The Hindu Business Line : Welcome 2007

It's the first time we are appearing in 2007 so Happy New Year, folks! Let's hope the economy keeps ticking and the Sensex keeps climbing and agencies keep pitching (not bitching) for business that keeps growing.

Victoria's awards

The AdClubs and the AAAI and the ABCI and the XYZI and sundry institutes will start dishing out their "coveted" awards. We thought we will steal a march over all of them and present our own most thoroughly entertaining awards first. We hope the awardees enjoy receiving them as much as we enjoy presenting them.

Our Super Crorepati of the year award goes to Shah Rukh Khan. No other person has been promised so much for just asking questions. You can get only Rs 2 crore for answering all of them.

Our Golden Handshake award of the year goes to Amitabh Bachchan. The only question he is heard asking these days is "Why, why?" There are no prizes for guessing the answer.

Our Limp Handshake award for those who retired hurt this year is shared by Santosh Desai, Ishan Raina and Ramesh Narayan. The latter two claimed the age of fifty as their excuse. The first one made no excuses, he just sounded hurt.

Our Golden Goose Eggs award for the most innovative use of editorial content goes to The Bombay Times. Never has editorial space earned so much money for a newspaper.

Our Visionary Entrepreneur of the Year award goes to Vijay Mallya. If his Kingfisher Airlines never makes profits, he can maintain everyone's bottom line by just selling his calendars.

Our Actor of the Year award goes to Rajiv Bakshi. He acted genuinely convinced that Pepsi was not Pesti Cola. He has already claimed his award of a foreign posting. Far away from India, he does not have to "drink his own words."

Rajiv Bakshi: `No pesticola this!'

The Ashes are being borrowed by Victoria to be presented to the winners of the Best Proxy War of the Year award in the Indian Newspapers Society (INS). The award will be shared by the new office bearers and can be collected only by proxy.

Our Khadi Scroll for the leading `swadeshi' media independent of the year goes to Madison Advertising. It has given every multinational media independent a run for their ultra-slim margins.

Our Golden Flashbulb award for the most photographed media personality of the year goes to Sam Balsara.

Our Storm-in-a-Flashbulb award goes to Mika and Rakhi Sawant.

Our Best Continuing Campaign award goes to Sundar Swamy for his unprecedented hat-trick as President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI). Presidents of Indian Society of Advertisers are not eligible to enter. Shri Swamy will be presented a Long Playing Record for his feat.

Our Teflon-coated statuette for the most innovative awarder of the year goes to Raju Bhatia. He has presented more awards in three years than the AdClub and AAAI have in their combined history.

Our Best Movie Director award goes to Balki. This is in anticipation of his movie being a hit. The Best Account Director Award goes to Prasoon Joshi. is in anticipation of his fine innings as a planner. The Best Managing Director Award goes to Piyush Pandey. There is no award for the Best Creative Director. No anticipation either.

In the category "Best Advertising Campaigns" there is no award.

Jaipur wedding

So many people we knew went to Jaipur to attend the double wedding of the scions of the Rajastan Patrika family that we feel as if we were there ourselves. It seems the AAAI and IBF even organised a meeting there to facilitate their members. The Vice-President of India was there for the entire evening and so were several other political heavies including the Chief Minister.

Gulab Kothari, was, it seems, in his element as he welcomed the advertising and media bosses who had flown in specially. Anil Kapoor of FCB Ulka, the Swamy brothers (Sundar and Shekhar) of RK Swamy BBDO, Madhukar Kamath of Mudra, Sandeep Goyal of Dentsu and Vikram Sakhuja of Group M were some of the ad types there. The prominent media heavies included Kiron and I. Venkat of Eenadu, Pratap Pawar of the Sakal Group, Raj Nayak of NDTV and G. Krishnan of Aaj Tak .

* * *

We keep getting asked why Mumbai and why Victoria? Mumbai is seen as the Mecca or Madison Avenue of advertising. This column has sought to take a bird's eye view of the happenings, events, personalities and, of course, the advertising that shapes, makes, and sometimes mars this exciting industry. The comments might sometimes be made tongue firmly in cheek, but never with any intent of malice. And, Victoria is the name given to the tanga or horse-drawn carriage that is unique to Mumbai. A once regal way to get around Bombay, it now serves as a favourite tourist attraction to those who visit Mumbai. The name re-gained local popularity with the release of a Hindi movie called Victoria 203. It remains a very enjoyable way to take in the sights of Mumbai. So sit back and enjoy the tour.

Victoria

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