Old values die hard

AGKSPEAK

Fidelity is as rare an attribute in advertising, as it is in the case of jobs.

What I've Liked
An ode to Amul

Whenever you see an ad think of the brand seems to be a sentiment that has gone out of the window in the recent past.

The slew of Entertainment Only ads has compelled me to seek out the more meaningful ones, and fortunately a not-so-recent Amul TV ad was on air. The film has a frame that says it all, the simple yet powerful reality that creates the magic of a truly Indian brand that the country can be very proud of.

I wonder how many of us realize this every time we spread a pat of golden Amul butter across our morning toast, that this truly represents the independent India for which our fathers fought.

Amul's presence in a world far removed from its creation, the cities and towns, is yet another success story heading towards the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running campaign ever "" the Amul Hoardings. 1967 was the year it was born, and it has continued ever since with the same ad agency, truly a record for the Indian advertising world.

The rewards of such admirable fidelity are visible every time a new hoarding comes up. The gentle, tongue-in-cheek humour that never ever borders on the offensive is a brand culture that has clearly seeped into the agency's DNA to help it survive time and people movement. Both product and brand are true icons that we would all do well to applaud and inculcate into our lives as well.

What I've Learned
Challenge "" the new work adrenalin

A new sentiment has been gathering momentum over the past couple of years among our bright, skilled professionals "" choosing jobs that challenge them. If I were to put a context to it, I would probably attribute it to our rapidly progressing economy. Because one thing is for sure, it is definitely a luxury that the generation that preceded this one was not fortunate enough to enjoy.

Through most of my work life, I've had to interview prospective colleagues, and over the years I have listened to their dreams and aspirations for their new assignment. Snatching up a position that offered more pay used to be the sure-shot response, but over the past decade there has been a noticeable shift in the reasons for change.

Interestingly, enticing compensation packages no longer blind decision-making to all else, but what has emerged is a keen desire to challenge themselves, to work in an environment that helps them prove to the world that they are winners. This redefining of what achievement is all about, is really what the country sorely needs. Challenges are plenty.

The problem all this while has been to interest able minds to shoulder the responsibility. And it looks like we finally have a generation eager to do just that. Clearly now, the ball is in the employers court to ensure that the difficulty quotient of the job does not insult the abilities of the employee, however well paying it may be!

It is not an easy task for the employer and it requires both a keen understanding of the individual, an ability to read his strengths and, to provide him with a challenge that pushes the envelope for him. Yes, it is a different workplace altogether and it has just got more interesting.