Pro Hello: David Vaz
David Vaz is a 35-year-old creative who, for some reason, also has an MBA. After 12 years in advertising spread across Lowe, Ogilvy and now DDB, he’s realised it’s both the best and worst decision of his life, depending on the day.
Along the way, he’s led award-winning campaigns for brands like McDonald’s and Volkswagen, while maintaining a side hustle as a voice actor. When David isn’t in the office, he can be found dodging dangerous attacks from enemies in the gaming world, and marriage questions from friends in the real world.
David speaks to LBB’s head of Pro User accounts, Hannah Baines, about the campaigns that have inspired him along the way, working with Stephen Fry, and the importance of having a good boss.
LBB> What do you do, and where are you based?
David> I’m a creative director at DDB Mudra in Mumbai, India. I creatively sell people products they don’t need, for corporates who don’t care about them. It’s been 12 years, so I guess I’m doing something right.
LBB> What recent campaigns might we know you from, and what was your input on these campaigns?
David> The '#SafeLikeAVolkswagen' campaign, or the '#MealsMakeFamilies' campaign for McDonald's, both conceptualised and scripted by me. Or perhaps ‘A Silent Frown’, a project with the Charlie Chaplin foundation, written by me, but conceptualised and illustrated by my extremely talented art partner, Manish Darji.
LBB> How did you first get into the industry, and how did you realise what you wanted to do?
David> I’d always loved advertising, but it was only during my final year of MBA back in 2011 that I was daft enough to consider making a career out of it. It wasn’t a decision that was particularly popular back home with the folks, but I was determined to give it a go. I couldn’t bear another minute of deciphering marketing regression models.
LBB> Tell us about your journey so far.
David> I’m fortunate enough to have always had good bosses - ones that have given me the space and freedom I’ve needed to grow into the creative I am today. Along the way, I learned that as much as I love longform storytelling, it’s equally rewarding and challenging to crack fun, shorter format creativity, focusing on minimalism and simplicity.
LBB> What projects / campaigns that you’ve been involved in have been the most personally satisfying to work on, and why?
David> The most satisfying projects have been the ones where my clients were willing to not only push the envelope, but also place their unequivocal trust in my creative vision.
LBB> What’s been your proudest achievement?
David> Six years ago, with no money to offer, I somehow got Stephen Fry to record a radio campaign for me. It made me realise that literally anything is possible if you’re desperate enough.
LBB> What do people (clients, agencies etc) come to you for specifically?
David> Quick and unexpected creative solutions.
LBB> What are your strongest opinions relating to your specific field?
David> Unpopular opinion, but…creative awards. In their present avatar, I find them an awful barometer of brand success and an utter waste of the industry’s time and money. It sickens me to see that winning awards is in fact part of a creative’s annual KPI and a currency for career advancement, simply because medals are every agency’s phallic fix. Self-pats on the back built on luck and stars from multiple galaxies aligning. It isn’t enough to come up with a fresh, brilliant idea. You need your client to buy wholeheartedly into it, the budget to execute and craft it to an ‘award-winning’ level - and a well-packaged and cosmeticised case study, while hoping there’ll be no jury politicking.
I’ve seen the most average ideas win at Cannes, whilst other ‘brilliant’ winners happen to be smart, repackaged copies of yesteryear's shortlisted entries. Grand Prix awards have been given to palpably scam ideas, and Golds to others that have had zero (or even negative) impact on business / sales. If only agencies bothered to remunerate their talent with half of what they splurge on award show entries and delegates, perhaps advertising would not only experience lower attrition, but also be a viable career option for the next generation.
I say all this, after having tasted Lions, Pencils, Spikes and other awards 'success' myself...
I say all this, after having tasted Lions, Pencils, Spikes and other awards 'success' myself...
LBB> What sort of projects really get you excited at the moment?
David> Any project that will produce some memorable work. However, if I am to choose my favourite medium, it would be film.
LBB> Who are your creative heroes, and why?
David> Oof, that’s a toughie. There’s probably 20 to 30 of them - plenty who featured in ‘The Copy Book’, and plenty who didn’t. Each inspired me differently on how to tackle communication challenges. All time hero? Bill Bernbach. Modern inspiration? Damon Stapleton.
LBB> Outside of the day job, what fuels your creativity?
David> That would be gaming, singing, working out and voice acting. And, if I’m feeling particularly adventurous, content like an old video of me cross-dressing as Halle Berry for a DIESEL competition. Don’t go looking for it. It’ll traumatise you...
