YoungGuns, a new initiative by Storyboard18, is all about celebrating new ideas, bright talent, fearless creativity and an exciting future.
It’s the age of Augmented Intelligence, where tech-powered human creativity drives brands and businesses. But at the heart of the great tech wave is a new generation of talent paving the way to the future.
To propel the industry forward, it’s critical to recognize, celebrate, encourage and support these young, brave and bold brand makers.
Storyboard18’s YoungGuns is a celebration of that talent – future-ready young professionals in advertising and marketing who are driving businesses and brands forward and bringing glory to India globally.
Their work has helped brands and businesses grow and given India greater creative and business clout the world over. We honour, recognise and celebrate these pathbreaking, promising young individuals through YoungGuns initiative, a flagship programme kick-started by Storyboard18.
The YoungGuns evening on August 24 will witness industry leaders and legends raising a toast to the talent and the future.
There will be special addresses by Raja Rajamannar, global chief marketing and communication officer and president – Healthcare Business, Mastercard and President of World Federation of Advertisers; Prasoon Joshi, Chairman McCann WorldGroup Asia and CEO & CCO McCann Worldgroup India; and Piyush Pandey, Chairman Global Creative and Executive Chairman India, Ogilvy. They will be joined by business and brand leaders across companies such as Mondelez, Microsoft, Diageo, TCS, Britannia, Godrej Group, Hindustan Unilever, Federal Bank, Mindshare, GroupM, Havas, IPG Mediabrands, Lodestar UM, ITC, Bobble AI, Publicis Groupe, Asian Paints, Edelweiss, Tata Motors, Parle and Adobe, among others.
With the spotlight on the young talent, the evening also aims to bring out forward-thinking ideas that leave a mark in this brave, new tech-fuelled world.
Here the industry’s leading lights share their views on the inaugural edition of Storyboard18’s YoungGuns, giving us a peek into how they see the future of creativity.
Leaders speak on the YoungGuns initiative
Nitin Saini, vice president – Marketing , Mondelez India congratulates Storyboard18 for spearheading the YoungGuns initiative and says, “YoungGuns celebrates the next generation of creativity. It is truly inspiring to witness the fresh ideas and innovative thinking that young talent brings to the table. It provides a fantastic platform for these budding creative minds to showcase their brilliance and shape the future of the ad and marketing industry.”
He adds, “Looking ahead, I believe the future of creativity and ad industry is destined to further evolve and integrate with technology. By fostering an environment of constant innovation, we can create campaigns that resonate deeply with audiences. I can’t wait to witness the incredible ideas and campaigns these YoungGuns will bring to life.”
Fearlessness, playfulness, and free-spiritedness
Addressing the YoungGuns event, Arun Iyer, founder and creative capital of Spring Marketing Capital, said, “YoungGuns is a fabulous initiative. A very clear signal of how the future is shaping up in any industry is directly proportionate with how excited the young folks in the industry are. This is a great encouragement for all the young folks in the business of communication and marketing. Younger folks bring fearlessness, playfulness, and free-spiritedness into the business. These are very critical traits as they help propel a business forward.”
Collision of the young and not-so-young guns
Josy Paul, chairman and chief creative officer, BBDO India, addresses Storyboard18’s YoungGuns and states that it is an intravenous injection of fresh blood, new energy, and a different point of view.
“YoungGuns as a concept is super exciting because it represents the new big bang. It’s the birth of new stars; it’s the result of the collision of the young and not-so-young guns. All new creation is born of such collision,” he says, adding “It is an intravenous injection of fresh blood, new energy, and a different point of view.”
Addressing the future of creativity and the advertising industry, Paul says, “The future of creativity lies in tapping into the immense power of community, and conversation.”
Amplifying creativity backed with technology
Aditi Mishra, chief executive officer, Lodestar UM finds YoungGuns to be an exciting programme because it is showcasing the potential within the industry today. According to her, the industry must celebrate talent and future shapers of the industry of tomorrow, felicitating them and understanding what they have brought to business.
She also highlights the future of creativity and industry: “The future is going to come with the dynamic interplay of what technology can enable creativity to deliver. With better understanding of consumer journeys, there will be more immersive experiences and more personalised options opening up.”
Vaishali Verma, chief executive officer, Initiative India says, “YoungGuns is a great platform for lot of next generation people. It really inspires our next generation to enhance their creativity. It also amplifies creativity backed with technology enabled solutions and the younger folks get showcased on a global platform. This generation is looking for opportunities where they could voice and showcase their creativity.”
Read More: YoungGuns: India is going through a phase of creative confidence, says Diageo’s Amitabh Pande