Why only Kumbhmela? Why not Uttaranchal?

Power shifts in advertising.

The recent ranking of the most influential people by Brand Equity raised eyebrows and sent shockwaves thru the ranks of the industry. The veteran blackberry boys were giving way to apple tribes. Two decades back armed with management degrees from the top institutes the double-breasted blue blazer brigade took firm control of the business from

“Purposeful Inventions”

A purposeful invention will always find a place in people’s lives. History endorses this view; there are many great inventions like the Q-Drum, which never found a place not because the invention is not great but because it did not solve the complete problem of the people it intend to solve. I believe there are

Creative v/s Media.

  Why creative agencies win media awards?   Be it Cannes or Goafest, why is it creative agencies steal the thunder from media guys? What is it about awards which brings magical enthusiasm from creative agencies? What can media brothers learn from hated separated cousins?   Believe me I am a neutral party here. I

DeBundleling to ReBundleling.

Everyone needs to reinvent him or herself every now and then to make him or her relevant to the changing environment around us.  Human needs or brand needs, business needs or even nations are no different from each other. Early nineties were the most frenziest times I have ever seen in my 33 odd years

Story of a tail wagging the dog.

Advertising time dictating cricketing time. Many years back my partner Chax used to have a poster in his office, which read as follows: ” If you do not find space on the floor then use the ash-trey.” the same sounds true to Indian cricket broadcasting  ” if you do not find ad spots then run

What’s in a logo? Ask GAP.

After a public outcry on the social media, “GAP” withdrew its modern logo and brought back classic blue box.  Couple of days back Airtel launched its new logo and again it’s the social media, which has been critical, harsh and unkind, before we get into merits and demerits of the opinions, lets look at what

Adman, Conman and Superman.

Sometime I feel ashamed to introduce myself as creative, Ad guys are the most pompous lot they alone title themselves as creative. Tell me who is not creative? Engineers who design innovative combustion chambers are not creative? Con men of Mumbai who run ticketless travel insurance are not creative? Mothers who invent new ways of

Creative-Planning nexus.

Planning has been a child of misery in India since its inception three decades ago.  Account Planning: the most misunderstood and abused word in advertising and marketing. Positioning by Al Ries and Jack Trout started changing things in strategic planning and consumer targeting in advertising in early eighties. From sheer number of brand recalling exercises

“Airwaves belong to the people”

India might be the oldest and the most successful democracy in the world but it’s really the last decade, which empowered people. As the social media and Internet revolutionized the way people lived and behaved in this country. Its media which empowered the people from Tehelka to the resent CWG exposures to Mumbai blast coverage

The story behind Jet Airways logo.

Not everyday you get an opportunity to launch an airline and not everyday you get to design an airline logo. Jet Airways was the first baby born out of 1991 economical liberalization in India. No one at the agency Lowe (Lintas then) had believed that a private airline is going to be launched in India, when we got the assignment

Neil French. King of good times.

Neil French. The most colorful advertising creative man the world has ever seen at least this part of the world. Pole dancers to sexist comments to brilliant writing to scam ads to bull fighting to cigars, he has given it all. Advertising’s very own bad boy quietly settled for a Dad’s post. I was fortunate enough to spend couple of days with