Imagination, Technology & Simplicity Buttress Start Design Group's Success

An agency that believes in navigating the complexities of the modern marketing landscape through its design prowess, The Start Design Group’s strongest pillar rests on creating meaningful change, along with leveraging technology to improve people’s lives. The agency has been delivering brand transformation across three core areas, brand, digital and experience for over 28 years, where its expertise is reflected in the success stories of brands such as Virgin, Barclays, Adidas, P&G, Sephora, Essar, and Dyson.

With David Blair, CEO and co-chairman, at the helm, the agency has recently expanded its team by adding Tarun Rai as the other co-chairman, tasked with introducing Start Design Group to the Indian and South Asian markets. With over three decades of experience in the advertising and media industry, Rai is an accomplished leader, having built some of India’s strongest brands and sharing a rapport with clients that spans decades. 

In an exclusive conversation with Blair and Rai, they explain how design is central to consumer journeys, its impact as a communication tool, focussing on high-quality work and the agency’s future plans.

Tarun Rai, Co-chairman, Start Design Group, UK 

-Many congratulations, Mr Rai, on the new role. What was your motivation behind taking this up?

Two reasons- I have always wanted to work with people I like and respect, and in an industry I am passionate about. David has been a friend since the time he and his family came to Mumbai way back in 2006. I saw from close quarters (he started Fitch in JWT Mumbai’s office that I was heading during those years) how successfully he built Fitch in India. I was exposed to the quality of their work and we even did some projects together. No wonder he moved to head Fitch EMEA on the back of the India success and then went on the be its Global CEO. All through, we stayed in touch and met up whenever I was in London.

Second, design as an industry, has always been close to my heart. Even when I moved to media, my favourite publications in our roster were the design and architecture ones. So when David asked me to join Start Design Group, it was a no-brainer.

-Your overall experience spans more than three decades. How do you plan to leverage your past learnings, industry connections and market understanding to expand Start Design Group's client base in India and South Asia?

Design has become increasingly important for brands. Design can be used throughout the entire consumer journey. A journey that has become much more complex. Consumers are experiencing brands through many interfaces and consumer experience design, in itself, is a hugely important area. I love the quote from Saul Bass, “Design is thinking made visual”. 

In today’s attention-scarce world, good Design can act as a shorthand for communicating with consumers. I have worked with some of the most powerful brands in India and South Asia and I do believe that Start Design Group can contribute to making them stronger. My job, as I see it, is to introduce Start Design Group to India and do some high-quality work. I believe SDG’s 4-D approach to Design is thorough and meticulous.  Besides, they always have senior-level teams working on projects and that is very refreshing.

-How do look at interweaving innovation, technology and creativity in one fabric to deliver brand transformation?

Right from the get-go I was very impressed with Start Design Group’s philosophy. It is based on imagination, technology, and simplicity. And that’s the challenge for brands today. Technology is a tool, a tool that enhances creativity, not replace it. And in the increasingly complex world the ability to keep things simple in crucially important. Start Design Group does this exceptionally well. The case studies on their site are great examples.

-What is your opinion on the Indian talent (creative, data and analytics, emerging tech) creating ideas that are making an impact in the global markets?

 There’s no dearth of talent in India. I just feel it has become rather fragmented. Harnessing the right talent for a brand is, therefore, challenging. Here again, I love Start Design Group's approach of working with the best talent for any design assignment, wherever in the world the talent may be. We call it having ‘unlimited talent on tap’.

-Creative and technological excellence is the cornerstone of successful advertising campaigns that capture hearts, minds, and market share. How is talent, as a growth agent, pushing the Indian marketing and advertising industry to increase its power, presence and profits?

In advertising, I am of the firm opinion that the industry is not paying enough for talent. And good talent has many more opportunities today than a couple of decades ago. As a result of both the above, our industry is losing out on top talent. Clients see this and are, today, happy to work with people outside their agency’s network. We need a serious re-think of the network agency model. Reduce overheads and reward talent.

David Blair, CEO and Co-chairman, Start Design Group, UK

-How are brands adapting their approach to branding and design to keep pace with changing consumers?

Successful businesses are continually evolving their approach to branding and design to resonate with changing customer behaviours and preferences. Whether this is brands focusing on customer centricity as personalisation becomes ever more important in the digital and social age, or becoming more transparent as customers seek out more authentic brands. 

One area that particularly interests me is the use of user-generated content (UGC), which is customer-centric by definition, facilitates transparency, and drives authenticity.

All of these things require a digital-first approach that most successful consumer brands now have. And it is technology that helps our consultants at Start Design Group to be more agile in the modern world; testing and learning before fully launching a new brand or brand experience.

Another key area that brands are adapting to at a fast rate is sustainability. This is about doing, not just talking, as brands increasingly need to prove their green credentials. That is why we set up Start Green, our not-for-profit initiative to support emerging businesses in the circular economy. Start Green also keeps us ahead of innovations in sustainability, which in turn benefits our Start Design clients, all of whom have their own green agendas.

-How has the agency's experience been with the Indian and South Asian markets until now? How will Rai's appointment auger the future goals of SDG?

Start Design Group is relatively new to the South Asian market, although we have done projects in India previously, including a large rebranding project for Essar a few years ago. However, the team and I have previous experience of working in India. I lived and worked in India for six years, setting up WPP agency Fitch in Mumbai and Delhi, and working with a host of household names like Tata, Reliance, Aditya Birla, Infosys, Godrej, Bajaj and Asian Paints among many others.

Tarun's vast experience of the South Asian market as Chairman and CEO of JWT, obviously brings with it a wealth of local and global expertise, as well as strong client relationships. As such having Tarun on board enormously enhances our mission to combine the best international talent with exceptional local knowledge to create world-class brands and brand experiences.

-On a slightly broader note, how does the Start Design Group approach the balance between maintaining a brand’s heritage and innovating for the future in its branding strategies?

 Before we begin on the brand strategy that leads to the design of the brand identity and brand experience, we embark on a thorough evaluation of the context within which the brand currently sits. This includes understanding the brand from the customer's perspective. In other words, what the brand means to the customer, both the good and the bad. This, along with other research, forms our view of how to position the brand going forward. In some cases, this means an entirely new brand, and in others an evolution, but we never unnecessarily 'throw the baby out with the bathwater'. Where positive brand equity, or heritage, exists it should be nurtured and enhanced.

-With the increasing importance of different kinds of touchpoints for brands, how does Start Design Group ensure that brand experiences are cohesive across all platforms?

At Start Design Group, we believe that great design is about having the imagination to improve people's lives, the ability to harness the right technology, and the discipline to make it simple. When those three elements - imagination, technology, and simplicity - come together we create brands and experiences that are consistent across multiple touchpoints and allow the right level of flexibility so that the brand can broaden and deepen its appeal across different platforms, geographies, age groups, and so on.

-How is your agency navigating the complexities of the modern marketing landscape and driving growth and success in the digital age?

 We have a very comprehensive digital design offer that includes strategy, UX and UI, website and app development, social media, motion graphics, and sonic branding. However, the digital landscape is forever changing and we are constantly exploring ways to use new and exciting opportunities as they emerge, for example, AR, VR, and, of course, AI. 

Furthermore, at Start Design Group we have an initiative called Start Up, a quasi-VC initiative to partner tech start-ups as they develop their propositions and bring them to market. As well as working with them on their branding and design requirements, we use our wealth of business knowledge to support them in other areas, like general management, business development, and finance. Similar to Start Green, this means that we have a front-row seat on emerging technologies. This keeps us fresh and up-to-date with new tech, which in turn adds value for our Start Design clients.

-Can you share the Start Design Group’s client wishlist—the big fish it is eyeing?

We'd love to work with all the large Indian conglomerates. I worked with them when I lived in India, some of which I mentioned earlier, as well as those I've not worked for before!