The Hindu Business Line : AdClub Bombay

Today (June 30), what is considered as the world's largest advertising club, will get a new team under the Presidentship of Kalpana Rao of O&M. Kalpana, one of the erstwhile czarinas of media, now looks after HR at O&M.

She will have the distinction of being only the second woman to head this august body. She will also have our best wishes.

Incidentally, old-timers tell us that the first woman President was the young Pheroza Bilimoria, who is now Managing Director, Business India. Ms Bilimoria is presently Chairperson of the India Chapter of the International Advertising Association, a job she is doing for the second time around.

The outgoing President, M. G. Parameswaran, is rated to have done a very professional and competent job of heading the AdClub Bombay during his term. He had the rather special opportunity of heading the Club in its Golden Jubilee year. He can step down a very satisfied man.

Cannes

Over 600 entries and not one gold.

No I am not talking about the Olympics. I am referring to our international creative Olympiad at Cannes.

Well, it will give our creative heavyweights something to introspect about. After they have gotten over the collective hangover, which the daily partying would no doubt provide.

Yet this was Chennai's time in the sun. JWT's Colvyn Harris has been able to make happy noises from Cannes only because his Chennai office came up trumps. The Silver for the Indian Red Cross deserves a salute. Take a bow JWT Chennai. Arvind Sharma can take pride in the fact that Leo's entry that won a silver represented a real brand (Heinz) that needs to sell in the market place. So can McCann for Perfetti. All said and done one must admit that our creative heavies are realists. At Arvind Sharma's pre-Cannes party they were unanimous that India would not do well at Cannes this year.

Well, I guess you know a good thing when you see one.

Emvies

The AdClub's Emvies for media excellence are catching on like wildfire. Well, with media leading the way, this is to be expected. Media major Mindshare regained lost glory with a convincing win over last year's winner Lodestar. Looks like size does matter after all. The function at the Taj Lands End was very well attended.

AAAI

The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) is in its Diamond Jubilee Year. Readers will remember the AAAI changed its logo earlier this year.

It had also talked about some seminars, including one on the history of Indian advertising. Well, we are waiting with bated breath gentlemen.

Actually, our sources tell us that a mini-seminar is on the cards for July, and the worldwide CEO of BBDO will be the star attraction.

In the meanwhile, one is told the industry is in the midst of election-time. Over the next couple of months (June to September) all the industry associations will hold their AGMs and elect new teams.

The AAAI will elect a new team at its AGM on July 21. There do not seem to be any surprises in store as far as the President is concerned. Insiders say Srinivasan Swamy will take on a second term.

Srinivasan Swamy

There might be some new faces as far as the Vice-President and Committee members go, and we will keep you informed. That would leave the INS, the ABC and the ASCI.

God, we love our associations.

Snail mail

We are suddenly the recipients of many, many postcards.

Firstly, the International Herald Tribune (IHT) sent a neat little set of postcards that have some very interesting information about the IHT printed on one side. The other side of course is a postcard complete with place for a postage stamp et al.

Quite an innovative way of sending promotional material, one thought.

Within a few hours, a complete spiral bound booklet with all the programming information about the Travel & Living channel landed up. Here too, a part of one side had the information of each programme and the other part was a picture postcard. The picture was obviously about the programme itself. Neat idea. You mailed the card and the recipient came to know about the programme as well.

Suddenly one has a problem with these wonderful ideas.

How do I find someone who actually writes on a postcard, fixes a stamp and posts it? We're still looking.

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