Exclusive | Passion drives our work: Happy's Kartik Iyer

Defying the norms and starting an idea shop instead of an advertising agency is definitely not a cakewalk. But Kartik Iyer and Praveen Das took up the challenge and pulled it off when they started Happy Creative Services in 2007. Happy Creative Services that was launched in Bengaluru, recently commenced its operations in Mumbai. The idea shop founded by the duo is credited with the launch of Diesel in India and has also worked with brands such as Lee, Myntra.com, Basics Life, and Flipkart.com.

 

Adgully caught up with Kartik Iyer, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Happy Creative Services as he talks about his brainchild and the uniqueness of the whole venture.

 

Shedding insight into the concept of an idea shop, Kartik Iyer said, “Being an idea shop is more a state of mind than anything structural in an agency. It’s about being conscious at all times to make sure our ideas drive results for our clients. The concept of an Idea shop also brings to light that we go beyond advertising; be it hardcore design services or concept building. In a way, we nurture ideas.”

 

Kartik further reveals that a lot of brainstorming and ideating went into the creation of Happy. Talking about the start- up process; he said, “Praveen (Chief Creative Officer and Co-founder of Happy Creative Services) and I discussed every possibility and eventuality of how Happy would operate.  When we started out, we had neither investments nor clients. But once the word was out, it has been a fruitful journey. We work on a simple principle- Make the work attract the next customer.”

 

The basic ideal that was adhered to while launching the idea shop was the creation of an atmosphere that celebrated good ideas and great minds. Kartik says that money was never the driving force for them; but passion definitely is and will always be the sole priority. Apart from this, high standard of output has been the key concern for Happy Creative Services.

 

Happy Creative Services has stayed true to the vision of being an ideas centric company and that is one of its biggest achievements, says Kartik. He adds that Happy Creative Services is being considered by many brands today irrespective of their size, based on the quality of work that the idea shop has delivered in the past and that is what provides constant encouragement.

 

Happy has also managed to launch and build brands consistently. Kartik Iyer believes that a unified approach and a flat structure are some of the differentiating factors of their work style.

 

Like every journey has its challenges, Happy Creative Services has had its share of challenges too. Recalling some of them, Kartik said, “There have been many. Firstly, doing business in India itself is a challenge. The simplest of things are the toughest to get done. Some of the initial challenges that we encountered as a start up were the quintessential loop in business - attracting the right talent, managing growth and collections.”

 

One of the recent achievements of Happy Creative Services has been the launch of its Mumbai operations. Kartik Iyer, who co-founded the idea shop exclaimed that they want to create a brand for themselves in the communications business also asserting that Happy has a long way to go and many milestones to conquer. | By Aditi Popat [aditi(at)adgully.com]