By Minakshi Achan
Co-Founder, Salt Brand Solutions
Have you ever got that sticky feeling of your body being glued to something while your mind is seeking an escape? That stickiness comes from honey.
It just doesn’t let go of you. The more you try to wash it off, the stickier it gets. It holds you back, tempting you with its sweetness, and everything that it offers you. It’s very difficult to walk out of. It’s not called a honey trap for nothing. The safety net of it is a big square little rut with very high walls that doesn’t let you climb over so easily.
It doesn’t recognise risk or dare. It just covers you with the most comfortable blanket of goodies that you blindly nestle up to. Until you forcefully, aggressively find the escape button and eject yourself out of it. That’s the personal insight into starting our own venture.
Professionally, one didn’t join advertising to spend more time with the airline folks. More time was being spent flying between meetings in various cities than in the process of creation. The real joy is when you are involved totally, completely, holistically in the creation process. It is not about literally being a client in your own agency nodding an approving ‘Yes’ or a disapproving ‘No’, moments before the work has to be presented to a client. It was physically not possible to keep up to promises and commitments made to a client of being fully involved in their brands. A large agency with its large portfolio requires you to travel all the time and that didn’t give me enough time to spend (quality and quantity) time on the ground, closer to the action. One simply chose a few big clients to prioritise.
The view from Salt is exciting, new and inspirational. It is the chance to bring the fun back. The exhilaration of cracking ideas, setting a pure creative culture where talent and merit is the only currency. That’s why Salt is a place where none of us have fancy designations. We are all creators here. Mash and I are also limiting our client list so we can manage the work, the brands and the relationships honestly and personally. It is a big change from the role of a CCO in a large agency. But then risk is good.
