Creative Minds: Kartik Smetacek loves the simplicity of a twisted headline

Name: Kartik Smetacek

Place of origin: Mumbai, India

Places lived and worked: Mumbai, India

Pronouns: He/him

CV:

• L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, Mumbai, 2014 – present
• ideas@work, Mumbai, 2013 – 2014
• Draft FCB, Mumbai, 2010 – 2013
• Publicis Ambience, Mumbai, 2008 – 2010
• Contract Advertising, Mumbai, 2006 – 2008
• Rediffusion DYR, Mumbai, 2000 – 2006

1. How did you end up being a creative?

Like most of my ilk, by pure chance. In college, I was serious about journalism as a career, but my best friend’s sister (an actual journalist) opined that since we fancied ourselves wits and were always making watery jokes, maybe advertising was more our speed. That summer, I found myself interning at McCann Erickson in Delhi. The rest, as they say, is an advertising footnote.

2. What’s your favourite piece of work in your portfolio?

Every campaign has its own triumphs (and traumas), making it hard to pick a favourite. But for the sheer joy of the process, it would have to be the set of films we did for an e-commerce brand called Zepto a few years ago. We laughed all through the scripting, presenting, and shooting of the campaign. Luckily for us, it wasn’t a case of temporary insanity. The rest of the country and quite a few juries found them funny, too.

3. What’s your favourite piece of work created by someone else?

This changes every time I go through the Cannes Lions website. But considering the longevity and lasting impact of the idea, I would have to go with ‘You’re Not You When You’re Hungry’ for Snickers. To hit upon a fresh insight and then bring it alive so powerfully: it’s the stuff you dream of doing when you walk into work every morning.

4. What/who are your key creative influences?

What made me fall in love with advertising all those decades ago was the simplicity of what I call the 'twisted' headline. It was magical how a little turn of phrase could elicit such a strong response. And, to me, there was no greater master of the twisted headline than the legendary copywriter Tim Delaney. Even today, I can rattle off his lines for Timberland from memory.

5. What kind of student were you?

At the risk of sounding non-creative, I must admit I was a fairly good student, usually finishing somewhere near the top of my class. However, the one remark that peppered my report card over the years was ‘likes to take shortcuts’. I attribute a lot of my career success to this innate ability to find the easiest way of completing a task. Of course, today, it’s called being efficient.

6. What’s on your bucket list?

Like everybody else, my bucket list changes every time I scroll through Instagram. As of today, the Top 5 entries in reverse order would be: A safari in the Maasai Mara, trekking the Annapurna circuit, learning to scuba dive, whale watching in Alaska and, the perennial No. 1, waking up to an empty inbox.

7. What advice would you give to 10-year-old you, if you could?

The most important bit of advice would be to not fear failure quite so much. That it’s okay to try something and fall flat on your face. I’ve learnt that training yourself to accept risks can deliver success in just about every facet of life. Of course, the second and even more critical piece of advice would be, 'buy Nvidia stocks!'

8. What would you do on your perfect day?       

Watch Jon Jones versus Tom Aspinall, live at The Sphere, sitting cage-side with Joe Rogan. But since daydreams seldom come true, I’ll settle for taking my daughter to lunch at our favourite café and watching her scarf down French fries like she’s auditioning for Castaway 2.

9. Tell us about a charity or cause you think needs more attention?

One of the non-profit organisations I follow keenly is The Ocean Cleanup. Started by a Dutchman called Boyan Slat while still in his teens, its mission is to rid the Great Pacific Garbage Patch of plastic. In recent years, they have expanded to river cleanups as well, deploying trash interceptors across some of the most polluted rivers in the world. In this age of doomscrolling, seeing boatloads of garbage being pulled out of the water provides a much-needed dose of hope and optimism.

10. Early riser or night owl?

All those years in boarding school have wired me to be up and out of bed well before sunrise. That first hour in a quiet home is when the neurons fire to their maximum potential, and I find many problems seem to solve themselves. On the flipside, I start yawning by approximately 9 p.m., even—I have to admit—at my own wedding.

11. Extrovert or introvert?

I definitely fall into the introverted, soft-spoken and reserved personality type. That is, until my third drink when some kind of inner Robin Williams emerges.