We speak to one of the winners of the Education in 2020 competition, Surabhi Popli aka Genxvirus...

What do you do?
I have completed B.Tech in Computer Science and am currently pursuing a PGDM (MBA) from IMT, Ghaziabad.

What's intrigued you about advertising?
I don't work in the advertising industry, but I have a real interest in creative industries. I was attracted to advertising when I started designing logos and posters for various events organised by clubs and committees in IMT, Ghaziabad. I am a right-brain dominant person, so I keep participating in such contests to give an outlet to my creativity.

How did you hear about BrandPotion?
I got to know about it through one of the MICANVAS events organised in collaboration with BrandPotion. Since then, I have been an active member of your creative community.

Name some ads that have inspired you to get creative.
Indian advertisements have a larger and more diverse audience than any other country. Keeping up with the humour and cultural sentiments, Indian commercials give great insights into the average Indian's life. They take the cake for being both creative and intelligent. The following is my list of creative Indian advertisements of recent times:

Happydent White: Happydent Whitening Gum has been promoted in India as the source of dazzling smiles.
Amul: The Amul billboards featuring the Utterly Butterly girl, is clearly the longest running, most impressive and most successful Indian promotional campaign. The billboards usually feature the cute mascot in a spoof of current affairs with Amul Butter in her hand.
Naukri.com: The Naukri.com ad always makes me smile. The ad of Hari Sadu is hilarious and very creative.
Camlin: The Camlin Marker Vermillion ad entertained me a lot from the first time I saw it to every now and then when I use it in lectures and training to drive home the point why ads should be simple, precise and direct.

How does it feel to have won a prize on BrandPotion?
I feel so good about winning a prize. It's awesome to win again. What a wonderful feeling to win prizes three times in a row! I am surely going to celebrate this hat-trick victory with my family and friends.

Tell us about the thought process behind your winning entry.
Designing an ad is not an easy job---especially print ads. Because in TV ads you can get a chance to describe your product in different ways and with different images, but in print ads you have to convey your message using a few words and a single image. What I think is technology will continue to reshape the state of education in 2020. So that was the thought: how technology has, had and will continue to have a significant impact on education.

What software do you use to create your ads?
I use the three Ps for the print ad: Photoshop, PowerPoint and Paintbrush. And I mainly use Movie Maker for the video ads.

Which has been your favourite brief to work on-in terms of which was the most fun, and the most interesting?
Each and every brief had its own unique challenges and required different ways of thinking. Every brief that I had worked on is close to my heart as all my entries have been honoured by BrandPotion.

What changes would you like to see on BrandPotion?
Honestly, I think BrandPotion is doing an awesome job. But it would be great if BrandPotion could conduct competitions on designing brand elements. BrandPotion can also conduct theme-based photography competitions.