LEADERS OF THE NEW: Kunaal Jagtianey

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Name: Kunaal Jagtianey

Career Path: Creative/Copywriter

Education: Graduate of two-year Creative Advertising program at Seneca College

Advertising Experience:
- Completed Creative Advertising at Seneca
- Pitches to live clients
- Educated by professors that are or have been in the industry
- Attended Ad week in New York
- Experienced with Adobe Creative Suite

One Thing About You: An Indian guy born and raised in Kuwait, I was brought to Canada at the age of 13 and six years later, all of my memories are still fresh in my mind. Even though I have been heavily influenced by western culture, I will never toss away my heritage.

Contact: kunaaljagtianey@rogers.com

Full interview after the break!

When did you know that advertising was for you?

There were a couple of experiences in my life that pointed me towards the field. When I was a kid, my uncle used to give me advertising projects to pass the time. Every time I look back at those memories, they make me smile. Over a decade later, I was in grade eleven and attended a course called media. My life wasn’t really where it should have been at that point, but after that class, I was set on studying advertising. It was just something about the influence I would play on someone’s decisions, which drew me to it.

When I started the Creative Advertising at Seneca, I felt lost. Well, for about three days. Then I set foot into my first ever copywriting class. I didn’t really think I was going to be a copywriter when I started (my family history pushed me towards the business side) but Lisa Atkins changed all of that. As I learned about copywriting, I realized that this was what I wanted to do. Like many others, I have doubted myself. I’ve been kicked when I was down but I haven’t thought of another career path since day three at Seneca.


You just wrapped up two years of education in the Creative Advertising program. What did you think about the whole experience?

It was unbelievable for me. Not only because I learned about advertising and found my passion, but because of the way it has influenced my life. I feel like I have grown so much over the past two years and advertising is the only thing I can really thank (along with all the professors) and now I’m going to return the favour but working my (explicit) off to create great advertising.


Describe your creative process. How do you brainstorm? How do you keep track of ideas? How do you know when one of your ideas is good? What do you do when you're creatively stumped?

I don’t have a single creative process that I really rely on. It changes all the time based on a bunch of variables but I will describe the one I have used the most. If I haven’t been educated about a product yet, that is the first thing on my mind. What is the product benefit? What does this have that its competitors don’t? If I am well informed about the product, I give it a test run and then look at what the brief requires me to do.

If I have an Art Director with me, we start throwing around ideas, writing down everything that comes to mind (but I can do this alone too). It might be a bit cliché, but no idea is a bad idea. I go through all these different concepts thinking about possible executions for them and once I get the best three from the lot, time for a break. I come back and look at the ideas to see if they still make sense and then start writing lines in different styles. Emotional or rational, comedic or serious, whatever sells it better. Once that is decided, I focus on the best two and devote most of my time to writing lines to fit all of the requirements.

The final phase is the crucial ‘which idea is best’ phase. It is when I take the best idea and work around that concept. How do I know it’s good? Sometimes you can tell because it follows the brief and gets good reactions when you run it by other people. Other times, you just know. That is the easy part though; it’s getting to that point that can sometimes be a challenge.

A tactic I learned from a fellow Copywriter, that helps me when my mind breaks down on me (as I write headline after headline) is: get anyone that is capable of writing lines (the idea of the lines are more important than the structure of them) and add a header with the required message. Then start writing lines, with each line feeding off the idea and growing from the last line written on the page. Start going over the lines and choose the best ones. At this point, you can tighten the lines up.

Note: It also works for creating a concept.


Is there a medium you prefer to write for? Why?

Just getting a chance to write professionally makes the hairs on my arms stand. If I had to pick one medium, it would be Radio.

I became a writer to write copy, and radio is the only medium where all they have is the words (all the time). I feel like an artist when I write Radio because I try to make the listeners visualize what they are hearing, painting a vivid portrait in their imaginations. It is so much easier to see yourself in a certain position when there isn’t already a face there.


You’re a big fan of video games. What do you think about the current state of advergaming? If you ever get to a position where you could make a difference in that area, what would you do?

I see advergaming as an emerging medium right now. Everyone should be involved but only if they can do it subtly.

This is way too intrusive and once it gets to that point, people stop listening (too much for a game they paid for). This on the other hand, adds realism and doesn’t give the player a chance to even think about the fact that we just advertised to them. I personally prefer this idea of advergaming adding to a sense of realism. You aren’t going to see the McDonalds logo spray painted on some random garage while walking down the street. However, you are going to see the interchanging ads at a hockey game. But console gaming is just one portion of it.

My favourite part about turning into a one-gadget world (see link) is the fact that we can blatantly advertise without raising suspicion from the user. Lets just say we are talking about the iPhone. The average user has put a lot of money into the device, so companies make games for free (kind of). Since I have already mentioned McDonalds once, I’ll do it again. McDonalds realizes that a large portion of the target owns an iPhone. Here are their two options. Sit on thumbs or take this amazing opportunity and advertise on this ‘do it all’ device. What they should do is put out a game or application at no cost to the downloader. Everywhere the user goes, this app follows. When they’re bored and all they have is their iPhone, guess what name pops up. That’s right, Ronald McDonalds hunt for the Big Mac Sauce recipe (or something more subtle like McDonalds bowling). If I were put in a position to help, I would do all of the above. Try to get advergaming to the point where the average Joe doesn’t realize we are advertising to him while he is playing a game, no matter where he is.


Do you have any other creative outlets besides writing copy?

Before I got into copywriting, I often wrote short stories. When I lived in Kuwait, I wasn’t the best English student. My flow was off when I wrote essays and I made simple grammatical errors. But then I got home and started writing these stories, and all of that didn’t matter. It was a way to express my thoughts on paper without being criticized for how I wrote, instead, being criticized for what I wrote. With time came mechanics and it made me a better writer. I don’t think I would be writing this interview if that portion of my past didn’t occur. Or maybe I would have been on the business side of things.


What do you hope to achieve before you retire?

I have answered this question at least ten times in the past month, with a different response each time. The first goal was being hired (set the bar low). The next time, I decided to set my sights a little bit higher with (award winning) Copywriter at a high caliber agency, and then it went to Creative Director followed by CEO in Canada (Alternatives are Mumbai, Dubai and New York). At this point in my life (19 years old) I think that all of my goals are achievable, but you never know what could change once I get a job.


What do you do for fun?

I am a big fan of keeping current, focusing on many popular TV shows so I can make conversation at the local watering hole. I also watch basketball religiously (go Cavs) and play when I get the chance.

I spend a chunk of my time on Advertising blogs, electronics/ basketball forums, music websites, and anything else that catches my interest. Even though I learn a great deal from these websites, it never feels like learning.

I am also an avid gamer, or used to be. Since I started college, most of my past times have taken a back seat but I see that as a sign of dedication rather than a loss.

The one thing I could never give up, is my dog Snickers. He just brightens up my day when I get a chance to see him. (I have friends too, but that is something that everyone talks about ‘I hang out with friends, blah blah blah.)

Kunaal's dog Snickers

E-Elevator Pitch: Sell yourself in 140 characters or less.

Seneca Advertising program+ diverse background + the obsession to advertise + the synonym button (funny on paper) = ready to start tomorrow


If you're an advertising student or are just starting out in the business and would like to be featured on Leaders of the New, send me an email at jettlandicho@gmail.com