Guest Column: Thank God, I am in advertising: Bodhisatwa Dasgupta
There are many things we can't explain in advtg. Like why we crib about it, yet continue with it. Is it because somewhere in that cynical mind of ours, we're proud of what we’re doing, wonders Grey Worldwide's Creative Director

A few days back, I was fortunate enough to meet someone I have immense respect for, a writer I grew up on. Half an hour after meeting him, I was even more fortunate to watch him speak.
I had the fortune to laugh along with the many who laughed, when he said he was glad he wasn’t in advertising anymore. I had the fortune of giving the planners in the audience a snide glance when he talked about planners lacking imagination and exposure. I had the fortune of giving one of the greatest men in our advertising time a standing ovation.
But then I came home.
And as I poured myself a drink, I started thinking. I started thinking about all the things he said, about how glad he was to be out of advertising. And I asked myself if I was happy doing what I did.
And I was.
And not just because advertising is perhaps the only thing I can do. But because the way advertising constantly evolves.
There are so many new things that are happening around us, newer ways to tell stories, more engaging ways for brands to connect, un-heard of things for companies to do.
Advertising has changed since the last 30 years. And in 10 years, it won’t be the same as it is today. And it’s all very romantic to begin sentences with “In the good old days…”. But truth be told, 10 years later, we’ll all be dinosaurs, struggling to come to terms with what advertising is then.
And there’s nothing whatsoever wrong with that. Things change. People change. Roles change. Brands change. Agencies change. Technology changes. It’s hard to keep up.
The essence of advertising, however, still stays the same. It is, from my limited knowledge, mostly about relationships between people. Not even between clients and agencies – but between one client and one advertising person.
It is still about creating great advertising. Or trying to, at any rate. And here’s the thing. I don’t believe that the great advertising has to come from a writer. Or an art director. And not anyone else. The great thing with ideas is that it can come from anyone, regardless of discipline, degree or designation.
I don’t believe account planners lack in imagination and exposure. Some of them are twats, of course. But then so are most of us, in the creative department.
I have had the fortune of working with many account planners who have hit the insight spot on. And that’s what advertising is all about, isn’t it? Saying something that everyone else empathizes with?
Account planners have made our lives easier, if anything. In the “good old days”, writers had to research a brand thoroughly before they wrote a campaign. They had to test drive cars, lie down beneath them, write with the pens they advertised, sell life insurance to talk about it.
Now we have someone else to do all that and come and tell us, so we may tell a nice little story around it.
Is that good? Bad?
I haven’t a clue, but 10 years from now, we’ll have a separate discipline in agencies that are in charge of just writing baselines. Or jingles.
We’ll probably have a separate discipline that’s in charge of thinking which celebrity should be endorsed with what brand too. And as much as I hate celebrity endorsement, and as much as I think that it’s a colossal waste of money, the fact is Indians love idol worship.
It’s in our damn genes. Sachin isn’t a man who plays good cricket. He’s a God. Shahrukh isn’t a good(?) actor. He’s a God. And if Mango Frooty is good enough for God, then it sure as hell is good enough for us.
And Amitabh Bachhan? Don’t get me started.
The point is, there are many things we can’t explain in advertising. Like why a product that doesn’t do any advertising sometimes does much, much better than a product that spends millions on it.
Like why we come home cribbing about advertising, and how we promise to quit it every day. Only to return the next morning to our offices and secretly feel happy. Only to go home that night and promise to quit it again.
Is it because somewhere in that cynical mind of ours, we’re proud of what we’re doing? Is it because in spite of clients sometimes extracting the last drop of blood from us, that last drop happens to be pure gold? Is it because in spite of not making any money in it at all, we’re still leaving something behind every day?
Or is it simply because there’s nowhere else we’d rather be?
Bodhisatwa Dasgupta (popularly known as Bodhi) is Creative Director, Grey Worldwide
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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