New age advertising

Print advertising, TVCs and now, the web. Advertising has been exploiting avenue after avenue to surge ahead and influence consumers’’ mindsets on a very large scale. Today, advertising on the internet is catching up like a wild fire. The reach is global and the costs are much lesser. It is true that the reach of internet is not as widespread as the reach of print but it is growing rapidly. However, for every creative person in this business, print is probably the most exciting and challenging medium but the fact is that it is a still medium where a person’s vision is limited to a motionless graphic. Television and internet on the other hand can show much more. Internet has an even bigger advantage because it is far more interactive than the good old television. Besides there are a zillion blogs like this which dedicate themselves entirely to advertise and create communities of consumers, which obviously gives every consumer a feeling of fraternity and hence impacts the brand to a significant extent.
From viral campaigns to brand related games, there is everything to hold a consumer’s interest and propel him or her towards the brand for the desired effect. The latest example of this from Indian advertising is the viral cum game for Center Fresh, a bubble gum. Though legends like Ogilvy, Bernbach and Leo Burnett will always adorn the hall of fame of advertising but the truth is, the business is not that simple any more. Numerous possibilities have opened up. Talking about possibilities, outdoor advertising is another form of advertising that has found new meaning in the recent years. More than creativity, advertising is now a game of innovation and finding new media.
There is not a single aspect of a person’s life that has not been touched by this business and the influence just keeps growing. Radio is another medium that is entering the world of advertising in a big way. Standard painted billboards have been replaced by LEDs and from bus shelters to roads to mammoth building, nothing has escaped the “Brand Invasion”. Question is, is it good or bad? The answer is simple. Looking at the bigger picture, it is definitely good because it gives the brands a bigger chance to expand and creates an inspirational value that is unmatched. Though yes, looking at it with a magnifying glass, there are certain short-lived difficulties on the way. Like pressure to innovate increases manifold and properties that are hired for advertising might be a nuisance to people until they get used to it. However, I guess, we should always look at the bigger picture and enjoy the expansion and intrusion of this business into our lives.
Adios.

HELP people...

Life is strange. I mean, there are so many things that one just has to do. There is this public image one has to maintain irrespective of what’s on a person’s mind and the other face is what the people close to a person know. Like right now, I am in a phase of life where I just want to run away from everything and be with myself but then, work demands attention too! Can’t compromise on that so have to work no matter what happens. The truth is, I miss Little T. A lot of people have asked me what her actual name is but sorry, nobody gets to know that. I just lost her without too much of a chance of a return and I am upset. Very upset. But then, things are not in my hand and she doesn’t look too keen on setting things right. I miss her. I really do. And if any of is reading this blog right now, please do me a favour, please pray on my behalf. I mean, I have tried everything under the Sun that can be called fair. And I really don’t want to play unfair when it comes to her because I will not be able to bear the guilt. And if there is an all pervading power, or God, or anything such as that, then that power isn’t responding to my pleas. Maybe He/She will respond to yours. I will be really obliged. Honestly, nobody has meant this much to me ever and I really miss her. Please help me out people. Please. You know, I have never really had anyone who could ever talk to her on my behalf and me doing it myself obviously sounded very cheap. She’s very angry with me and very upset. Really counting on everyone who reads this post. Thanks a ton!

Adios.

Funny hospitals

The intrusion of doctors and scalpels in my life seems to be ceaseless. And for that, I have visited plenty of hospitals and I must say that contrary to popular belief, I have found hospitals to be pretty funny and amusing. All that one has to have is an observant eye.

My recent visit to this hospital particularly brought out the funny aspect. To begin with, I was made to sit in a freaking wheel chair. As it is, the wheel chair, needless to say, was a little too small for me and second, I felt so bloody handicapped! Now, coming to think of it, having a chauffeur driven chair wasn’t all that bad. In fact, I told the guy to speed up as we approached the operation theatre and I made sounds like a speeding bike. People staring at me must have thought I was headed in for a brain surgery to fix the wiring inside. Some even looked at me sympathetically!

Then once I reached the cutting up room (a.k.a. OT), I was told to change into the hospital uniform which looked more like an ill fitting space suit! And once again, neither did they have a uniform nor shoes my size. Now, I looked hilarious!

Oh! And did I tell you about the weighing machine? There is this monstrous (in comparative terms) weighing machine put right in the middle of the hospital which looks like it had been originally made to weigh elephants. And some people who hopped on it in fact were pretty close in terms of their weight. The highest was a man who weighed 250 kgs! Sheesh…that’s 2 and a half quintals!

Now I shall come to what happened in the OT. To begin with, the stretcher was a little too small as usual. And to add to that, the doc was talking on the phone! I mean, come on, there should be some law against doctors talking on the phone in the middle of a damned surgery.

Another thing I have noticed is that sometimes, people really try to put up a sad face when at a hospital, no matter how serious the ailment is. Like even if people have come in for a cold and flu, they have an expression like they are suffering from a terminal disease. I on the other keep grinning even in the face of surgeries. But then, I am crazy I guess.

Anyway, I am pretty bored of writing now. So I am signing off.

Adios.