Innovative ideas

Instead, in a you-scratch-my-back-and-I-scratch-yours deal with archrival The Times of India, HT offered spare capacity in its printing press to Bennett, Coleman. In return, it got advertising space in TOI, which has a circulation of over 5.5 lakh in the city. Then, HT became innovative in its attitude to outdoor advertising.

The Mahim causeway, which connects the city to the western suburbs, was its target. While 25 hoardings were jostling for attention along this stretch, HT stuck to the sand on the other side of the road.

It put up a 25-foot candle with its tagline, "Let there be light". With more than 7.5 lakh people passing through everyday, the candle "" and HT "" couldn't help but be noticed. "We knew we had to tread completely uncharted paths and device new display areas," says Indrajit Sen, president, Primesite, the outdoor advertising company that managed HT's outdoor campaign.

Its name is Hebrew for "peace" But you won't find a single Jewish/ Israeli dish on Shalom's menu.

Instead, Shalom is the hippest Mediterranean lounge bar in the capital. Still, the restaurant realises the value of playing up the "peace" connection. Words like harmony, peace and tranquillity are stencilled above the DJ's console, which, incidentally, plays only lounge music "" no bhangra and hip hop to disturb the peace.

Recently, Shalom went a step further: along with Times Music, it launched a CD entitled "The Missing Peace", which is a compilation of 10 lounge music tracks. The tracks are "interpretations of peace" by Indian electronica band Midival Punditz.

Next on the list are concerts for peace. Oh, and last year's turnover was Rs 12 crore and new restaurants are coming up in Goa and Mumbai.

Peace is clearly a paying proposition.