Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
A Link A Day # 271: The Making of Afaqs
Sreekant Khandekar has chronicled the rise and rise of afaqs here. The interesting bit is Sreekant started with the concept of launching a MouthShut kinda site but market reality drove him to launch agencyfaqs!
Posted by Anantha.
Posted by Anantha.
Monday, September 28, 2009
A Link A Day # 270: The Original A-List
At a time when Campaign India is whipping a frenzy over its oddly-compiled A-List, Rajesh Pant has put out a timely reminder of the Original Titans of Indian advertising. For the lazy types, here's an extract from that piece:
"Vinod Mehta was a copy chief of Jaison’s (Oops!). He wrote a book and in it mentioned Kersey Katrak admiringly…as a person with whom he would have a one night stand if he was a woman!"
If that teased you, I think you should read the original article on the Original A-list.
Extracted from Campaign India. Posted by Anantha.
"Vinod Mehta was a copy chief of Jaison’s (Oops!). He wrote a book and in it mentioned Kersey Katrak admiringly…as a person with whom he would have a one night stand if he was a woman!"
If that teased you, I think you should read the original article on the Original A-list.
Extracted from Campaign India. Posted by Anantha.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Album Art # 7
The 1971 seminal album 'Sticky Fingers' by The Rolling Stones had this eye-popping image on the cover. Loved and hated equally, this album art was conceptualised by Andy Warhol and designed by Craig Braun. This album also celebrated the launch of the new Rolling Stones record label.
The Spanish Government, however found the image offensive and didn't release the album. And thus came another cover - designed just for the Spanish market. That's the one below.
The Spanish Government, however found the image offensive and didn't release the album. And thus came another cover - designed just for the Spanish market. That's the one below.
Posted by Murali.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Would you hire your client?
How good would clients be in an agency set-up? That's exactly what Paul S. Gumbinner debates in his column. I guess in the West, there would be many client execs wanting to move to the agency. But in India, very few would want to - at least the ones I have met haven't espoused much desire to make the switch. Understandable, from the questionable work-life balance we have created for ourselves.
Read Paul's column here.
Posted by Murali.
Read Paul's column here.
Posted by Murali.
Monday, September 21, 2009
The truth about scam
Scam ads have got more attention than they deserve. Thanks to the notorious WWF ad by DDB Brasil. Suddenly, every award show worth its salt has been taking a self-righteous stance by denouncing the practitioners of scam. While the One Show has ensured a 5-year ban on agencies entering scam, D&AD has quickly followed suit by saying it'll adopt a 'name and shame' policy. Read this to get an idea of what I'm talking about.
But my theory is simple. Scam has existed for decades now. Singapore was the sylvan sanctuary of scam advertising, way back in the 90s. The so-called great ads that we saw and revered in the books that came out of Singapore, were clearly scam. The guys who created and won those prestigious metals from there, have become famous. They now preside over juries and are board members at prestigious award clubs. How the hell can these worthy men talk of sham in scam, after they have done it and seen it all? Bit funny isn't it?
Posted by Murali.
But my theory is simple. Scam has existed for decades now. Singapore was the sylvan sanctuary of scam advertising, way back in the 90s. The so-called great ads that we saw and revered in the books that came out of Singapore, were clearly scam. The guys who created and won those prestigious metals from there, have become famous. They now preside over juries and are board members at prestigious award clubs. How the hell can these worthy men talk of sham in scam, after they have done it and seen it all? Bit funny isn't it?
Posted by Murali.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
A Link A Day # 265: Indian Innovators
Rest of Orchard will be glad to know that we work with an organisation (Villgro) that focuses on spawning similar innovations.
Posted by Anantha.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
10 cliches on headline writing
The odds of spotting a great headline these days are limited. The charm of words that spelt magic on newspaper / magazine ads have become obsolete these days. Copy is dead, some say. But I'm an optimist and I think ads with persuasive copy will make its way back. And when it does, it's best to avoid the glorious cliches.
Felix's column in The Denver Egotist about headlines and cliches is a must read. Here we go.
Posted by Murali.
Felix's column in The Denver Egotist about headlines and cliches is a must read. Here we go.
Posted by Murali.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
A Link A Day # 260: Cream of the Crap
The Tracy Awards is a new site that features the 'crappiest advertising' on the planet. Now, one man's poop can be another man's pulav. So not all ads are that pathetic. It's a highly subjective submissions-based site where no one has to give any logic for naming an ad as crappy. What The Tracys has is an excellent logo and a content model that's sure to raise a stink.
Posted by Anantha.
A Link A Day # 259: Indian Language Fonts
You must have read about CDAC and its Indian Language Development for Computer Applications (ILDC) initiative. I was quite kicked when I read about it. But when I visited their site to download the fonts, I was utterly disappointed. They've made it so complicated. The language used is very sarkari. The fonts are buried somewhere inside and there' are no crystal clear instructions about the other loot up for grabs. What I gather is fonts in 22 languages are available for download. One needs to have enormous patience to download all the fonts as they are distributed over so many pages. Why can't these CDAC guys learn web designing? Why can't they pick a trick or two from sites like dafont? Anyways, I did learn two things after visiting the site: the sanskrit word for home is grihaprusht and the patchai tamil word for downloads is padhivirakkangal!
Posted by Anantha.
Posted by Anantha.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Why we should stop calling ourselves an advertising agency
The word 'agency' in a marketing / advertising context is fast losing its charm and relevance with marketers and brand custodians. The sooner we realise this truth, the better it is for our business. On one hand, you have specialists like brand consultants and design gurus and on the other you have the consulting wings of accountancy firms, whom marketers turn to (and compensate lavishly) when they have a problem. So, what happens to the poor old agency folk?
Wayne Arnold in his essay, tells us why agencies henceforth should be called agents of change. Read on.
Posted by Murali.
Wayne Arnold in his essay, tells us why agencies henceforth should be called agents of change. Read on.
Posted by Murali.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
One Show to ban scam-ad creators
"In a bold, unprecedented move to stem the problem of scam ads in advertising awards shows, the One Club is implementing strict new rules that ban agencies -- and individual members of creative teams -- found guilty of making fake ads for a period of five years.
The move is in response to one of the most public and offensive cases of fakery in recent memory, the "Tsunami" ad DDB Brasil made for the World Wildlife Fund in Brazil. The widely condemned ad picked up a since-stripped One Show award and also was entered in the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in June.
The new rules and penalties were approved unanimously last night by the One Club's board of directors, who read like a who's who of ad-industry creatives, including David Droga, David Lubars, Nancy Vonk and Nick Law.
Effective beginning in 2010:
* An agency or regional office of an agency network that enters an ad made for a nonexistent client, or made and run without a client's approval, will be banned from entering the One Show for five years.
* The entire team credited on the "fake" entry will be banned from entering the One Show for five years.
* An agency or regional office of an agency network that enters an ad that has run once, on late-night TV, or only because the agency produced a single ad and paid to run it itself will be banned from entering the One Show for three years.
That last point is significant, because it means that the One Club is taking a stand not only on all-out scam ads but also ads that are deemed to be made solely for award-show entry -- a problem endemic in the ad-agency business."
Source: Ad Age.
Posted by Anantha.
The move is in response to one of the most public and offensive cases of fakery in recent memory, the "Tsunami" ad DDB Brasil made for the World Wildlife Fund in Brazil. The widely condemned ad picked up a since-stripped One Show award and also was entered in the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in June.
The new rules and penalties were approved unanimously last night by the One Club's board of directors, who read like a who's who of ad-industry creatives, including David Droga, David Lubars, Nancy Vonk and Nick Law.
Effective beginning in 2010:
* An agency or regional office of an agency network that enters an ad made for a nonexistent client, or made and run without a client's approval, will be banned from entering the One Show for five years.
* The entire team credited on the "fake" entry will be banned from entering the One Show for five years.
* An agency or regional office of an agency network that enters an ad that has run once, on late-night TV, or only because the agency produced a single ad and paid to run it itself will be banned from entering the One Show for three years.
That last point is significant, because it means that the One Club is taking a stand not only on all-out scam ads but also ads that are deemed to be made solely for award-show entry -- a problem endemic in the ad-agency business."
Source: Ad Age.
Posted by Anantha.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Why Quick Gun Moorugun should take over the BJP or Cow Banega Thalapathy.
As we know, the BJP faces many problems. They were bull-dozed in the last election. Raking up the Ram temple issue proved to be a big foaly. Expelling Jaswant for honestly writing the Jinnah Dairy showed the BJP’s herd mentality. What the BJP needs is a new issue that will resonate with the electorate.
For this, we propose they turn to the noble cow for numerous reasons:
a) Voters always consider animals as a big issue. After all, the Ram won BJP many elections.
b) Cows are very punny animals. Can you imagine the above paragraph with the double-wattled Cassowary or the Paradise Flycatcher?
c) If you still don’t believe me, let me assure you “Where’s there is a veal, there’s a way”
d) How can voters not like cows, the most gentle of creatures(‘To err is human, to forgive bovine’.)
e) The world is beset with multiple problems like Recession, Swine-Flu and Shortage-Of-Good- Cinema-Halls-In-Chennai. Cows always display a thoughtful appearance that you know is trying to detect the ‘Cows-And-Effect’ and solve these issues.
Now that we have proved that cows represent the future, it is but a simple leap of imagination to select a cowboy as Symbol of Glorious Cows. QGM as quintessential cowboy who is unafraid to take the bull by its horns will appeal to any cow-lover. He will be The Antidote to those cow-killing Cowngressmen whose buzzword is ‘Dined it, I say’.
Penned by Pundit Goach, Intern-at-large, in Orchard Chennai.
For this, we propose they turn to the noble cow for numerous reasons:
a) Voters always consider animals as a big issue. After all, the Ram won BJP many elections.
b) Cows are very punny animals. Can you imagine the above paragraph with the double-wattled Cassowary or the Paradise Flycatcher?
c) If you still don’t believe me, let me assure you “Where’s there is a veal, there’s a way”
d) How can voters not like cows, the most gentle of creatures(‘To err is human, to forgive bovine’.)
e) The world is beset with multiple problems like Recession, Swine-Flu and Shortage-Of-Good- Cinema-Halls-In-Chennai. Cows always display a thoughtful appearance that you know is trying to detect the ‘Cows-And-Effect’ and solve these issues.
Now that we have proved that cows represent the future, it is but a simple leap of imagination to select a cowboy as Symbol of Glorious Cows. QGM as quintessential cowboy who is unafraid to take the bull by its horns will appeal to any cow-lover. He will be The Antidote to those cow-killing Cowngressmen whose buzzword is ‘Dined it, I say’.
Penned by Pundit Goach, Intern-at-large, in Orchard Chennai.
The age of the digi-novel
Convergence is truly here. Level 26, a crime fiction, created by Anthony Zuiker is a book, website and movie rolled into one. Apparently, once you go past 20 pages you'll be directed to a website which has a link to a 3-minute video clip that connects to the story. He calls these cyber-bridges. And is of the opinion that it'll do readers of today (with limited attention spans) a whole deal of good. Now, will it replace traditional publishing? Not sure. But it sure brings in renewed vigour into the world of book publishing.
Courtesy: Times of India.
Posted by Murali.
Courtesy: Times of India.
Posted by Murali.
Prahlad Nanjappa floats Fryed
Exchange4media reports that Prahlad has started a new agency with Karan Joshi. Says Mr. Nanjappa,“We have named the agency Fryed, but there is no logic behind it, and that’s the way we want to go forward, that is to look for reason in the illogical." I googled and discovered that the duo have booked www.fryed.in probably because fried.com has been taken. There's an agency called Friedadvertising. Prahlad needn't worry as they've named themselves after their founder Marvin Fried.
Posted by Anantha.
Posted by Anantha.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
And now a book trailer...
Another blow to the printed word. Books are now being promoted through trailers. Horror of horrors, youtube’s full of them! Here's for Micheal Chabon’s award winning book – The Yiddish Policemen’s Union. The good news, the movie rights for this one have been snapped up by the Coen brothers. Expected to be released in 2010. One for the statuette, I wonder?
Posted by Niru.
Posted by Niru.
Reliance launches the mobile novel...
One of the earliest posts on this blog was about the mobile novel. An idea we’ve been suggesting to every client with a telecom bent of business. Sigh. Reliance has moved in first. They are soon to launch the first Indian mobile novel in English, with Pinky Virani, of “Bitter Chocolate” fame. Here's the dope.
Posted by Niru.
Posted by Niru.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
A rather odd commercial
Cisco has tried something very adventurous. The forbidden fruit plot in an odd setting. Yes, it ties in with the 'Creation begins' tagline. Why did the Apple have to be there? Couldn't it have been something more surprising? Where they worried if the audience will get it? Did they underestimate the IQ of Joe the Programmer? Dunno. Anyways, I feel the guys who deserve appreciation for this ad are the servicing folks -for selling it!
Posted by Anantha.
Posted by Anantha.
And we break our heads over brand names...
When all it takes to get your brand noticed is some college-ish humour and an in your face informercial! Unbelievable as it may sound, some one did advertise for “Doc Bottoms” Aspray! Go here to read the story and see the spot.
Posted by Niru.
Posted by Niru.
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