Just in. India's on the A-list in Advertising. Why? coz it won a hell lota gold lions and silver lions at the Cannes festival and most importantly, it won the Grand Prix ( Direct Lions) for Times of India's greatest ad campaign ever! The Lead India Campaign. Since inception, it has only made my blood boil, and moved every person who ever got the chance to view the Lead India ads starring, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Gulzar, Javed Akhtar and Shahrukh Khan. Brilliant. Simply. DO. It took just two letters. And the idea: Domination starts with Do. It made things happen. But now I don't have any clue where it's gone. What's happening to the elected leader of the masses. No clue, unles I go look for it. Now though Indian papers are coming out with news like Arushi Talwars murder and the murderers on the prowl, and Neeraj Grover's 300 pieces making headlines...India is really not looking all too happy.
But if you take a look at the waters at the french riviera they are only singing the Indian hymns and the national flag is unfurling with great pride. One particular ad that struck me at the Goafest was the female infanticide one. It was brilliantly done. And it won a Gold Press Lion. It moves you to death. It is precise. It is accurate, it makes you think. It is gory. And here it is.
Well, I am quite sure that this was the ad I saw at the Goafest, but my colleagues disagree, they remember that the ad used Bleeding cowboys font, which this one doesn't. The ad must have been adapted to suit the taste of the jury members, and believe me they deserve the Gold Lion.
Now, we await the Film Lion.
The Cadbury's "Gorilla", and Monster's "Stork" are my favorites.
Watch this space.
