LIVING on the Adge… is a personal diary of interesting and not-so-interesting, hilarious and some sad events in the life of the writer Sunil Gupta, who spent almost two-and-a half decades in an advertising agency. It would be more interesting to those who are in some way connected with the media or are actually working in an advertising agency. To an outsider its an interesting account of what the advertising world is all about.
For these outsiders, it would seem an interesting world – of creative people making interesting jingles and advertisement slogans, of their idiosyncrasies etc, of deadlines, of various pressures, the whims and fancies of the clients, and the smartness and ingenuity that it requires to deal with them. It is interesting reading how much hard work goes behind creating the seemingly simple advertisements which catch attention.
Recalling his initial days, when he started his career as a fresh IIM graduate, in one of India’s leading agencies HTA, the author says, those were very different from what they have now developed into. There were no computers, and everything had to be created on paper by hand. Those were the days of creating artworks on paper with rubber solution. “Not only did this mean it was time-consuming, but the chances of error were naturally very high. Everything had therefore to go through multiple checks, like multiple cordons of security.
Today things have changed, says the author. Everything is computerised. Even designations, which were simpler earlier, have become complicated and high-sounding. “Titles have evolved into major indicators of hierarchy and prestige, much like an inebriated caste system…Contrast the (earlier) titles to the triple-barreled ones of today, eg. ‘Associate Vice-President & Creative Supervisor – Ford Trucks TV’, and you will see a metaphor of how unnecessarily convoluted the industry has become, and in what absurdly grandiose terms it sees itself.”
The competition in this field has become cut-throat. Nobody at the workplace is a friend, when it comes to getting that coveted job. Without a valid reason, the writer says, he is told to put in his papers.
(Lotus, C/o Roli Books, M-75, Greater Kailash-II Market, New Delhi -110 048)
