BuzzShare: Lalita Salgaokar – IN BETWEEN SEVEN SEAS

Posted by Chris Campaner on October 27th, 2011

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Our latest BuzzShare comes from the blog of one Ms. Lalita Salgaokar, an aspiring copywriter freshly graduated from Miami Ad School. This is a piece on her experiences interning at Ogilvy NY. Best part is, she is on the hunt for a job. Enjoy.

Ogilvy Mumbai had a short-term relationship with me during the summer of ’07. So when I saw the headquarters of the organization pop-up as a Quarter Away choice, I didn’t bat a lid. This was to be my last and most fun quarter of Ad School.

Ogilvy NY is huge. Humungous. Touring took the whole first day and even thereafter our Mama Bear- Emily the mom-manager of the greenhouse program took us on tours of different departments in the building.

Three months at Ogilvy in New York served as a flashback.

Everyday I’d enter to discover something I’d seen back home while interning.

To begin with- the company’s creative philosophy. I speak only from experience but, I remember being encouraged to write words and here it was no different. I was told to take on long copy. Would people read my words? The answer was universal: “Irrespective, every writer should be able to dabble in the long form.” I nodded just like I had, five years ago.

I was at Ogilvy Mumbai during their big shift from Lower Parel (Industrial hub) to Goregaon (a suburb slightly removed from the city) . I remember the “Goodbye, Great Location” party. And the first few mornings when everyone moaned about the commute.

The headquarters from what I heard, were going through the same transition at that time. Only, by the time I got here, they had learnt well to “deal with it”. Starting to enjoy the big space, the swanky gym, the laid back cafeteria and the blindingly beautiful rooftop.

Our first few weeks at the headquarters were spent biding good bye to summer with non-stop summer parties. ‘Drinks on the roof’ , I would learn, would be the sweetest words I’d hear during my three months in the building. That and the occasional “Great. Keep it up” from the creative director.

Two completely different countries, starkly different markets and , yet the same way of running things and thinking stuff.

David Ogilvy combined different worlds through his simple principles. The principles his men would carry for the next coming centuries. I feel incredibly lucky to have had the pleasure of experiencing his geniuses. Like a fellow copywriter once said, “David, one day we shall brainstorm together”.