Name: Abhijit Pradhan

Designation: Associate Vice President - Core Consulting

Sun Sign: Taurus, 10 May 1971

Educational Experience
Post Graduate - Marketing, Times School of Marketing - Delhi.

Professional Experience
10 years across marketing and advertising.

Contract Advertising - cumulative six years.

Others: Fosters India (Consumer Marketing), ABCL (Marketing), Sony Music India (National Promotions & Product management), TV ASIA USA (Marketing), Ammirati Puris Lintas (Advertising).

Job Profile
I'm the Associate Vice President and founding team member of Core Consulting, which is a marketing / customer consulting outfit started by Contract Advertising (a member of the WPP group).

Advertising as career choice
I got magnetically attracted towards advertising. It was a career which combined the "definable" (the rigour of brand management, customer insight gathering, market analysis) with the "indefinable" (the creative spark and the non-rational behaviour of consumers) - or simply put a challenge etched in stone for eternity!

Current Advertising scenario
It's going through a struggle (not for revenues - which it also is!) to find its true worth. Advertising is getting more and more marginalised as the pressure of "accountability" comes heavily on marketing and even heavier on advertising.

There is pressure on how much price we should pay for creativity. It's sad that we have reached a stage where there are two schools of thought - "Creativity" and "Effectiveness" and not the true meshing of both.

Right and wrong about current advertising scenario
"Living in our box" or the Ostrich Syndrome - we need to get out of advertising to do better advertising. We need to understand people from a holistic perspective and not just consumers. We need to start instilling trust in them - and not grimace at the sight of the next commercial.

What is right is the PASSION - very few industries I have seen possess such lethal doses of this wonder drug. All one needs is the direction for the passion.

Five years from now
That's a long time frame in today's day and age - but the same time passes so fast as well !

I have a vision where I see "marketing" changing to "Connecting" - and I truly mean connecting - physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Today marketing is trying to Get attention, Impress and Sell. Tomorrow it needs to Get Respect, Partner and Share - and have people buying into the company as opposed to just buying their products and services.

I see myself executing parts (or the whole) of this vision. The first journey has already begun with the formation of Core Consulting where we are attempting to bridge the gaps that communication is leaving behind.

Hobbies
Following music - focusing on a new genre, then exploring and discovering it as much as possible. Examples: The Blues, five years ago. Yesterday, it was Arabic Music!

Sun Sign
As bull-headed as one can be. I'm a Taurean born on 10 May, 1971.

Idea of enjoyment
My mind needs to be excited, thrilled, filled with a feeling that it's never felt before! Anything that delivers these results qualifies. In plain speak, it could be exploring new fields - a new sport, new land, a new musical genre, plotting to buy a new gadget or even a new car!

On a group front, I used to enjoy the bonding. Sadly since I have given up the elixir of life (alcohol), I am not "party" to such moments anymore!