R Balki, group chairman of MullenLowe Lintas Group, India, has decided to bid adieu to the world of advertising after completing three decades in the industry. The move was announced on Tuesday morning through an internal communication to the employees.
"There is no bigger happiness than to see a thought actually work the way you had fantasised. Lowe was a thought am proud of. Ok...next!” says Balki.
On a more serious note, he adds, ““We’ve been planning this for some time now. It’s been a long process of succession planning that concludes with my move. The agency is at its strongest today and I leave feeling satisfied, proud and excited. We have a fine leader in Joe and two world-class creative champions in Amer (Jaleel; Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Mullen Lintas) and Arun (Iyer; CCO, Lowe Lintas). The agency has given me more than 22 years’-worth in opportunities, growth, values and most of all, some friends-for-life,” says Balki.
After a brief stint with Mudra, Balki joined the MullenLowe Lintas Group, India, in 1994 (then known as Lintas) at its Bengaluru office. Some of the most memorable campaigns and brand ideas executed by Balki include the Walk when you talk’ (Idea), ‘Daag achhe hain’ (Surf Excel) and ‘Jaago re’ (Tata Tea). Under his leadership, the Group has consistently retained its spot amongst India’s top agencies and been a training ground for some of the best advertising minds of the industry.
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Goodbye dear Balki. You've spent the best part of your life in possibly the worst ad industry in the world. From imposing and proliferating bad English on the country, it has managed to promote and use the baser instincts of a lowly educated population. Every ad reflects the underbelly of Indian society. It has also been used as a stepping stone to Bollywood and direction at the cost of the Advertiser and greater cost to the consumer.
on Aug 10, 2016