Hey guys...
Thanks for all that ravishing feed backs.. im surprised.. frankly i never knew blogging is such a big community.. i am on an official trip for a couple of days.. will get back and update with more on advertising .....
take care...
sabu
Friday, November 25, 2005
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Are you bloody,the King of England?
Resolving to surprise her husband, an executive's wife stopped by his office. She found him with his secretary sitting in his lap.
Surprised and caught redhanded?
He was smart and went on dictating, "...and in conclusion, gentlemen, shortage or no shortage, I cannot continue to operate this office with just one chair.
************************************************************************************
Years ago when i just joined advertising, as a young client servicing guy, (still believing that advertising is nothing but fun - with semi clad models and star glitter) i went to a clients place with my boss, who was the chief of brand services( a clients service guy basically, wrapped in a strategy habiliment, put in a research package, labeled with brand jargons) for an important meeting where he (my boss ) was to present a strategy document which he called as a 'brand road map'...
He was the guy, who intitiated me into the world of advertising,and who told me that life is not a bed of roses in advertising. In fact the first day at office as a trainee, when i addressed him as 'sir' he ,with that typical advertising sarcasm asked me' Are you bloody ,the King of England?'.
Ever since i have never Knighted him. I simply called him and any one thereafter, be it bosses or even the top most guys,by name. That makes advertising a great place to work, the feeling of equality, the freedom to call any one by name(not calling names) the freedom to think loud..being there is an experience worth it..
Sounds very rosy?? Well let me take you back to the meeting which i went to attend with my 'sir'..errr...... my boss...his presentation was entirely made by him, and executed into powerpoint slides by his secretary . I was carrying the floppy bag , thats it. The show started and he began from a podium at the raised platform , and suddenly, it got stuck, the floppy. My boss was visibly embarassed and so were our hosts. No one knew what to do..
And then came the googly...
He looked at me, sitting at the side table with the system operators , and expected me to intervene.I was a novice in computers (I still am) and didnt know what to do, but there is my boss in a catch 22 situation, and i had to do something.. i did something but nothing happened except the murmers from about 15 of the clients representatives present,which went up..I tried desperately but alas Murphy's law was in action.
You asshole--- he shouted from the podium.... and the crowd was suddenly silent.. pin drop silent..
It cannot be me-- i thought and looked in disbelief --- but it was for me, and he was fuming with anger...
I apologise for the error on part of my executive-- he told the crowd-- and i promise to come back soon, i regret the inconvenience caused.
Dont be hurt--- he told a shattered me, in car, back to office--- at the clients office , i cannot admit that the brand services director , is such an asshole that he didnt check his presentation once ,before he took it to the client? Can i?
I couldnt say anything... i didnt admire him of course but i couldnt hate him either....
**********************************************************************************
footnote: Common-sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
-Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Surprised and caught redhanded?
He was smart and went on dictating, "...and in conclusion, gentlemen, shortage or no shortage, I cannot continue to operate this office with just one chair.
************************************************************************************
Years ago when i just joined advertising, as a young client servicing guy, (still believing that advertising is nothing but fun - with semi clad models and star glitter) i went to a clients place with my boss, who was the chief of brand services( a clients service guy basically, wrapped in a strategy habiliment, put in a research package, labeled with brand jargons) for an important meeting where he (my boss ) was to present a strategy document which he called as a 'brand road map'...
He was the guy, who intitiated me into the world of advertising,and who told me that life is not a bed of roses in advertising. In fact the first day at office as a trainee, when i addressed him as 'sir' he ,with that typical advertising sarcasm asked me' Are you bloody ,the King of England?'.
Ever since i have never Knighted him. I simply called him and any one thereafter, be it bosses or even the top most guys,by name. That makes advertising a great place to work, the feeling of equality, the freedom to call any one by name(not calling names) the freedom to think loud..being there is an experience worth it..
Sounds very rosy?? Well let me take you back to the meeting which i went to attend with my 'sir'..errr...... my boss...his presentation was entirely made by him, and executed into powerpoint slides by his secretary . I was carrying the floppy bag , thats it. The show started and he began from a podium at the raised platform , and suddenly, it got stuck, the floppy. My boss was visibly embarassed and so were our hosts. No one knew what to do..
And then came the googly...
He looked at me, sitting at the side table with the system operators , and expected me to intervene.I was a novice in computers (I still am) and didnt know what to do, but there is my boss in a catch 22 situation, and i had to do something.. i did something but nothing happened except the murmers from about 15 of the clients representatives present,which went up..I tried desperately but alas Murphy's law was in action.
You asshole--- he shouted from the podium.... and the crowd was suddenly silent.. pin drop silent..
It cannot be me-- i thought and looked in disbelief --- but it was for me, and he was fuming with anger...
I apologise for the error on part of my executive-- he told the crowd-- and i promise to come back soon, i regret the inconvenience caused.
Dont be hurt--- he told a shattered me, in car, back to office--- at the clients office , i cannot admit that the brand services director , is such an asshole that he didnt check his presentation once ,before he took it to the client? Can i?
I couldnt say anything... i didnt admire him of course but i couldnt hate him either....
**********************************************************************************
footnote: Common-sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
-Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
i am not blind, i just am not seeing it..
"A blind man walks into a restaurant and sits down. The waiter, who is also the owner, walks up to the blind man and hands him a menu. "I'm sorry, Sir, but I am blind and can't read the menu. Just bring me a dirty plate from a previous customer, I'll smell it and order from there." A little confused, the owner walks over to the dirty pile and picks up a greasy plate . He returns to the blind man's table and hands it to him. The blind man takes the plate to his nose and takes in a deep breath.
"Ah, yes, that's what I'll have, chicken kabab , potato fry and roti ."
"Unbelievable"--- the owner says to himself as he walks towards the kitchen. The cook happens to be the owner's wife and he tells her what had just happened. The blind man eats his meal and leaves.
Several days later the blind man returns and the owner mistakingly brings him a menu again.
"Sir, remember me? I'm the blind man."
"I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you. I'll go get you a dirty plate." The owner again retrieves a dirty plate and brings it to the blind man.
After another deep breath, the blind man says, "That smells great, I'll take the palak panner and butter nan ."
Once again walking away in disbelief, the owner thinks the blind man is screwing around with him and tells his wife that the next time the blind man comes in he's going to test him.The blind man eats and leaves.
He returns the following week, but this time the owner see's him coming and runs to the kitchen.
He tells his wife, "Sunaina, rub this plate with your clothes before I take it to the blind man." She complies and hands her husband the plate back. As the blind man walks in and sits down, the owner is ready and waiting.
"Good afternoon sir, this time I remembered you and I already have the plate ready for you."
The blind man puts the plate to his nose, takes a deep whiff and says, "Hey, I didn't know that Sunaina worked here?"
* * *
People in advertising arent blind, some just pretend to be. Even those blind, are blind because it is an easy option. Blind to such terms like strategy , for instance. When the client talks about strategy, i have seen ad guys - even account planners( who are deemed responsible for 'planning the account for its bright future) yawning at client presentations (by the way a yawn is a very sincere opinion ,very 'openly' expressed) with least interest . When the client talks about brand vision, some of them sit with ' i have seen it all' label stuck over their faces...
This may not be a universal truth( gr88 agencies make gr88 brands, no doubt and my salutes to them) but some agencies are infested with men and women of stadium sized ego's and they preside over collapsing brands. Clients wouldnt know( in many cases) until market reacts, but then it may be late....
Failing Client Agency Relation ship (CAR) is a worry for people who ever had something to do with advertising, and intellectual arrogance and laziness is one of the main reason for this bad state of affairs.(The number of pitches being held is going up year after year) And simply, agencies cannot outsmart the clients.. clients (good or bad) are always right (cliche?) ,I cant help it.. they are and the agency is there because the clients ( good or bad) are there.....
Fighting with bad clients is like fighting with pigs in shit.... after a while you will realise that u'r getting dirty and the pig...... it actually enjoys..
"Ah, yes, that's what I'll have, chicken kabab , potato fry and roti ."
"Unbelievable"--- the owner says to himself as he walks towards the kitchen. The cook happens to be the owner's wife and he tells her what had just happened. The blind man eats his meal and leaves.
Several days later the blind man returns and the owner mistakingly brings him a menu again.
"Sir, remember me? I'm the blind man."
"I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you. I'll go get you a dirty plate." The owner again retrieves a dirty plate and brings it to the blind man.
After another deep breath, the blind man says, "That smells great, I'll take the palak panner and butter nan ."
Once again walking away in disbelief, the owner thinks the blind man is screwing around with him and tells his wife that the next time the blind man comes in he's going to test him.The blind man eats and leaves.
He returns the following week, but this time the owner see's him coming and runs to the kitchen.
He tells his wife, "Sunaina, rub this plate with your clothes before I take it to the blind man." She complies and hands her husband the plate back. As the blind man walks in and sits down, the owner is ready and waiting.
"Good afternoon sir, this time I remembered you and I already have the plate ready for you."
The blind man puts the plate to his nose, takes a deep whiff and says, "Hey, I didn't know that Sunaina worked here?"
* * *
People in advertising arent blind, some just pretend to be. Even those blind, are blind because it is an easy option. Blind to such terms like strategy , for instance. When the client talks about strategy, i have seen ad guys - even account planners( who are deemed responsible for 'planning the account for its bright future) yawning at client presentations (by the way a yawn is a very sincere opinion ,very 'openly' expressed) with least interest . When the client talks about brand vision, some of them sit with ' i have seen it all' label stuck over their faces...
This may not be a universal truth( gr88 agencies make gr88 brands, no doubt and my salutes to them) but some agencies are infested with men and women of stadium sized ego's and they preside over collapsing brands. Clients wouldnt know( in many cases) until market reacts, but then it may be late....
Failing Client Agency Relation ship (CAR) is a worry for people who ever had something to do with advertising, and intellectual arrogance and laziness is one of the main reason for this bad state of affairs.(The number of pitches being held is going up year after year) And simply, agencies cannot outsmart the clients.. clients (good or bad) are always right (cliche?) ,I cant help it.. they are and the agency is there because the clients ( good or bad) are there.....
Fighting with bad clients is like fighting with pigs in shit.... after a while you will realise that u'r getting dirty and the pig...... it actually enjoys..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
