e4m Video Story:  At Cannes, Indian talent is right in the center of the global mix: Shubhranshu Singh

Shubhranshu Singh, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles, has been appointed to the inaugural Board of Directors of the Effie LIONS Foundation—a non-profit organization based in New York, formed to empower the next generation of marketing talent globally, with a specific emphasis on underrepresented communities.

The foundation, established in the wake of Informa plc’s acquisition of Effie Worldwide and Cannes Lions, brings together influential leaders from the world of advertising, branding, media, and academia. The board includes figures such as Traci Alford, CEO of Effie Worldwide; Philip Thomas, Chairman of Cannes Lions and Chief Creative Officer at Informa; Dr. Frederica Covington-Corbett, Chief Marketing Officer for UNICEF; Lara Balazs, Global CMO for Adobe; Jay Goodman, who chairs the board; and Alison Womack, CEO, among others.

In an exclusive interview with Exchange4Media, Singh expressed his happiness about the appointment. “Well, I am delighted obviously. It's a great privilege,” he said. He also explained the significance of the foundation and the context behind its formation. “There is a context to this. As most people would know, the Effies worldwide organization organized the Effie at a federated level leading up to the global Effies. And that was recognized to be the highest platform for marketing effectiveness. And then there is the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which happens every year in Cannes, which is the highest platform for creative excellence.”

He further explained, “Now with Informa's acquisition of Essential, Cannes Lion and now Effies has become part of one organization. So to preserve the not-for-profit character of what was Effies to begin with, they have in fact doubled up the effort and the two have come together to form this not-for-profit foundation, which is registered in New York, called the Effie Lions Foundation. And this is the inaugural board.”

Singh is the only board member from Asia-Pacific and the developing world. “I happen to be the only person from the developing and emerging world. I am the only person from Asia Pacific and I am a regional representative. The board has a tenure for three years. So in this period, I think I will be able to do much, contribute much,” he said.

With over 21 years of experience in marketing and more than 800 published articles, Singh has been a visible thought leader in the industry. “I've been very conscious about sharing whatever learning I have. And in the process, I've been speaking at places, I've written extensively across publications. And in the last many years, my count now in terms of articles totals more than 800. I use LinkedIn as a platform to share my learning as well, where I'm a top influencer. So I think it is a recognition of all of these things,” he noted.

Singh believes this appointment offers a great opportunity for the Indian and South Asian creative marketing community. “Most importantly, because I think India and South Asia, in particular in Asia Pacific in general, that talent, I will be able to help bring them up to a global platform,” he said.

When asked how it feels to represent India and South Asia on such a significant platform like Cannes Lions, Singh acknowledged India’s strong creative heritage. “At Cannes, there has been a very continuous presence of Indian talent. It is definitely right in the center of the global mix. Indians have a very deep cultural tradition of content. We have the global best of the best agencies in the Indian ecosystem. We also have the advantage of leapfrogging to the digital age,” he said.

He further pointed out the impact of India’s mobile-first content culture, noting, “Then never forget the power of the sheer weight of numbers from India. There are, whether you take the Google ecosystem or you take the Meta ecosystem, or now ChatGPT, it's interesting to know that the largest number of individual subscribers are actually from India. So what's happening is there is a big churn that's happening.”

Speaking about his expectations from the Cannes Lions Festival, Singh said, “The board is expected to meet at minimum twice. I am expected to serve on at least two committees. One meeting is every year scheduled to be at Cannes during the Lions festival because everybody is expected to be there. And the other one will alternate between London and New York.”

He underscored the broader purpose of marketing and brand communication. “Branding is not only about commerciality. Of course, advertising is a commercial art. But the big challenge is that the world faces today. Polarization, gender inequality, loss of species, global warming, the need for sustainability, consumption with a soul, purpose with an edge. All of these things, the way people get to understand them well, the way corporations talk to each other, the way corporations talk to the consumers as a collective is through advertising.”

Talking about how India’s creative voice fits into global conversations, Singh emphasized that India is already seen as a creative powerhouse, but needs to stay ahead of the curve. “I think there are three or four things where we need to run ahead of the change, not with the change or behind the change. The first is the centrality of the mobile phone. Today, everything is cloud capital. Everything is on a lit screen. It needs to basically pivot around the content that can entice, schedule, convince on a mobile phone.”

He also stressed the importance of technology. “People have a nodding acknowledgement of MarTech, AdTech. I think it needs to go much deeper into every corporate system. And the third, of course, is artificial intelligence in the sense of large language models. But also the magic that things like stable diffusion, ChatGPT, Canva, etc., can do, powering people's creativity.”

According to Singh, while the tools of marketing may evolve rapidly, the core of storytelling must remain intact. “But it should not mean diminishing creativity and reducing storytelling. There is an explosion also in terms of short form video content, which naturally then has to be serialized. It has to build an arc in terms of the narrative. And these are powerful forces at work with hundreds of billions of dollars of commercial interest,” he said.

When asked if India has an edge globally, Singh responded, “I am convinced that, you know, India has a pivotal role in the emergence of digital content in the future because Indians have a much deeper interest with content per se. You know, when we grow up, we expect our grandmothers to tell us stories. Those stories had existed in our civilization for thousands of years.”

He reflected on the unique richness of Indian content, saying, “A glass of milk is not a glass of milk. In India, a glass of milk is loaded with cultural symbolism. It is nutrition. It represents motherhood. There are a hundred attributes around everything.”

When asked about ensuring representation of unique Indian and South Asian voices at the Foundation, Singh said, “I feel the backward linkages will have to be with institutions, with advertising institutions, with educational institutions. That's a pivotal role... storytelling is universally the same. So I think these adaptations, these adjustments, this upskilling will have to be done institutionally with academia, with practitioners, with industry, with brand owners.”

Looking at the long-term vision, Singh said, “I think the emergence of much greater share of voice from across the world, bringing those who are technically underrepresented into the mainstream and making the mainstream more resonant with voices from across the world. I think that's the powerful agenda that they've set for themselves.”

When asked what advice he would give to young Indian marketers aspiring to win at Cannes, Singh leaned on a timeless motto. “So my advice to them would lean on Nike's tagline, which is just do it. You have to be bold, you have to be experimental. Do not think that only your work, your job defines you. There is a much larger world. It's like jumping into a swimming pool. If you dip your toes, it will always seem colder than it is. Once you jump in, you are comfortable in no time. So I think be bold, be experimental, push the boundaries and believe in yourself.”

He concluded with his aspiration for the year ahead: “At this year's Cannes Lions, I hope to begin a new chapter in my life, join the board of the Effie LIONS Foundation and do great work for this ecosystem which has nurtured me all my working life.”