing economy, advertising jobs for women are continually increasing as companies are always looking to grow their presence in online and offline spaces. Whatever form of advertising career you may choose, whether it be digital, e-commerce, or multichannel, you will be entering a flexible industry with diverse career opportunities.

Diverse Career Choice: The advertising industry offers a very unique blend of opportunities as a career. It is perhaps rare to find other industries with such a wide-ranging group of individuals under a single roof. You could work for client servicing and represent the agency to your clients to act as a sort of bridge between the two. Or you could work for Media Planning to plan, schedule, book, and purchase space for print or digital media. If you are a creatively driven individual, you could work as a copywriter whose job is to send across a message through words for press ads, dialogues, blog posts, or articles. If your interests lie in art and visual content, join the art department to craft visually appealing ads through graphic design. If you have a background in mathematics and statistics, you could become a market researcher and provide the media planners and creatives with the mathematical data to measure the effectiveness of an ad campaign. The possibilities for a career in advertising are plenty and diverse.

Creative and Collaborative Environment: As you select the right career path, you will be introduced to several like-minded and creative individuals. If you are a creative individual, you will love bouncing ideas off of your peers to achieve a common goal. Creativity is a key to success when it comes to brainstorming around peers. Women are often considered more creatively driven than men and if you can communicate your ideas effectively with your team, then you are set to be successful in this environment.  

Work-Life Balance: A job in Advertising comes with many benefits and for many women, the flexible work environment allowing them to pursue their regular lifestyle is reason enough to consider a job in advertising. As the majority of the work can be done on an online platform, it allows women to enjoy a flexible work schedule. A work schedule that can be on your terms allows you to maintain time for your family, avoid burnouts and stay creatively motivated, or even pursue an education. In many cases, an advertising job places more emphasis on deadlines rather than time worked.

Opportunity to head your own business: Women today are making their mark felt in almost every field and advertising is no different. To start your own business in advertising is a huge risk. What works is determined by the right combination of relevance for the customer. With the right inspiration and guidance, you too can take the leap of faith to start your own venture. One such inspiring figure in the industry is Sajan Raj Kurup, who at the age of 30 started his own advertising firm from his dining table with 4 people. Surely it is a tough task but if you are willing and motivated nothing is impossible.

If you are a woman with great communication skills you will be a great fit in the advertising market. Advertising is about communicating ideas to your audience and peers. Whatever your interests and career options might be, if you have a creative flair and good communication skills you will surely gain a satisfying career in advertising.