“Great Work Is Like a Shot in the Arm Inspiring More Great Work”
Having worked on brands such as Spotify, Heineken, Whisper, Doritos, Visa, PhonePe and Lay's, Noor Samra brings extensive experience to her latest role at FCB Interface as national planning director. She plays a key role in FCB Group's Strategy Council, collaborating with leaders across the network to elevate the agency's strategic offerings.
Her track record of delivering award-winning work speaks volumes – she has earned prestigious accolades, including a Cannes Lion Grand Prix, Global Best of Best Effie, WARC Global Grand Prix, and APAC Effie metals, among others.
In this interview, Noor speaks with LBB’s Sunna Coleman about the excitement she still feels when cracking a brief, her passion for socio-politics and a love for neurographic art.
LBB> Firstly, I read that you’re an ethnographer by training. Tell me a bit more about that and how you transitioned into advertising.
Noor> Ethnographic consumer research was a very enriching experience for me. I was fortunate enough to do research of all kinds. From studying water consumption patterns for a month in Indonesia, to house cleaning rituals in South Africa and Poland, as well as a whole lot of work in various parts of India.
The output of such intense consumer work is usually a hefty report with tonnes of rich insight. I got curious about how all this information is synthesised and used further upstream in marketing. That’s how I got interested in a strategy role. Crunching tonnes of data to make sense of it is, in fact, one the key skills a planner must possess.
LBB> What part of the role do you enjoy the most?
Noor> I enjoy every part of being a strategist., from the data processing stage, to finding solutions and seeing them come alive in creative. I love authoring cases, proving effectiveness, and orchestrating business outcomes for clients. But perhaps the best part still is the problem-solving bit – the feeling of having cracked a brief and the excitement to take it forward. Strategy can be a lonely job. And given that strategy is the first port of call, we must conjure up something out of nothing. Getting that right is still exciting.
LBB> You were recently appointed as national planning director at FCB Interface and stated that you aspire to ‘drive meaningful business results’. What does this mean to you and what plans have you put in place since joining?
Noor> At FCB, we believe creativity is an economic multiplier. Creative work that sets industry benchmarks and drives cultural or behavioural change along with business transformation. That’s what I mean by meaningful business results.
LBB> We’re used to hearing about the best creative advertising campaigns, but what’s your favourite historic or recent campaign from a strategic perspective? One that you feel demonstrates great strategy?
Noor> I differ from this line of thinking. An effective campaign should have both – sound strategy leading to exciting creative. One can’t, rather shouldn’t, work without the other.
From the roster of work we, at Interface, have done this year, one campaign stands out. While launching Mahindra EVs, we made sharp strategic choices. We didn’t get trapped in category codes, positioning an EV as a goody two-shoes choice for conscious young Indians. Instead, we positioned Mahindra’s born-electric vehicles as the most desirable in the category at large, pitting it against international luxury brands, even. This is because in India, vehicles are social signals. What you drive signals your style, class, and status. With the ‘Unlimit Love’ platform, we played up unreasonable desire for Mahindra EVs.
A launch of this scale meant a cookie cutter influencer strategy wouldn’t work. Leveraging key auto influencers was a given. But the brand went beyond and leveraged a roster of unlikely influencers, almost as walking, talking brochures, romanticising every feature of the vehicles. This resulted in a massive wave of Mahindra EV buzz and chatter – something critical in the auto category. Building anticipation is key. It allows you to pre-ensure success before launch on the ground.
LBB> What sort of creatives do you like to work with? As a strategist, what do you want them to do with the information you give them?
Noor> Having lived life as an army kid, I’ve had to develop a muscle for adapting to new people at every juncture of my life. So, I’d like to believe I have had the good fortune of partnering with all kinds of creative people. Partnering with creative folks becomes easy if the intention is to get good work out. Information one shares should serve as a springboard for compelling creative. Comprehensive enough to understand the lay of the land, and sharp enough to pinpoint the solution.
LBB> You mention that you have a passion for issues surrounding gender and religion. Does this filter into your work at all? Do you do anything outside of work towards this?
Noor> By virtue of studying sociology, I have a natural interest in subjects like gender studies and the impact religion has on shaping our socio-political lives. I thoroughly enjoyed working on Whisper’s ‘Missing Chapter’ campaign at my previous organisation. We aimed to reduce school dropout rates among girls by providing period education at scale. The success of our work is reflected in wins across the board. From a Cannes Grand Prix in the Sustainable Development Goals category to winning a Global Best of Best Effie, as well as a WARC Global Grand Prix. Until now, I have invested most of my energy into tackling such issues through my work.
LBB> How do you stay inspired?
Noor> That’s the charm of our industry. There’s always great work coming out from some part of the world. It’s like a shot in the arm, inspiring one to want to do more great work.
LBB> And when you want to switch off, how do you like to unwind?
Noor> Music is my go-to. Listening to new and old tracks on a date night, at home with my husband, who is more of a friend really. And of late, I have picked up creating neurographic art which gives me immense joy.
