It’s been three whole months since I wrote my last post. During this time, I was busy, and then I was on holiday 🙂 While I might not have been writing, I have been watching. I have been watching everything that’s going on around us in our world, and in the advertising n marketing world in particular. And I am sure, that’s what you have seen too.
Here’s a summary, in no particular order:
- We have seen Indian agencies, led by JWT rock Cannes with brilliant work (it is real work, for a real people)! And we have seen that McDonald’s India continues to turn out crap in the name of advertising (the obnoxious, dum-witted TVC with the “flight attendant mangta kya” reaches a previously unimaginable low in creativity and sensibility!)
- We have seen the first chance of having a woman as President of the US, fading to the first chance of having a black man as President of the United States (note: this is positive+positive)
- We have seen retrograde communist ideology (ego?) come in the way of Indian nuclear (and other forms) progress, even if it means bringing down the government! And we have seen supposedly retrograde politicians come to the rescue of the same nuclear and other agreements.
- We have proudly watched Indian companies take over international big names like Land Rover and Jaguar… And we have been saddened to see an Indian company sell out to the Japanese.
- We have seen Indians fight for equality and honour all over the world… and we have seen Indians fight among themselves over communal issues, and for lowered, reserved status in our own country.
- We have seen women doing well in day to day life, and in the corporate world. Yet we continue to hear of sexual harassment of women by men all around, and in the corporate world.
- We have been held ransom by politicians and mobs in the form of mindless protests and bandhs over subjective issues like “cultural sensitivity” and “hurting sentiments”. We have seen the same politicians and mobs turn a blind eye to real, criminals cases and unequivocal violations of human rights.
- We have seen a the wonderful sport called cricket, turn into pure entertainment, for 40 packed nights. We have seen the same entertainment interrupted and blacked out by intrusive and disturbing ads in every broadcast.
- We have seen the arrival of the National Creative Directors and Executive Creative Directors. But we are still to see the arrival of one decent professional training program for people in ad agencies.
- We have seen the internet and mobile world explode with new ideas, technologies and forms of entertainment. Yet the only “new media innovations” we from most brands are “a website!” and “a website”!!
“We have seen lots of lists like this… but not in the middle of the year…
(to be continued… perhaps)
