DDB Mudra’s Sonal Dabral shares how taking chances, self-discipline, and the importance of being obssessed by craft can reward you creatively.
MANILA – Advertising creative Sonal Dabral once had a damn good idea about how to shoot a commercial for an anti-acne product. But when he was told it would have to go through research, he knew it didn’t stand a chance of passing that round of scrutiny. While he put it aside and worked on something feasible or easily-approved by the client, the original concept kept begging to be made. So he took a gamble by volunteering himself as the director, roping in free talent during a casting call, and cajoling a production house into loaning him some crew for the day—and shot the concept the way he wanted it done. He later presented it to the client just before presenting the “other” concept—and the client immediately saw that Sonal had the humor and advertising chops to understand the teenaged market that would buy the product—and the original concept was approved.
A former primetime TV host and erstwhile Bollywood scriptwriter, Dabral isn’t above charming an audience with musical numbers making them laugh as his animated eyebrows and shoulders punctuate his fluid hand movements mimicking card-dealing. After all, advertising, blackjack and single malts are his big three passions—and there are lessons from the three that creatives can remember well to apply in their own lives or careers.
On February 2, 2016, Sonal Dabral will be in Manila to speak at the Mind Museum on “Advertising, Blackjack, and Single Malts” –and how these passions taught him the lessons he needed to stay ahead in the game—an engaging, entertaining and enlightening experience that should be experienced by anyone who works creatively. He will first look at how culture is important in developing advertising communication that truly connects and move people. He will then present a very interesting view on blackjack, his favorite casino game, which for Sonal requires immense skill, knowledge and self-discipline above all. Drawing from his experience of playing the game in casinos across the world (where going by his latest score he is still beating the casinos) he will show how using the right strategy and game plan can work to your advantage.
The importance of obsession with craft in everyday advertising work is inspiration from Sonal’s third passion: single malts, which require an obsession with craft and taste when making them. There is passion for perfection involved in every stage of the process—just like advertising.
A workshop will give participants a chance to put all the learnings of the day to first hand practice by working in groups on a specific brief.
Sonal Dabral was born in India and studied Visual Communications at India’s foremost design school, the National Institute of Design. Since joining the world of advertising, he has led his agencies to the No.1 creative position in three different markets across Asia. He has collaborated with advertising legends like Piyush Pandey, and has won countless awards for his work. After successfully heading several agencies abroad, he returned to India in 2011 as the Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of DDB Mudra Group based out of Mumbai.
Sonal loves teaching whenever time permits, and is a visiting faculty at leading institutions in India and overseas. A popular speaker, Sonal has spoken at major festivals like Spikes Asia, Dubai Lynx, Cristal Advertising Festival, Turkey, LIA, besides numerous engagements across Asia. His future plans include being a filmmaker on weekdays and a pro blackjack player on weekends–while sipping his favorite single malts.
For more details, or inquiries into group discounts or early-bird rates, and to sign up for the adobo Maincourse on “Advertising, Blackjack and Single Malts”, please contact Joche Guerrero at (02) 845-0218 or events@adobomagazine.com.
