I want to see to it that no creative people in advertising agencies are underpaid: Anoorupa Bose

Optimist, an Estonia-based creative agency has set foot in India, with an office in Kolkata. Anoorupa Bose, its founder and creative director in India, aims to reimagine a scenario where foreigners look forward to joining an Indian agency, instead of the other way round. 

 

Bose launches the agency after having worked with L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy and DDB Mudra. She then moved to Estonia, where she joined Optimist as creative director. During her tenure in the country, she worked on a campaign which not only won a Lion at Cannes but helped abolish an Estonian law, that allowed the legal age of sexual consent in the country to be 14 years. 

 

We caught up with Bose, to know more about Optimist India and the game plan ahead. 

 

Edited excerpts: 

 

Tell us a little about Optimist India. How is it associated with the Estonian agency?

 

This is a new company that I started in partnership with my company in Estonia. The reason we retained the name Optimist, is simply because there can be no better word to describe who we are and what we want to do. I only see Indians wanting to leave India. I want to reimagine a scenario where foreigners are coming to the Indian agencies to do great work. So, I tied up with these lovely guys who are also very good friends to start Optimist India. We want creative people from across the world to mingle.

 

What are the kind of issues you want to highlight through the campaigns you do for your Indian clients? 

 

My dream business model would be to earn good money for doing great work and then take part of that money to do pro bono work for social issues. We want to help entrepreneurs who can’t afford a marketing team but can have a social impact. Regarding social issues, I want to use creative and advertising skills to create a country which caters to homeless children, abandoned senior citizens and animals, among others. On the other hand, I also want to see to it that no creative people in advertising agencies are underpaid. 

 

How many members are part of the team? 

 

We are a small agile team, with core members. Whenever we get a project, we tie up with whoever we feel is best for it, in any part of the world. Currently, we have partnered with a graphic designer from Berlin for working on the visual identity of an Indian brand. Similarly, we have the most awarded web designers from Tokyo working on our new site - www.optimistcreativeindia.com. I spoke to them only through Google translate, since we didn’t have a common language.

 

Which markets is Optimist present in? 

 

We have three offices. One at Tallinn in Estonia, the other at Berlin in Germany and now in Kolkata. 

 

How will Optimist be different compared to the other names in the Indian creative industry that you've worked with?

 

Primarily three things. Quality, quality and quality. I am never going to compromise on the quality of work. I have seen even the best agencies churn out rubbish for some of the biggest brands. 

 

I am also going to respect the personal lives of my creative team. They sign out at 6 pm and we do not call them on weekends. If there is a live campaign for which they work even an hour extra or on a Saturday, they get paid or compensated for the same. I don’t want to create another sweatshop disguised as an ad agency. I want to bring in diversity. When you come to Optimist India, you get to work with the most talented people from across the world.