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Showing posts with label Goafest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goafest. Show all posts

Friday, April 11

Goafest - Bajate Raho!!

There was a huge ruckus created in the Indian advertisingscape over an article by afaqs Sreekant Khandekar on wednesday. Read the 'Rant Against Scam' article here. You may want to read my last year's post on Goafest here...

Had scrbbled some lines on the flight back from Goa...Sreekant's rant inspired me to complete the 'tukbandi'. Here it is!!

Goafest - Bajate Raho

Teen hazaar se jyada delegate, pachason agency
Last year se jyada thi excitement ki frequency

Mausam tha great, arrangement super-fine,
Daaru was flowing, one only missed good wine!

Zoom party thi hot, so was the rain dance
Youngistaan mein 40+ bhi le rahe the chance!

Hoodi baba, Balki ka is baar bhi tha kehna
Goafest se humme door hi hai rehna!

Joshiji ka convincing nahin tha bahana
Jhooth bolne ka ab nahi raha zamana!

Entry nahin thi to scam hi kartey
Sab ne jam ke kiya, aap kyun the dartey!

Last year ka scam king Rediffusion raha peechey
Lagta hai midland book-store ne budget kiya neeche!

Is baar Burnett ne jeeta scam king ka khitaab
Lintas ke client ki chura li poori kitaab!

Jury ne mil kar Ogilvy ki kheechi taang
Pandeyji ne 3rd umpire se ki appeal ki maang!

Wahi puraane chehre, mostly puraani sound byte
Logo ko chhota karo, reduce font ki height!

Goafest hoga har baar goa mein, CM ne diya vaada
Lagta hai chadhai thi do peg jara jyada!

Ek aur beeta saal, ek aur Goafest
Mind mat karna doston, this was half in jest:-)

(P.S. The picture you see on top is that of Goafest 2007 and not 2008.)

Friday, April 4

Goafest - Day One

After a sleepy morning punctuated by a long breakfast, we huddled into a bus for the ad village at the Cavelossim beach!

I never remembered to take pics of the venue:-( Awesome arrangements guys! Goafest ver 3.0 is even better than the last two editions. Hats off to the AAAI and the team that has pulled it off!

Was looking forward to the talk by Jon Wilkins of Naked. (Sorry guys can't upload the seminar pics, haven't yet loaded the software on my new laptop:-(

Naked Notes(not in any particular order or importance)...
1. Communication media is a lot about language and behaviour today. The voice is extremely important.

In India, only a handful of clients and agencies are fanatically obsessive about the brand voice/ consistency. Hutch was a great example. Vodaphone still has a mixed identity/ voice!

2. Jon talked of the Australopithecus Media Man- this guy is separated from the entire creative process(Oh I think I know quite a few of them:-)
- he/she is focussed on implementation(manzil ka ishaara lagey raho!!)
- gets his orgasms from 'pure number crunching' however irrelevant they might be
3. With the gradual and now exponential erosion of advertising power, advertising cannot be a lead discipline anymore.

4. The next evolutionary stage is the 'Neanderthal Media Man'
- this guy is an active activation partner
- he/she is also a partner in the creative process
(John showed an amazing Case Study on the 118 helpline number. Can read the details on afaqs here
- he believes in amplification through localization
- and deeper engagement(shared the hilarious and hugely effective Vindaloo case study. Tried to find the video on youtube in vain. Satish - help!

5. And finally at the fore-front of evolution is the 'Modern Media Man'. Yet to be born in India- my guess!
- this guy is a total brand communication thinker. Actually he/she may not be a media person at all.
- steeped into IMC- not as a word on power-point but into his DNA and thinking.
- believes into and roots for a core creative idea, not a media buyer, seller or implementation guy.
Jon shared a case study of a chai brand - Adventures in a cup(what a lovely idea)

Actually we will have to soon get back to a stage of the media rolled into the creative process, rolled into a department, perhaps rolled into one person era!

This whole new media game is about a brand theatre. Maybe finally the director in the job titles - Media Director, Account Director, Planning Director will have to mirror the skills and talent of a 'film director'!


- this new guy is all about 'integration thinking'
- focussed on the marketing task and not merely the communication task, through the correct channels

Loved his ingredient list for the House of Naked
a. The Warriors - the talented folks who will make the brand theatre happen
b. The Freaks - diverse talent pool
c. Dr. Zhivago - no vested interests
d. Talent Soup - mix em up, mash em up
e. Out-source everything but the thinking
f. Measure Everything. Clients pay great dollars for this.

Well, pretty much the stuff I ranted at my last agency to do in the digital space!!

Thanks Jon, we need more pirates like you at the cusp of the media and creative industries...

Saw the cyber, DM, print and TV work! To my disappointment, print continued to be scam infested. TV, thanks in large measure to Ogilvy had great stuff!

Will share the Scott Goodson notes in another post. In the evening there was a great party organised by Zoom! Food, booze, more booze...zzzz.

Thursday, April 3

Goafest - Day Zero

For me and a bunch of 'newly acquired' colleagues, day zero(from late afternoon)was largely about beer, singing SD Burman songs and a not-so-bad Dainik Bhaskar party at Blueberrys...

The coming together of Abbys and the Goafest is a great beginning. Now if we have managed to lower the scam quotient of the awards, it wud be sone pe suhaga! But maybe I said it too early and maybe I am too naive in believing a change will happen soon.

Check out the conclave speaker notes if you haven't- 1. Agencies need to be active partners in brand building!

and 2. Agencies Not Bringing Value to the Table Why do we(ad agencies) berate ourselves so much!!!

Looking forward to an early morning splash in the pool:-)