Exclusive | The small idea of long copy ads: Ogilvy's Bodhisatwa Dasgupta

We live in a world where visual imageries have replaced words. A picture saying a thousand words has become the norm of the day.The advertising industry is experiencing a serious shortage of long and interesting copies  as advertisements today rely more on pictures to captivate the audiences. It is assumed that people no longer have the time or interest in reading long copies. In a scenario where long copies are dying, Bodhisatwa Dasgupta, Copy Controller at Ogilvy and Mather, in Gurgaon, Haryana is  trying to bring about a new outlook and rejuvenate the flavor of long copy ads.

 

In an exclusive conversation with Adgully, Bodhisatwa said that it all started off as a regular page on Facebook by the name of Put Headline Here where people were asked to put up headlines of their favourite advertisements.This later culminated into the recently concluded Longhand Competetion,a competition where people displayed  their longcopy ads and were judged on the creativity  of these ads. . “I love words. I love the power each  word has, love what it can do to people, to products, to emotions. Which is why I like the format of a ‘long copy ad’ a lot.” says Bodhisatwa Dasgupta about Longhand which he says is like his baby.Talking  about long-copy ads,he says that for him; a long copy ad is a beautiful way to pitch a product to a consumer. It romances him, flirts with him and teases him into reading it. He also laments the fact that hardly any writers nowadays actually write long copies. As a result, the craft of good writing is dying out.In his effort of reviving the craft again,Longhand was born. 

 

The only criteria for Longhand was that right from the entries being mailed across, to brand communication, to judging – the entire contest was a virtual one. 

Elaborating on the whole idea of Longhand, Bodhisatwa Dasgupta says what Longhand really aimed to do was to make people understand that there is talent out there [great talent at that!], that there are people who read out there and that sometimes a long copy ad can do brilliant justice to a product. 

 

Sharing his views on whether Longhand is an indicator of future trends in the advertising industry;he says that he has no idea whether  Longhand has been able to change people’s perceptions about long copy ads;but  many clients are extremely enthusiastic about the second round of Longhand and that is definitely good news.

 

Longhand was like this big virtual room filled with writers. There was so much exchange of ideas, opinions, learning. That for me, was the best thing that happened,” exclaims Bodhisatwa excitingly.Interactions with veterans in the field like Indra Sinha and Neil French were undoubtedly the best outcomes of Longhand.On being asked about the motivation which gave rise to Longhand ,Bodhisatwa Dasgupta asserts that he always wanted to do something more than advertising; something that would make a difference somewhere, something that would be talked about and Longhand fitted perfectly into the scheme of things.

 

“I think with workshops [for the writers as well as the clients]we can be a little more open minded about copy ads. Because the truth is, there will be time when a lovely picture will do the trick for the client. But there will also come a time when an ad has to gently persuade – and that is the time we’ll need to know how to write a nicely crafted copy advertisement,”explains Bodhisatwa about the integration of Longhand into the advertising industry.

On a concluding note,Bodhisatwa Dasgupta says,” My experience in advertising so far has been an intensely fun ride. I’ve learnt much from the people who’ve trained me, shown me the ropes. I’ve learnt how to nurture an idea like a baby, make it grow.”