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Tuesday, December 26

The Argument Continues...

The dust-storm raised by Santosh's interview on agencyfaqs has had a sequel today. Top admen have ranted...Rarely do Indian admen speak their true mind!

As always, I found Arvind's(Sharma) view-point to be the most fresh, the most holistic and future-ready...I have worked with him in the past and I found him a bloody good planner!

Here's my own 'chawanni'(again!!!)on the brouhaha that refuses to die-down!

From Manish — Tue 26 Dec 2006 02:23:14 PM (As commented on afaqs)

I agree with Arvind(Sharma)...The year when TIME magazine names 'YOU( the ordinary guy on the street) as the Person of the year...is the year that announces 'democratisation of creative'. And the declining power of the experts and the specialists.

And advertising is not facing unique challenges alone! Journalism is facing threats from blogs, marketing is facing threats and challenges from web 2.0, Bollywood is inpinging on hollywood and vice versa!

The world ain't what it was just a few years ago...And, we need new leaders, new thinkers/ planners to chart new roads...to places that may not even exist on the communication map today!!

Long term planning/ strategy benefits has been under attack by the likes of Mintzberg for long, consistency is under threat by engagement and surprise and what makes up a brand( globally or nationally) is itself under question and constantly being re-invented and re-imagined...

I think it's absolutely the best time to be in the 'communication business' as seen by Google, Youtube, Star and Zee, the digital players, most big agencies,...and the small cutting edge ones like strawberryfrog and 180, and CP+B and W+K and Mother!

India is integrating with the global economy and the smallness of thoughts or 'exhaustion' of individual efforts is likely to be over-taken by the aspirations of a hungry Chindia and a 'world that is coming to it' rapidly...

Absolutely the wrongest time(at least for the reasons cited) to hang up boots for anyone!

Related post : Why Now, Santosh

4 comments:

benkallam said...

I'm all for democratisation of creative and I agree that we are on the cusp of a new age in our business ( whatever that is). But I also believe that there will be a counter-trend: we will all realise the value of the professional, once the world is overrrun with badly-shot YouTube videos of people dancing badly, possibly accompanied by small rodents.
You read it here first: this year YOU may be the Person of the Yeaar but pretty soon, that title will go to a profession that has until now not been given its due. behold the Rise of the Editor.

benkallam said...

And by the way, I have to agree with Santosh. This business is fundamentally flawed. I don't think he ( or I ) would disagree with the fact that we live in exciting times - its just that agencies may not be the best animals to contend with those times, just like mastodons weren't great at catching mammals.

Unknown said...

very true. and the editor may already be here benn! It's called the RSS feed:-)

and incidently I had written an article on the subject 4 years back on the 'division economy' on how people will chase simplicity over complexity, limited choice over an unlimited array, and idle time over multi-tasking...

The article in Time admits to the unfiltered crap that is filling up half of web 2.0!!

Unknown said...

Then lets not call ourselves an agency...and lets demolish some of the internal berlin walls we have constructed...and lets do something about it brick-by-brick!

Sir Sorrell is as much worried about Google( whom he calls his frienemy) as threatened by your holding company...And he is not thinking 'agency'

I am sure you wud have read Arvind's(Sharma) response to Santosh...

It's a time to re-invent the 'agency'/ communication business. Santosh was in a pivotal position to influence/ carry some/ one of the changes...

Disruption is a systemmic solution..Joining Future Group is not:-)