Afaqs: Raj Kamble, creative director with Lowe, New York, will now spearhead Flying Squad — a new division within the Lowe Worldwide group. Flying Squad is Lowe’s experimental lab, which will offer clients innovative solutions in the unconventional media space and within the ‘traditional media’ perimeter.
Matthew Bull, chief creative officer, Lowe Worldwide and the mastermind behind this concept, will head a team comprising of four creative directors. These include Australia-based digital creative director, Tom Markham; London-based creative director (copy), Patrick McClelland; US-based creative director (copy) Jake Benjamin; and Kamble, who will serve as creative director (art).
Talking about Flying Squad, Kable says, “The idea is to break away from traditional norms to create creative challenges for the South African, British, Indian, Australian and American minds that make the Flying Squad. We have come together with our varied cultural and religious backgrounds; hence, the flavour that we bring into our work is a unique mix of our influences and perceptions.”
He adds that while problems may be conventional, what Flying Squad hopes to do is solve them atypically.
Currently operating from an office in New York and London, Flying Squad might look at opening a setup in India in the future. The firms are currently offering their atypical solutions to Unilever, Johnson & Johnson and Knorr.
Elaborating on Flying Squad’s philosophy, Kamble says, “I think new media is the future of advertising. Gone are the days of the web being just about website advertising. Social media has opened a new chapter in the way we communicate with the consumer. It is a craft that we have to learn.”
Kamble has been associated with Lowe for 14 years now across three continents, having worked from Mumbai, New York and London. He has also worked with Enterprise Nexus (now Bates 141) and has won 150 awards which include wins at Cannes, One Show, D&AD and Clios.