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Why Cultural Insight Matters: Santosh Desai joins the Grand Jury for the Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity
Author and brand strategist Santosh Desai joins the Grand Jury of the Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity, reinforcing the platform’s emphasis on cultural insight, storytelling depth and relevance in modern advertising.
Santosh Desai's presence on the SAC grand jury highlights the awards’ ambition to look beyond surface-level novelty and recognise work that demonstrates insight into the human condition.
As advertising and brand storytelling evolve amid rapid social and technological change, creativity is increasingly judged by what it reveals about people, culture and the moment we live in. Reflecting that shift, Santosh Desai, author, columnist and Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Futurebrands India, has been named to the Grand Jury of the Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity, a platform recognising excellence in contemporary Indian creativity.
The Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity have been conceived as a response to a fragmented, fast-moving creative economy—one shaped by digital platforms, shifting consumer values and an expanded definition of storytelling. The awards span categories ranging from brand film and integrated campaigns to digital and social innovation, purpose-driven creativity, design and visual craft, creative effectiveness and next-generation formats such as AI, gaming and creator collaborations. Together, they aim to capture the breadth of how brands communicate today.
The jury brings together leaders who’ve shaped brands, culture and economic thinking in India. The panel includes Amitabh Kant, the force behind Incredible India and one of the country’s most respected reformers; Praveen Someshwar, CEO of Diageo India; Prasoon Joshi, Chairman of Omnicom Advertising India; strategists and commentators Suhel Seth and Santosh Desai; Nikhil Sharma, Managing Director of Perfetti Van Melle India; Anil Viswanathan of Mondelez Europe; Shantanu Deshpande, co-founder of Bombay Shaving Company; and Radhika Gupta, CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund.
Creativity as Cultural Reading
Desai’s appointment brings to the jury a perspective shaped less by format and more by meaning. Over the years, he has emerged as one of India’s most influential commentators on consumer behaviour, social change and the hidden codes that govern everyday life. At Futurebrands India, he has advised companies across sectors on brand strategy, positioning and long-term relevance—often arguing that brands succeed when they understand culture, not just markets.
His writing and thinking have consistently examined how advertising both reflects and influences society, making him a natural fit for an awards platform that places cultural resonance at the heart of creative evaluation. In an age where a meme, a reel or a line of copy can quickly enter public discourse, such perspective is increasingly central to how creative work is assessed.
Judging Creativity in a Noisy Marketplace
The Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity are structured around the idea that creativity today must operate under multiple pressures. It must be distinctive in cluttered environments, sensitive to social context, and accountable to business outcomes. Entries are reviewed through criteria that consider originality, storytelling depth, relevance to platform, strategic clarity, craft and—where applicable—measurable impact.
This framework reflects a broader truth about the modern communications landscape: creativity no longer sits apart from strategy or culture. It lives at their intersection. Campaigns are expected to entertain, persuade and sometimes provoke, while remaining attuned to public sentiment and brand responsibility.
Why Desai’s Voice Matters
Desai’s work has long focused on decoding the undercurrents beneath consumer choices—how aspirations, anxieties and cultural shifts shape what people respond to. That lens is particularly valuable at a time when brands must navigate questions of identity, inclusion, purpose and authenticity alongside commercial goals.
His presence on the grand jury highlights the awards’ ambition to look beyond surface-level novelty and recognise work that demonstrates insight into the human condition. It suggests a view of creativity as interpretation as much as invention.
As entries open for work released in 2025, the Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity are positioning themselves as a marker of what excellence means in today’s India. With voices like Desai on the jury, the platform signals that understanding culture may be as important as mastering craft in defining the future of creative work.
SPOTLIGHT
From purpose-driven work and narrative-rich brand films to AI-enabled ideas and creator-led collaborations, the awards reflect the full spectrum of modern creativity.
Read MoreDiageo India CEO Praveen Someshwar joins Grand Jury of Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity
Praveen Someshwar, Managing Director and CEO of Diageo India, joins the Grand Jury of the Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity, highlighting the awards’ focus on work that blends cultural relevance with strategic and commercial impact.