harsh kapadia, executive creative director, vmlY&R New york

Deadline: December 31st 2020 at Midnight PST.

After globe trotting across four continents, Harsh is now the Executive Creative Director for VMLY&R New York. While he has been an ad guy for over ten years, he fell in love with it when he was 5 years old. According to his folks, mealtime, playtime or just about any time came to a standstill when the commercial breaks came on. He was transfixed. And has been since. With a career that’s spanned over four continents, the best agencies and the most exciting brands, Harsh continues to be smitten to this day. Maybe that’s what drives him so hard to keep on creating. He has been fortunate enough to have his work recognized at some of the biggest shows in the business. And lucky enough to build and lead teams of some of the most passionate people.

Harsh started out as an Art Director at JWT Mumbai before moving across the Indian Ocean to JWT Melbourne. He worked on brands such as Ford, Kraft, and the Government of Australia. His work for VicRoads and IFAW put JWT under the spotlight making it the most awarded work in the agency. Apart from creating the world’s first social media platform for stories for the Melbourne Writers Festival, he also led and won several pitches for major accounts.

His stint in Melbourne paved the way for him to move to JWT New York where he worked on brands like Kleenex, Smirnoff, Rolex and Nestle. After winning successive pitches for the agency, it was time for the next leg.

He joined VML New York in 2012. His work for Drink Up saw him taking front and center stage at Cannes where he presented to a packed room. It also earned him a letter of recognition for his leadership from the Former First Lady- Michelle Obama. He has also worked on and helped win several pitches for the agency- notable amongst them being New Balance, Legoland and The United Nations. With a short period of time at VML his work has consistently been recognized on the international stage year after year and also winning VML New York its first pride of Cannes lions. In his role as Group Creative Director he oversaw the global creative mandate for New Balance, Legoland and the United Nations while serving on the Global Creative Council for VML.

Then, as the Executive Creative Director for VMLY&R London, Harsh took on the challenge to continue to push the creative boundaries in yet another continent and help grow the business. While in London he ran global and local pieces of business and won global relationships in Diageo’s Baileys, Nestle Food, Nestle Skin Brands, Danone Alpro to name a few. Apart from creating noteworthy work and campaigns over the years, Harsh was recently named as the rising star of Madison Avenue revolutionizing advertising by Business Insider.

Through his career, Harsh has also been honoured with the responsibility of serving on the juries of Cannes Lions Mobile, D&AD Impact, ADC , New York Festival along with some of the top ranked and best creative leaders. Harsh also has had the privilege of working with some of the most talented minds in the industry. From traditional campaigns to ever expanding digital frontiers, his love for craft and compelling ideas has given him the confidence to keep on creating and in some cases breaking traditional approaches to problem solving.

BRIEF: drink responsibly. don’t bottle your feelings.

Brand: Absolut

The Problem / Opportunity

There is much evidence to show that many people drink to help deal with anxiety and depressive thoughts. It reveals that alcohol can be a favorite coping mechanism. A recent survey was extrapolated to the general population, researchers found that up to 12 million adults in the UK drink to help them relax or overcome feelings of depression. This problem continues to be visible in other markets as well. Alcohol can be used to mask problems and help people cope with emotions they would otherwise find too difficult to deal with.

Why does Absolut want to do this?

As a key player in the alcoholic beverage category, Absolut wants to be a brand that encourages responsible consumption and be seen as someone who brings people together. To address the relationship between alcohol and mental health - the brand isn't looking for just talk on the issue but needs a brand act it can get behind to help people be more responsible to themselves and others.

Who are we talking to?

All alcohol drinkers

Your challenge

To help people to not lean on alcohol but to speak up about their mental health and encourage a responsibility towards your drinking habits.

What will success look like?

Reducing people’s dependence on alcohol to responsible drinking and talking about their mental health rather than leaning on alcohol to solve your mental health issue.

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