5 Minutes with… Nicole Ferraz

ECD at Blink Digital, Nicole Ferraz believes the best ads don’t sell you things, they crash your group chats. Her talent for impactful ideas has seen her win a huge string of awards and recognition as one of India’s most disruptive minds in the 'Advertising' category at Agency Reporter’s 40 under 40.

Prior to Blink, Nicole honed her skills at agencies like Leo Burnett, Razorfish India and Pinstorm, moving from copywriting to creative directing where she has found her true calling.

In this interview with LBB’s Sunna Coleman, Nicole reveals the toughest part about her role, India’s biggest creative challenge, and the project that holds a special place in her heart.

LBB> You’ve had a long and impressive career in advertising but, looking back, when did you realise that it was an industry you wanted to work in?

Nicole> I’ve always loved telling stories. Growing up, I thought I’d be an author or journalist – advertising started as a backup plan. Once I discovered copywriting, I realised it was much more me. I don’t have the patience for projects that take months, but digital gave me these fast, high-energy windows to create something fun.

Being challenged like that – and actually enjoying it – is when I knew this was the right industry for me.

LBB> In the early days of your career, were there any projects that particularly helped develop and fine-tune your creative eye?

Nicole> One project that really shaped me was ‘Sit Improper’ for Whisper India, during my time at Leo Burnett. It was one of those rare moments where everything clicked – the strategy team, my bosses, the client, the director, the production crew.

Having all the right people around me not only sharpened my creative eye but also made me fall in love with the process. It still holds a very special place in my heart.

LBB> You’ve spent your whole career in India. What are your thoughts on the state of Indian advertising as a whole?

Nicole> Indian advertising right now is electric. Digital isn’t just another channel, it’s the stage where everything else is performing. We’re in a mobile-first, creator-first era where people remix, meme, and shape culture in real-time.

If agencies are just ‘advertising’, they’re already late to the party. The job now is to create ideas so flexible and fun they can live anywhere and grow beyond the ad they started as.

The challenge and the thrill come from India itself. Audiences are incredibly diverse, and a campaign that works in Bombay might need a different flavour in Chennai. We can’t rely on surface trends alone. We have to dig into real human truths and create work that connects across regions.

When we do that, we don’t just make ads, we create moments that earn their place in culture.

LBB> How would you describe your approach to creativity, and to leadership more generally?

Nicole> My approach to creativity is all about curiosity and connection. I love understanding people, noticing what makes them laugh, worry, or feel seen. I talk to strangers, listen to their stories, explore books, music, and hobbies I wouldn’t normally pick, anything that opens a window into a new perspective.

Over time, I see the common threads in human nature, and those threads spark ideas that feel personal, relatable, and resonate on a bigger scale. Creativity for me is not about being clever in isolation, it is about translating life, emotion, and culture into work that matters.

This curiosity also shapes how I lead. I create a space where my team feels supported, hyped, and free to experiment. I want them to own their ideas, push them further, and surprise us all.

When everyone’s energy and perspective collide, the best work happens. At the end of the day, it is about making work we can all be proud of and having fun while doing it.

LBB> What’s the toughest part about being an ECD? What’s the most rewarding?

Nicole> The toughest part of being an ECD at an indie agency is award season. Bigger networks can enter dozens of pieces, while we have to be far more selective.

Every entry has to earn its place, and it’s on me to guide the team and make sure our few bets truly stand out.

The best part? Winning anyway. There’s something extra satisfying about taking that risk, watching the team shine, and seeing our work earn its spot on the global stage. That feeling is unbeatable.

LBB> Which campaigns from your portfolio are you most proud of / are most memorable for you and why?

Nicole> Right now my proudest moments are our team's Amazon Prime ‘Incognito Photobomber’ and KFC ‘Lunch Stans’wins at The Work.

‘Incognito Photobomber’ is memorable because it turned a paparazzi shot of Disha Patani’s 'tattoo' into a viral guessing game.

KFC’s ‘Lunch Stans’ stands out because it went against the norm – in India’s hustle culture of 'working lunches', we actually rewarded those who flexed a lunch where they paused, ate, and enjoyed themselves.

And then there’s our ‘12th Red Devil’ campaign with Manchester United x ICICI Bank that went viral and even organically made it onto Men in Blazers with John Oliver a few years ago.

LBB> Where do you go to find inspiration outside of advertising, and how do you infuse this inspiration into your work?

Nicole> Like I said earlier, curiosity and connection drive everything for me. I find inspiration in conversations with strangers, in noticing the small human moments that reveal bigger truths, and in the books, music, or hobbies friends and family recommend, even when they are nothing like me.

I do not need to love what they love, but being open to it helps me see the world through their eyes.

That same curiosity about connection shaped our Absolut ‘#UnitedByTheBeat’ campaign at Sunburn. Music is one of those rare universals, something everyone feels and connects through.

We used AI to capture those fleeting festival moments and remix them into surreal, shareable art. It showed how tech and creativity can amplify the very human need to feel connected.

LBB> In your opinion, what are the main challenges that the industry is facing at the moment, and how can it work to tackle them?

Nicole> The challenge and the thrill come from India itself. Delhi might stan it, Panjim might cancel it. The real work is digging into human truths that cut across regions.

At the same time, audiences are living screen-first lives, not TV-first ones. Digital is where culture is being shaped in real-time, while mainline often feels like it is catching up.

The challenge for agencies is to stop thinking of digital as 'the add-on' and start treating it as the stage everything else plays on. And the goal isn’t ads people like. It is ideas that live rent-free in their heads, whether they remix it, meme it, or argue about it.

LBB> Looking ahead, what are your biggest hopes for the industry for Blink Digital, and for the kind of work you’d like to create in the future?

Nicole> For Blink Digital, I’d love for us to keep being the indie shop that punches above its weight – proving that curiosity, agility, and bold ideas can stand toe-to-toe with the biggest networks.

That’s how our founders, Dooj Ramchandani and Rikki Agarwal, started this and that’s how I’d love to see us continue.

For me personally, I want to keep making work that feels alive in the world – the kind people remix, debate, or even roast because it struck a nerve.

If it’s sparking energy, then it’s worth it. That’s the kind of future I want to build with my team: playful, meaningful, and a bit unignorable.