Self-belief is the key to success

AGK SPEAK

What I've liked

When God is in the details, perfection will never be far away. I wonder how many of you have had the opportunity to watch the new Philips commercial for its home theatre "" I don't think it has been aired on TV because I saw this in a theatre.

And watching it on big screen was memorable. I am sure every frame of it will remain etched in my memory for a long time. It's basically about a postman trying to locate "Poonam Theatre".

A major portion of the ad is dedicated to "The Big Search" which ends at the flat of a lady called Poonam.

A wide cast of people, with their individual quirky mannerisms point the postman to the right address. When the postman rings the bell, the door is opened by the lady herself framed against a backdrop of a mind numbing blast of music and sound effects.

You realise it's the product at work in her home that has earned her the nickname "" "Poonam Theatre".

I love this commercial because of many things "" one, it is such a simple thought "" turning the brand benefit into the idea. No layering of communication. Just a non-complicated thought.

Two "" the scripting. I haven't watched such a focused script in years. Everything in the script literally "points" to the benefit. Clean and uncluttered, it steps back to set the idea free, instead of imposing on it.

Three "" the execution. Such detailing and minimalism. You could cut out any frame and you'll get a beautifully art-directed picture. Whoever directed the commercial is an amazing observer of human nature besides being a good communicator.

What I've learned

Glory is just 0.1 per cent away.

Once upon a time there was a poor woman in a village who delivered milk daily to a sadhu living on the other side of the river. However, she couldn't cross the river during monsoons.

When the sadhu asked her about her absence, she said that the river was swollen. "Silly woman, the solution is simple. Just recite the mantra I taught you and you can walk over water," said the sadhu.

So the next time she faced the swollen river she followed the sadhu's instructions and walked over water. Soon it was the sadhu's turn to cross the river.

Though he knew how to do it, he had never done so. He stood on the bank, recited the mantra and instead of closing his eyes and stepping forward, he put one foot in the water and looked down to check.

That was his undoing. His own belief in his "secret weapon" was not 100 per cent. His hesitation prevented him from stepping forward in full faith. So he never crossed the river.

This is why and how glory is reserved only for a few. They are the ones who believe that anything is possible, however ridiculous it may seem. Belief is always 100 per cent. There is nothing like 99.9 per cent faith.

If you don't believe completely in what you do, success will elude you. It's a principle which applies to everything in life. In work or in love.

For instance a surgeon has to have 100 per cent faith in what he does, otherwise someone else's life is at stake. A comparison with advertising may seem flippant, but in most cases it is inevitably one man's belief that fuels a strategy forward. It is this 100 per cent conviction that often makes or breaks a brand.

I've often been asked if I ever wanted to put in my papers during my 23-year tryst with Mudra. My reply has always been constant. "I have never needed to", because I had 100 per cent psychic ownership of the organisation.

In short, reality is what you believe. As long as your belief is 100 per cent.

agkbrandconsult@yahoo.com