How do you sell a brand, or a product, to a public whose life has been upended by a pandemic without seeming callous and uncaring, and inviting the type of backlash witnessed towards the recent gender reveal ‘publicity stunt’ at the Burj Khalifa?

These were among the questions Arabian Business put to Kalpesh Patankar, chief creative officer (COO), VMLY&R, MENA ahead of the upcoming Lynx Live digital event by Dubai Lynx.

“Many elements of human behaviour are going to change permanently and so will creativity,” said Patankar.

One side-effect of Covid-19 is that it made people more humane, said Patankar, explaining that creatives now need to be sensitive to that when designing advertisements like never before.

How has the global pandemic impacted creativity in the region?

The global pandemic has forced a rethink and has changed consumer behaviour. Clients have cut marketing and advertising budgets; in response, advertising spend has come down drastically.

The way we work has changed, the hours we work and the work we create has all been directly impacted. We have adapted to deliver more work within tighter timelines and smaller budgets. Digital consumption has also increased - use of social platforms and streaming services have risen almost everywhere; gaming as well.

So, the ideas we are executing, the channels we are using, and how we execute campaigns has also changed. As creatives we could no longer meet up to brainstorm together and this did affect us initially.

We also had to face challenges in finding the right balance in our messaging while being sensitive to the situation in the world at large. Many elements of human behaviour are going to change permanently and so will creativity.

How has the pandemic affected your role as the CCO? What challenges are you facing?

The pandemic has affected everyone. Because to be honest and blunt, the pandemic doesn’t care about your designation. We are all facing the same challenges.

Personally, finding the right balance when it comes to managing long work hours, client expectations and keeping people in the organisation positive has been a tough task. It all comes down to finding a healthy balance.

There's been a comment on how it is sort of irrelevant to talk about brands when millions are dying, how do you communicate without being tone deaf?

The pandemic has made all of us become more humane. Togetherness, courage and optimism are being highlighted in most of the communication today.

Advertisers of all sizes are rethinking the type of work they are producing. The pandemic has created a unique situation globally. People feel trapped, it has affected their income and that in turn has affected how they live.

All of our clients are well aware of this reality and our briefs are mandatorily checked to remain sensitive of the situation. From the beginning, all of our clients have been doing everything they can to ensure safety and social distancing.

However, with the lifting of the lockdown, brand communication is slowly shifting to business as usual. But every step of the way, we are in touch with what’s happening in the real world and our work reflects that.

What is your outlook on the future of creativity in the region?

I have a positive outlook for our region. We have been continuously growing and improving over the years and I see that as a lasting trend.

What advice would you give to young creatives?

Resist Vanilla. Dear young creatives, please remember the most important thing is ‘your work’. This is what I tell my creative teams: "only the work matters".

It may sound obvious but, if you think about it, it is a great guiding principle. We have plenty of distractions, plenty of inspirations, plenty of ways to execute, create and tell stories, plus there are many different mediums to communicate.

But at the end of the day your legacy is only your work. So, love it, craft it, elevate it and make it matter.

*Lynx Live is a three-day free and online event organized by Dubai Lynx bringing together MENA’s creative community for debates, conversations and interviews on creativity. It takes place from October 5 to 7.