Krishnakant Mishra: The ad-man

Image: Aditi Tailang

Krishnakant Mishra | 28
Brand content lead, Ogilvy
For Krishnakant Mishra, who dumped a 2013 campus placement offer with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) a day prior to the joining date, there was nothing unsettling about his decision. The then 21-year-old engineer had already had his share of a ‘settled’ life. “I couldn’t find a medical seat in Mumbai and had to ‘settle’ for engineering,” recalls Mishra, who works as branded content lead with advertising agency Ogilvy.

At DY Patil University in Navi Mumbai, Mishra saw his seniors dabble with marketing and activations (experiential stuff or reaching out to consumers on-ground) to make some extra dough. “What started as a means to fuel college debauchery suddenly turned into anxious waits for the next project,” he says.

In due course, he got to know of an interview opportunity with Ogilvy Action, the brand activation arm of New York-based Ogilvy Group. “I had no advertising experience. I Googled ‘Ogilvy’ on my way to the interview,” he says. Mishra got the job with an account management role for the HUL rural team. He criss-crossed India for over 1,200 days in the last four years. The rest is history: Loads of activations and accolades. “Krishnakant was a great asset to have as our project lead at Kumbh,” says Aanandita Datta, former head of marketing at Brand Unilever. “With his tenacity and passion, he always managed to get the job done.” 

See the full Forbes India 30 Under 30 list for 2020 here

Mishra says there have been two biggest learnings in his life: Staying unconditional and having nothing to lose. When we seek anything by being unconditional, he adds, it multiplies the energy. “And while we seek things unconditionally, I still murmur ‘nothing to lose’ at least five times a day,” he says. That’s his secret sauce.