Sunday, March 4, 2007

Sri Aurobindo Ashram laid the foundation for my understanding of people and their behaviour

Advertising can never be boring. WHAT is advertising about? People, says Ram Sehgal in Mixed Feelings from Tata McGraw-Hill (www.tatamcgrawhill.com) Catalyst - Books
The biographical book is about people, therefore, beginning with the author's nostalgic account of his interactions with the Mother in Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. For, "the Ashram laid the foundation for my understanding of people and their behaviour," as Sehgal writes. He takes flight from there, literally, as a purser in Air India, after a postgraduate diploma in journalism. "I learnt a lot about people and how to deal with their insecurities ... I also learnt to deal with the eccentricities of important people, some of whom were nice, some nasty and the remaining, downright impossible."
Read about the Krishna Menon episode on the London-Bombay civilian flight. When the craft was an hour away from its destination, Menon wanted the landing to be in Delhi, because he had an important meeting with the Prime Minister. But the Captain had this to say when the dutiful purser conveyed the message: "If he is the Defence Minister, just give him a parachute, open the door, and I will drop him as close as I can to Delhi."
Read also about the young man in economy class who kept the reading light on to the annoyance of his co-passenger, an American lady, who wanted to sleep. Sehgal narrates: "I went over and requested him to turn off the light and come sit with me for a chat ... "
He told Sehgal that he was working in London as an apprentice with the Rolls Royce Company. That he'd lost his father a few years ago and that he was flying to visit his mother in Delhi. "`What does your mother do?' I asked, trying to keep the conversation going till the old lady went to sleep," reminisces the author. "In an extremely matter-of-fact way he answered, `She is the Prime Minister of India.'"
The `Flying Years' chapter concludes with a `rather shaky start,' with Sehgal launching himself into advertising. "The most exciting part of the advertising business is that it can never be boring," he writes, looking back on the four decades of his career. Patience and tenacity are the hallmarks of the ad business, he says. "It is a tough profession. It demands a lot of dedication, commitment and the tenacity to hang in."
According to the author, creativity requires a multifaceted personality, with a diversity of interests. "It usually helps if one learns to quieten one's mind," he advises. "In the initial stages, the mind will throw up pretty ordinary ideas. One must not get involved at this stage." Mind is lazy at one level, and confusing at another level, points out Sehgal. Therefore, steer away from `the initial rush of ideas' to allow intuition to work, he guides. "What one really needs is an inspiration, it is not just about hard work. Hard work is necessary to learn the craft, like a musician does. But once the musician has acquired the knowledge, he then moves on to creativity."
The part on `accounts and handlers' remembers Martin Sorrell for the financial discipline that he infused into the advertising and communication industry. "He has set worldwide benchmarks for revenues, cost, and margins. He has heightened supervision with a tough bunch of mostly unpopular finance managers across the global network," writes Sehgal.
There is inspiration also from Subhas Ghosal's words: "Observe and find out what other agencies are doing. You can learn a lot from them!" The book records a humane gesture of his thus: "In the 1970s, when the second largest agency, Clarion, was in trouble, Mr Ghosal sent all his managers a memo to say - Do not raid Clarion's clients or people. We need to help them survive and go forward. If they don't, it will be bad news for the industry."
Sehgal concludes his book sombrely, that the ad industry is at the crossroads. "Its contribution to client business, as perceived by the clients, is eroded," he declares. Yet, he hopes that courage to bring about change can keep the industry afloat. A book that can anchor you well in advertising. BookMark@TheHindu.co.in D. Murali Business Line Thursday, Feb 23, 2006

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