| The idea is nothing new, in fact, it has been used all too often in myriad forms but it still manages to weave its magic. It only goes to prove my point that simplicity is and will always be the key to effective advertising. A point well-illustrated by this ad. |
| There seems to be an alarming dearth of ads to write about. I'm sure it's only a passing phase and the tide will soon turn. In the meantime, at the risk of making my column sound like an Amitabh Bachchan fan column, I have to say that the Pulse Polio commercial with Sachin and the Big B scores high on my popularity chart. |
| It is not an easy task having two celebrities on your hands. It must be harder still, to get the best out of their personalities to spread awareness about polio. But they both do an extremely commendable job and it is a pleasure watching every single airing of the spot. |
| What I've learned Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devoh Maheshwara, Guru Saakshat Para Brahma, Tasmai Shree Guruve Namaha |
| Gu-ru-, two Sanskrit words which stand for someone who leads you from darkness to light. Gu is darkness Ru is the act of removal. And a guru does just that "" he/she takes the blindfolds off. |
| Most of us are considered fortunate if we are able to have just one guru in our lives. I've had three. I have worked closely with two of them and the third one I've learnt from, has been from afar, Eklavya style. |
| My first guru "" Giraben Sarabhai. The best way I can describe her is, as the most low-profile genius that I've known. It is from her that I imbibed this urge to stay away from the limelight. The architect and the brain behind the only world-class, Indian textile museum in Asia, Calico Museum of Textiles, she played a major role in the creation of NID (National Institution of Design, Ahmedabad). |
| Giraben was also the moving spirit behind all of Calico's pathbreaking advertising and various product innovations in the '60s and early '70s. She led by example, as did all my gurus. She gave me my sense of aesthetics. |
| Giraben also had an unusual teaching methodology "" she would assemble all the pieces of a layout and experiment by patiently repositioning the pieces, like a jigsaw. She taught me how to make the same thing look stunningly different and original "" many times over. |
| My second guru "" Dhirubhai Ambani. Till he came along, I would have never dared to dream beyond my limited sphere. He gave me the courage I never knew I had "" to dream bigger than I had ever done. To be convinced that nothing is impossible. He also introduced me to myself! |
| Showed me that I had multiple skills. It was something he did with all of us. He could see more of our capabilities than we did, and he gave us the opportunities to develop them. |
| My third guru is Dr V Kurien. I have had only brief interactions with him, of a client-agency nature. He is someone who is truly proud to be Indian and he has lived a life that proves it. He changed the way I look at India. |
| Looking back, I realise that I have had been uncommonly fortunate. Fortunate because I am not just once, but thrice blessed. My gurus changed the way I looked at life and that has made all the difference between existing... and living my dreams. Email: agkbrandconsult@yahoo.com |
Explore Business Standard