The Hindu Business Line : Nothing `neo'

Well, surprise surprise! So did the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). The "chilly" TVC was pulled up by ASCI as contravening some sections of its rules.

So what does the advertiser have to say? Nothing. And the agency? They say that the other ads have not been found contravening any rule of ASCI.

And in any case, the West Indies series has ended. The advertising has done its work. Or its damage. Now who cares what ASCI says?

Too little, too late. The story of our lives. And we call this self-regulation.

Abby entries

As expected we didn't get any answers to the questions we posed about certain agencies not having entered for the Abby awards. So shall we take it that we were right? At any rate, by the time you read this, the Abby awards function would be over, and as they say, "everything will be revealed."

We've already told you who the winner will be, so those of you polite folks keen to send those messages of congratulations could have sent them in to Piyush Pandey before the rest of the world does. We will reserve ours for next week.

The Ad Club has been hard at work cranking up its PR machinery with information that over 3,000 entries have been received. The question, dear friends, is not just the number of entries, but whom they have come in from.

We are sure the profile of entrants now is not just the big agencies as was the case in the past. With many of the big agencies absent, it will include processors, studios and the like. Well. Below-the-line is on the rise, and we do need to broadbase our appeal, don't we?

More on awards

PRASOON JOSHI: Filmfare award winner

The Filmfare awards were announced in style. And we were pleased as punch that our own advertising person, Prasoon Joshi, was on stage once again, this time clutching a Filmfare award. Our advertising types are doing some fantastic work for Bollywood. Why doesn't this depth of talent show in the advertising of our brands? All you advertisers out there should really tune into the buzz. Pleeease do not stifle great creatives. Let it work its magic. You guys will really gain.

The awards itself had all the big names in Bollywood participating. With the Screen awards turning out to be pretty good, and the Filmfare awards turning out to be rather good, we are waiting for the last of the biggies, the Zee Cine awards. We wonder what Pradeep Guha will have to pull out of his hat to beat the Filmfare awards that he himself made so big.

Mumbai ahoy!

Mumbai played host to the first international boat show to be held in India. We must say the PR preceding it was pretty effective. Of course, it helps to have the leading newspaper in Mumbai as one of the presenters of the show, but on the whole, the awareness levels created were good.

Looks like Mumbai will have many new luxury boats zipping along its waters. Boats should do well in a place like Mumbai. It has the money, and if the residents like the sea, their only option is to go boating. They don't dare get into the dirty seawater for a swim anyway.

Holi party

Holi parties are so passé! With everyone thinking of ways to innovate, we heard that Bhaskar Das of the Times Group has been beating the compulsive party-givers by hosting a pre-Holi party.

This `fastest-finger-first' is not a bad idea. It lets guests get the feel of a Holi party without having to venture out on the actual Holi day where inebriated hordes take over many of the city streets indiscriminately throwing not just colour, but aluminium paint and eggs as well, all in the name of the festival of colour.

Anyway, a little bird tells us that a pretty tidy crowd turned up on the top floor of the Intercontinental Hotel on Marine Drive, all dressed up in white (white dress code for a Holi party was so cool) and partook of the Bhaskar Das hospitality. Happy Holi.

Victoria invites comments at brandline@thehindu.co.in

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