astute perceptions

Fall came with falling grace, I thought about free falling, Got a call, someone said, Fall is here to be. Rise with the fall, rise instead, Rise with the rising costs, For if you stay free falling, You’ll only be seen as lost. So with them, I discovered, What rising was all about, To rise with us, you must only Fall in line, or fall out. So I fell out, a nd I’m free Free as free could be Fall comes, brings with it More offers to rise with thee But free I was, free I am Free is all I have. Free to think, write, express, And travel the world a tramp.

The first time I saw this, I was in school. That was the first time I realized the power of words. The power these words had on me. They made me feel powerful. And they weren’t written by an acclaimed writer. They were written by someone not known for writing. They were from a world-champion boxing legend – Mohammad Ali. And no, he didn’t pen these for Adidas. Those were times of finding myself. I was enrolled into science, with plans to be an engineer. I had been writing for as long as I could remember. A release of poetry once in a while. An occasional practiced short-story. The day I saw these words, I wanted to pen something similar. Something this powerful. On closer analysis I realized, it was the thought behind the poster, said in simple words of raw energy, that made the line so impactful. It was superhuman. It was human. It was eye-opening. It was embarrassing. It was inspiring. It was irrefutable. But it didn’t make me want to buy Adidas. It didn’t make me dream of ...

Got an interesting email from a smart guy. It said – ‘Frequently Wrong but Never in Doubt’. And it hit me how far I’ve come away from that. The problem with being wrong in a day job is, sometimes, you can be penalized for being wrong. Often, you are. So the motivation to make mistakes and explore new possibilities loses air faster than a football deflated with a pointed heel. Making mistakes in a job affects one’s growth. Making mistakes in business catalyzes one's growth. That’s the irony of doubt.

While most briefs portray lofty, and often manifold ambitions from an ad, most ads in the newspaper merely do a good job of informing. No paradigm shift in consumer behavior, no ‘creating a buzz’ by an old offering because ‘we tweaked it a certain way’. Just information. And how some of them are better suited to fit your requirements. A new laptop from Lenovo promises to have an 8hr battery backup for SME users. A news story (read, PR) talks about Apple’s new line of iPod Touch, Nano, and TV. A full-page ad of IDBI talks about savings account that doesn't charge banking fees. Now the IDBI ad might create, to some extent, a paradigm shift. Which is to say more shifts to the said bank. It’s the offering that is great, and the ad carries it in a fluid manner. There is a little mess in the boiler-plate area, but that can happen anywhere given the last minute tug-of-war between the client and the agency, so I will give the said agency a pass on the blame. Were there lofty expectat...