5 Minutes with… Shruthi Subramaniam

With over 15 years of experience in advertising, BBDO India’s ECD Shruthi Subramaniam is an award-winning creative and the driving force behind some of India’s most successful campaigns from WhatsApp and Bumble to Neutrogena. Her work has been awarded at shows like ADFEST, Effie Awards, CLIO Awards, and Laadli Awards for Gender Sensitivity.

Through her career, she’s had the opportunity of working across categories on brands like Mercedes-Benz, Johnson & Johnson, Platinum Guild International, Raymond and Idea Cellular to name a few.

In this interview with LBB’s Sunna Coleman, Shruthi speaks on BBDO India’s “enriching and productive culture”, her love for brands with powerful purpose, and finding inspiration from forests, festivals and chai shops.

LBB> You have over 15 years of experience in advertising. What have been some of the biggest lessons you have learned in that time?

Shruthi> Patience is my first big lesson, especially if you’re a creative. I see a lot of young creatives entering the industry and expecting to crack the code right away. But creativity needs thought and time. We need to sit with our ideas, spend time with them, sleep with them. Don’t just stop at the first version – render it through different lenses. Let it breathe and take different shapes and forms. Creativity is a process that needs patience.

Unfortunately, patience seems to be dwindling these days. Whether a great idea or a great love, everyone wants to find it quickly.

Relationship building is my second big lesson. We forget that beyond departments and hierarchies are just plain people. People who want to be seen, heard and treated like partners. Before selling ideas, we need to work on building relationships. Which takes me back to my first big lesson: patience. Building relationships also needs patience.

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

Shruthi> Collaborative; at BBDO India, we believe in the power of the collective. There’s much to learn and gain from the coming together of thought and mind. Josy Paul, our mothership, has created this enriching and productive culture that we live by every single day. Through conversations and confessions, we unearth authentic stories and deep human insights. Nothing manufactured. Nothing staged. Just pure and honest sharing that lets everyone have a voice, and every idea have a stage.

LBB> You have been part of some of India’s most buzzworthy brand launches such as with WhatsApp and Bumble. Can you tell us about these projects and what made them a success?

Shruthi> These were, and always will be, some of my most memorable projects. Firstly, because they involved the coming together of the coolest people with the greatest minds.

And secondly, because of what these brands stand for. Bumble stands for women’s empowerment. WhatsApp stands for privacy. Both these brands have powerful purposes that inspired us to have deep and meaningful conversations within the agency. We had some of the most insightful brainstorming sessions. There was a different kind of energy in the room; everyone had something beautiful to share. That’s what I think made these projects a success — they came from a place of authenticity.

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

Shruthi> I go everywhere — from forests and festivals to art exhibits and local chai shops. I also took a conscious decision a few years ago to have non-advertising friends. Don’t get me wrong! Some of my best buddies are from the industry. But over a period of time, you realise that all your conversations revolve around advertising. I needed that to change. I needed new sources of inspiration, new conversations, new perspectives — and that comes from putting yourself within new spaces with new people. The infusion of this inspiration into your work happens organically. It’s all interconnected.

LBB> What are some current creative trends that you think have staying power? And which ones are a fad?

Shruthi> Undeniably AI. It’s a trend that’s not just here to stay but here to evolve with us. It’s already become a part of our creative process. Whether we like it or not, we need to adapt and make AI work for us.

A current trend that I think is a fad is the 5120 x 1080 aspect ratio on Instagram – it’s cinematic and stunning, but I’m not sure it would work for brands.

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?

Shruthi> Keeping up with trends! That seems like one of the main challenges. By the time we grapple with one new trend, another emerges. And the problem is, we want to be a part of all trends, without realising that some may not be right for a brand. In this constant game of keeping up, we’re losing out on deeper thinking and meaningful work. That’s what we need to tackle. There needs to be time, energy and thought put into building a brand. We need to focus on telling stories with purpose, rather than telling stories for the moment.

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

Shruthi> My biggest hope is that we all find unique ways to collaborate with AI. Currently, AI can feel like a mythical, unknown being whose superpowers work against us. But I hope this perspective changes. We need to start seeing how AI is pushing us to think differently – to think big. It’s bringing a renewed focus on human authenticity and individuality like never before, proving that nothing can compare to the human touch. Once we master AI (with a little patience), I’m certain we can touch lives in ways we haven’t imagined. The future feels exciting, and I can’t wait to create work that’s brave, bold and big!