Catching up again ...

I needed some boost to thaw the frozen blogging part of my brain. Gaurav has this hypothesis: in winter people blog less because it is winter.

Then yesterday I received this magazine with the advertisement that reminded me another ad jingle from India; and I felt it is time, just write something.
First I was surprised to seen Devnagari in a magazine like this in US. But if you think deeply, it not unexpected. Growing population of Indian and Chinese technologist is not a new fact. No wonder use of Devnagari or Han characters will become more and more common. In fact someone was telling me the other day, that Indian English is going to dominate American or British English in twenty years! Let linguists research on those issues. The fact is Indian English is very common now, so is Hindi. First time I went to New Jersey, the first full sentence I heard when my friend parked the car, was a Hindi sentence.
But more surprising to me is the tone of the advertisement. Is this an indication of slow cultural invasion ...

'Kya aap close-up karte hain ...?'

Now, the news that made my day ...

Finally one more item from my wish list is going to be crossed out. 'Hair' is returning on Broadway from Mar 31, 2009.
Let the sunshine in ...

Advent of advertisements

Palashda had once told me that advertisement industry in the west is pretty much matured and advanced whereas in India, as usual, getting matured and in middle east it's still in late childhood! No wonder I had some expectations on advertisements after coming to USA. This is what I got!
Advertisements here can be divided in main six categories.

1. Food and food chains
2. Advocates & Law firms
3. Insurance
4. Medicines
5. Cars
6. and others

Food related ads are really very stereotype except one or two. Insurance and law firm ads are the worst in the entire sector, either entirely out of context or totally vague. Medicines have the longest ads on TV, and they are boring. However, they follow a very common pattern; first they describes a very common feeling, then makes it a point to prove that that is actually a disease and then gives you the cure along with the side effects! ...

'Does your head jerk when you sneeze?'

'You may be suffering from sneeze-jerk disease!'
'Ask your doctor for sneezocure! Side effects may include nausea, sleepiness, lethargy, occasional urge for sex and gambling, depression, occasional urge for suicide, etc.'

Car advertisements are typical just like any other car commercial in any part of the world.
One or two are creative others are normally just eye candy and few are really dumb. 90% of the all commercials are the first five categories. Rest 10% others are also nothing notesworthy.
In Indian TV, the products, whose commercials are shown are pretty varied. So we have a huge range of advertisements and some of them are really good. The worst ads are shown in regional channels, poorly packaged and poorly executed ads. No US ads are of such low quality but the Law firms' ads often are on the verge of competing with these regional channel ads! But in National TV of India commercials are really well packaged and aggressive. Some of them are really heartwarming like classsic Raymond, Cadbury or Titan ads. Indian commercials are I felt not less matured, if not more, than US commercials.

Unsolicited calls

I was in the office. I got a call on my mobile from an unknown number. A young lady was on the opposite side of the phone.

- Sir, may I talk to Mr. Roy?
- Ya, talking.
- Sir I am calling from ... Bank, do you use any credit card, sir?
- Where from did you get my number?
- Sir, I have a database with me.
- Where from did you get the database?
- Sorry sir, what?
- Where from did you get the database with my number?
- I got it from the office, sir. My boss gave it. Do you use any credit card, sir?
- Well, eventually, I do. But tell me some thing. What is your name?
- ...
- Ok, which bank are you representing?
- Sir, ... Bank.
- And what is the name of your boss?
- Sir, but sir, why are you asking these?
- I am just inquisitive about the database with my personal mobile number!
- Sir, I got the database from my boss.

I hear her voice cracking. There was a break. She talks to somebody, another lady's voice replies, 'Cut the phone yaar'. Some more noises come through the earpiece. I talk to mouthpiece, 'Hello!'

- Yes sir?
- Can you tell me the name of your boss, from whom you got the database?
- Sir I got it from my manager.
- Yes, tell me the name of the manager.
- But sir, why are you enquiring all these?
- Because you called me in my personal number. I don't want any unsolicited calls at this number. This supposedly a personal number and that is why I want to know how did you get my number!
- But sir, we have database sir!
- Yes, I know that. That is why I want to know the name of your boss, who gave you the database. Do you know, yesterday the High Court has imposed a fine of Rs. 50 Lakhs for these kind of unsolicited calls from a certain Bank?

I can feel the moisture in her voice. She is about to cry. She, I presume got worried about her job.

- OK, Miss ..., you personally have nothing to do with the fine. But certainly your boss might have to! OK?
- OK sir.
- Please convey this message to your boss. OK?
- OK Sir.

She seems sobbing. I cut the phone.

That lady is a poor call center lady. She has, as a matter of fact, nothing to do with all these unsolicited calls. Only thing is that she is ordered to gather all potential customers. This policy of direct marketing is the culprit. Its irritating. And the judgement from the High Court is very very just. In the judgment a fine of Rs. 50 Lakhs has been imposed on the bank and the cellular service provider. It is a great decision.

But eventually the call I got was from a bank whose credit card I have already applied for and got sanctioned. But due to my absense at station the courier couldn't deliver it. It got returned to the head office of the bank. But I have started recieving my bills! May be the call was regarding any information on that issue! Was I too impulsive? But then why should she ask whether I use any credit card or not?

You and I ...

A pug and a kid. Momnets together captured in slightly soft focus, in slightly dark tone. The pug follows the kid like his shadow, and the soft song in the background ... the loved Hutch advertisement.
Whenever the advertisement is played on TV - in its full or abridged version, the tune of the jingle is sure to catch your ear. I don't have a TV. So I've seen the ad in some friends house and never watched the full version, at leat as far as I remember. The tune of the song playing in the background if the ad for a couple of seconds recently caught my attention and it sounded very familiar. It seemed I've heard the song somewhere else, and it must copied from some famous song. But I couldn't figure out which song! Then finally I asked few friends, they came up immediately that the song is 'You and I, in this beautiful world'. One of them sang the first two lines. It again seemed very familiar, I just couldn't place the lyrics. But nobody could say the name of the original artist. One friend said he has heard this tune playing onboard whenever he traveled by a particular airlines. Anyway I was wondering for a long time where to get the actual info on the original song. Finally I Googled and found the mysterious tune!
Now I am watching it on the link above.
Great jingle!

Little Boxes

Evening. I was watching TV at one of my friend's house. It was a tea break in a cricket match. I don't watch cricket, but I watch the advertisement. Then I found suddenly the famous Seeger song 'Little boxes' strted playing on TV with a visualization where people clad in boxes literaly following the lyrics. The full song was sung and then behind the boringly box clad men appeared a sparkling red car. It said its for the people who are outside the boxes.
I was awestruck by the idea.