The Hindu Business Line : Ad Club Madras honours `living legends' of industry

THE LEGENDS: (From left) Mr Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman, O&M; Mr Rajiv Menon, film-maker, Mr Ravi Deshpande, Contract Advertising; Ms Manitha Saxena, President Ad Club Madras; Mr Mohammed Khan, Chairman, Bates Enterprise, and Mr R.V. Rajan, Chairman of the Golden Jubilee Celebration Committee. — R. Shivaji Rao

Chennai , Jan. 26

TABLE service, liveried waiters and fine dining, the strains of Frank Dubier's jazz quartet interspersing the long evening, RJ Niladri's deep baritone ushering sessions like clockwork... the Advertising Club Madras had pulled out all the stops to make the first event of its golden jubilee celebrations — the living legends night — different and memorable.

The Ad Club Madras was honouring six well-known creative people for their contribution to advertising and Mr Mohammed Khan, Chairman, Bates Enterprise, who was honoured first, soaked in the atmosphere enough to say that no Ad Club anywhere had organised such a dignified event. And the irrepressible Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman of O&M, when he took the stage, showed why he's such a creative spark when he had the jazz quartet trumpet `happy birthday' to the Ad Club.

Chennai's own, film-maker Rajiv Menon, drew hearty applause when he said that it was the city that made him into a top-notch film-maker and he wouldn't move to Mumbai for anything.

In between short pieces of jazz and servings of steaks, salads and grilled chicken, Mr Khan, Mr Pandey, Mr Menon and Mr Ravi Deshpande of Contract Advertising were presented a citation and a special memento. Mr Alyque Padamsee, former CEO of Lintas and Mr Chris D'Rozario, earlier with Trikaya, Mumbai, and now with JWT in New York, were honoured in absentia.

But, the Ad Club had thoughtfully filmed their address — each was asked to forecast the next 50 years of advertising — and the audience could see and listen to their views on a large screen.

Mr Khan said that it bothered him that today the ad business was less about advertising and more about "cutting deals".

Today, after presentations by the creative team got over, it was the commercial team which struck the deal. He asked the ad industry not to abdicate its responsibility.

Mr Deshpande forecast that a lot of new media would emerge and newer ways of using them would do so too. "We may see better advertising for our consumers, braver clients for us and much more recognition for the expertise of our craft. Because this is perhaps the only business in the world which demands new ideas every day," he said. What will also not change is the ongoing desire for things that are more high tech, prettier, tastier, more innovative, entertaining, luxurious and convenient, he elaborated. The ad industry, he said, must display its ability to produce "un-boxed" ideas that make brands younger and more desirable. "Too many brands are stuck in the past," he said. Old brands should become more youthful and vibrant with time and not age with it.

Mr Menon, taking the stage, said, tongue-firmly-in-cheek, that he had made two films and was struggling with the script for his third movie and the Ad Club had already made him a living legend, and "suddenly I feel very old". He dwelt on the Asian Paints Pongal ad which had earned him fame. And, of how Piyush Pandey took that emotional idea to the national stage, otherwise it "would have been just a small regional ad for a regional company".

Mr Padamsee, in his televised address, forecast that celebrities are going to get even bigger. Advertising will get specialised while the interactivity between TV shows and SMS will get a new cutting edge. He sees more shopping on the Net and advertisers will seek out newer ways to get consumers to see and feel their products.

More events planned

THE Advertising Club Madras has planned several more events to commemorate its golden jubilee year, as Mr R.V. Rajan, Chairman of the celebrations committee, outlined.

A commemoration lecture by Mr Alyque Padamsee is planned on April 7, the date on which the Club was inaugurated 50 years ago. A special media management course in association with MICA will kick off in July and a two-day golden jubilee conference is planned in September. The surplus funds from all the events will be used to establish the Ad Club Memorial Hall for future Club meets.

The Ad Club was inaugurated by Mr C.R. Srinivas, the then editor of Swadeshamitra Daily, with just 22 members. The Club today has over 1,000 members.

At the Living Legends Night, the Ad Club announced that ad agency Brand Portrait had won a cash prize of Rs 10,000 for winning the first prize in the Golden Jubliee logo contest. It will also handle all the creatives for the jubilee events. Brand.comm. received the second prize.