Thursday, October 8, 2009

Keep smiling, things can’t get worse!

The advertising industry is going through tough times. But it’s important to take the mind off the gloom..

Yes, the time is ripe for some cheer. Today I am able to talk about some of my experiences and actually laugh about them. It is time perhaps to recall what my first boss in advertising said: “Keep your sense of humour, otherwise you will go mad in this industry.”

Times are bad! How often have we heard this in recent times? Throw in the media adding their two bit, talk of layoffs, salary cuts, increasing client cribs and reduced retainers, and it seems advertising’s cup of woe is brimming over. I know that other industries too have their own horror stories but let me stay with the advertising industry as I spend so much of my time in this industry and am confronted by so many gloomy faces around me, I thought that I need to try to entertain them and you too, dear reader, for your patience over the years, with a few of the things that have happened to me in my long (there I go again) life in advertising.

It seems now that it is not only the industry that is going through doom and gloom but the whole country! The Indian cricket fan too has joined the depressed bandwagon, for as I write Australia has just scraped past a rampaging Pakistan to throw India out of the champion’s trophy and the TV media is going hammer and tongs at yesterday’s darling, M. S. Dhoni. Yes, the time is ripe for some cheer. Today I am able to talk about some of my experiences and actually laugh about them; as time, they say, heals everything. It is time perhaps to recall what my first boss in advertising said: “Keep your sense of humour, otherwise you will go mad in this industry.” Though lots of people might consider me a bit potty, to put it mildly, I have, I believe, managed to retain my sanity, if not my hair. Today many of the people I am writing about are no longer my clients, which probably explains their prosperity and my penury, but I remember them fondly and thank them for bringing laughter into my life and also teaching me a few lessons in life.

Bring on the music!

When I started the Bangalore office of Mudra in 1987, I used to go around on my TVS Suzuki motorcycle, thereby bringing disrepute to the advertising profession as I must have been the only branch manager of a large agency who was zipping around on a motorcycle, or so I believed. Of course, I need to slip in the reason why I was using it. The reason was simple. I could not afford a car; but more critically I used to handle the account of TVS Suzuki in my earlier agency and to me what David Ogilvy said was gospel truth: “You’d better use your client’s products!” he would thunder. On the lighter side I used to wonder if the agency which handles the client does not use the product then who else will! But less of me and my asides and more of what happened.
The two client service personnel in the agency at that time, my account supervisor and I, would go spinning around on my motorcycle with our bag full of layouts and our hearts full of hope. Business was scarce and we spent a lot of time knocking on doors with scant success. But we did get the odd, small assignment. One such was being asked to do a radio spot for one of our clients — a local cement manufacturer in Bangalore, who belonged to one of the largest business families in India.

The greatest claim to fame of the managing director of the company was that he had married into the illustrious family and I must confess that it was difficult for me and my colleague to keep a straight face as the client briefed us about the project on hand. “The mugic must be good,” he gushed. “People like mugic,” he pronounced “Do you have someone who will compose the mugic?” he asked. Both my colleague (who is today the COO of a large marketing company) and I were IIM products, and we were probably a bit vain about our management qualifications not to mention our English accents. We went down the lift laughing at the poor man’s accent and even as we were getting ready to start our trusted steed our client came down, entourage et al, with two people ready to open the lift door, and the car door of the latest Mercedes Benz of that time! Yes, we learnt an important lesson that day: “It is not your accent that matters as much as the family you marry into!” I would have cheerfully traded my accent for a Benz if anyone wanted it, but life is not always as simple as it seems, is it?

Just play the commercial!

My clients came in all sizes, shapes and hues. Some spoke with clipped British accents to the utterly desi ones whose lack of knowledge of English was more than compensated by their earthy wisdom and unerring knowledge of the consumer and the market. We were to produce a commercial for this client and came out with what I thought was a pretty good commercial.
I was to present the commercial and like all good client service people of that time I got my trusted slide projector out. I need to quickly tell you that in those days we used to rely on the 35 mm slide projector for support (just like the drunkard who leans against the lamppost more for support than illumination). Today, of course, we rely on the PowerPoint for precisely the same reasons, but back to the presentation. I got ready to play my regulation 40 slides with the background, the target audience, the creative strategy ... Sounds familiar? I launched into my pitch with all the eloquence of a passionate account executive who is not allowed to speak at home.

Barely was I on to slide three when the client got up ... “Mr Shiridhar, please stop,” he said. I stopped, confused and bewildered and looked at him, waiting for direction like all good client servicing people do. “Tell me, Mr Shiridhar,” he said, “are you going to stand in front of every television set in the country and make this presentation before our commercial comes on air? Nahi na, so just play the commercial.” He was absolutely right as clients usually are and I saw the wisdom of what he was saying. How often do we get carried away by the power of our own rhetoric and the colour of our slides and forget that it is all about the commercial that the consumer gets to see eventually. Yes, “show and tell’ is the name of the game. Your commercial must entertain and sell without all the bells and whistles that precede it when you are presenting to the client.

Presentation for dessert!

The late Eighties were the days of the great Indian IPO. Everyone and his brother-in-law were going public. The big cons were granite and aquaculture and the hotbed was Hyderabad where rumour had it that the moment the company went public the first capital investment the company would make would be buying a Mercedes for the MD! But back to our own travails! We were chasing one such IPO and the company did not even have an office. So we were asked to present at the client’s house.

Shamelessly we went and the joint family was having dinner. My favourite image of the ad agency is like that of my retriever with its tongue hanging out longingly, so much does new business mean to us agency people! There were only 50 people, children running around, and mayhem, a bit like the Fortune cooking oil commercial that one sees on TV.

Before the dessert we set up our projectors for the entertainment! I got ready to present, only to realise that I was the odd man out as my client probably spoke only a few words of English. The daughter-in-law was the smartest one and she was quietly managing the show and the company. So my colleague, who is the president of one of India’s top three agencies today, bailed me out by presenting our great advertising strategy and the creative in chaste Hindi (or so I presumed as I did not understand a word of what he said). I personally believe the presentation was too good for the client as we did not get the business and boy, was I glad about that as the company went under a little later! Sometimes we do get some things right, even by accident!

I am not sure if you are feeling as good as I am after reading this, but at least I am sure I have gotten your mind off the gloom, and never mind, we will beat Australia 7-0 when they come here!

(Ramanujam Sridhar is CEO, brand-comm, and the author of Googly: Branding on Indian Turf.)

12 comments:

Ram said...

To be honest that was exhilirating stuff to borrow a cliched phrase from a well known cricket commentator. Your idea of taking your mind of the gloom reminds me of what swami sukobananda says. He says first learn to be happy and the reason will follow,( rather than always first looking for reasons to be happy and consequently feeling sad there arent any).
I like that bit on the mugic bit. I would trade my entire ligustic skills and my MBA qualification to have the business acumen of a guju. Anyday.
Most of us dont recognise that english is just another language like say konkini. And if we are not worried about not knowing konkini well we shouldnt be too worried about any lifustic ability or accent.
Dont worry Be happy since as per newton every action has an equal and opposite reation. And to extrapolate that would mean every gloom has to be followed by a boom ! But When is the ?

Ram said...

To be honest that was exhilirating stuff to borrow a cliched phrase from a well known cricket commentator. Your idea of taking your mind of the gloom reminds me of what swami sukobananda says. He says first learn to be happy and the reason will follow,( rather than always first looking for reasons to be happy and consequently feeling sad there arent any).
I like that bit on the mugic bit. I would trade my entire ligustic skills and my MBA qualification to have the business acumen of a guju. Anyday.
Most of us dont recognise that english is just another language like say konkini. And if we are not worried about not knowing konkini well we shouldnt be too worried about any lifustic ability or accent.
Dont worry Be happy since as per newton every action has an equal and opposite reation. And to extrapolate that would mean every gloom has to be followed by a boom ! But When is the ?

Ramanujam Sridhar said...

Yes ram, we place too much of a premium on our ability to speak Englsih don't we!
I some how feel that there is light at the end of the tunnel, even if the tunnel is a bit long!!

Arvind said...

Dear Sridhar

I really liked your article and found it very nostalgic. We have all been through those times and yes, that's why we are still retianing our sanity and smile.

Ramanujam Sridhar said...

Thanks Aravind.

Prateek Srivastava said...

Suddenly, all the memories of that presentation came flooding back. Those were awesome days!!

Ramanujam Sridhar said...

Yes I too remember the good times and the nice guys that worked with us for so little giving so much.

Aalhad Wadekar said...

Dear Mr. Sridhar,

Thanks. I really managed to divert my attention from the mundane task that I was doing & enjoyed the article. As I told you when we met in our office, I am a fan of your thoughts & this is one more food for thought from your side. Its one of the reason I buy Business line on Thursday.

I will be more than happy to here from you often.

Ramanujam Sridhar said...

Thanks a lot for the nice things said by you.

Rajesh Kochhar said...

Sridhar,

Great article - nice to have a personal touch and earthy wisdom

Roy, Ayantika said...

Have gone through your current article. It is interesting, entertaining and relevant to what we face even today!

Ashish Trivedi said...

Nice article,sir... you made us smile with gr8 sense of humor in the brand management sessions which were always interesting and insightful...