By Jaisurya Das
Good Day, Ladies and Gentleman,  Boys and Girls.. Welcome to yet another exciting edition of Dear MxM, India’s largest read counselling board for advertising, marketing and media.
Quite recently, I was on the jury of an eminent award for the advertising and communication industry and in the process privy to a host of creative campaigns from across the country.
Some holding pride of place and some that needn’t have bothered since they were outstanding campaigns that worked for their clients. Interestingly some of the best work I saw and judged were campaigns and initiatives that never saw the light of day…
Am sure their discerning clients saw reason in rejecting them, though it certainly got me thinking on what good work is all about today…
I wondered if a great campaign is just meant to deliver sales or is it also about brand building subliminally. Obviously, the latter seems to have taken a back seat for reasons best known to the clients that funded them!
At some point of time during the 10 days, I spent on the numerous entries, a harsh realisation came to light. Advertising is no longer about long-term benefit and brand investment. It’s become just another medium of immediacy that capitalises on flirtatious purchase behaviour.
I may be wrong, but I honestly believe that clients of today are losing focus on investing in the audiences of the future. It’s all about now and the pressures of performance. Brand managers are probably indifferent to the future of the brand beyond the financial year; The future audience thus means no more than a number on a fancy spread sheet…
It’s probably time advertisers wake up and smell the coffee!
The future is about audiences that will not conform to traditional marketing beliefs; Prospective customers who will be equipped with multi-powered thinking and reasoning ability will test their reflexes day in and day out..
Flirtatious they will be and yet wont fall prey to seduction of the order today.
Brand-building will never be the same again. Amen.
For now its time to get to our interesting set of questions from our readers in Kochi, Chandigarh and Mumbai. Read on…
Sir, in most other professions, salaries at the junior levels are also fairly high. But in the media – almost across the board, they are pathetic. Why so, Sir?
Hi and thanks for writing in to Dear MxM!
Am not too sure as to what you term high or pathetic but nevertheless will do my best to answer your concern.
Having said so, let me tell you that media salaries are far from pathetic and in fact are pretty much in line with a host of other industries. It all depends on the type of media (Print/TV/Online etc ) and the organisation and market they’re operating in.
It would be unfair to compare media compensation to fancy FMCG or MNC
scales since they operate with huge volumes and margins. Yes, they can certainly get better.. However it’s important to understand the constraints with which the industry is surviving.  DVC (Direct Variable Costs) are exceedingly high and soaring year on year; Salary demands are getting higher and the audience numbers are dwindling in favour of non-traditional media. In fact media consumption on the whole has reduced drastically in favour of handheld/portable media.
Overall, it’s not as bad as it seems. It’s important to factor the eminence that good media organisations add to your career profile and this may just balance the gap that you imagine.
I have recently learnt that the sexual harassment committee as prescribed by the law is not functional in my office. And some of the people who were office-bearers of the committee have quit my organisation. As a woman, who has to often work odd hours, I feel secure in the belief that in case there’s any injustice there is legal recourse. Please help. I am sending you the name of my office and scan copy of my i-card for your reference.
I can understand your concern on this. Having seen the details on the large organisation that you work for, I am of the opinion that this is indeed an anomaly which they ought to correct. Organisations the size of yours are mandated by law to have a fully functional and accessible Sexual Harassment Redressal Committee.
Furthermore, it must be borne in mind that resignations of the committee members cannot be considered an excuse for the absence of such a committee.
While I am certain that your organisation and the HRD team takes utmost care to ensure that employees are safe, its still important to have a legally valid redressal office.
As I see it, there are two clear options for you. The first is to look for another company to work for and the other, a more radical one which will involve your taking this up legally. However, before that, it may be prudent to speak to the CEO (the sexual harassment committee normally reports directly into the CE0 / MD of the organisation ) and point him to this gap. Am sure any discerning leader would take immediate steps to reinstate the functioning of this redressal authority.
If this doesn’t work. write to us. We will guide you on the next course of action. Meanwhile don’t overthink and focus on your work.
All will be well, young lady!
I have heard that some people in my agency frequently consume marijuana. I find it appalling. It’s illegal and unhealthy. But if I complain, I will be nailed alive. What should I do?
Ah, the famous drug bug! Horrid stuff these narcotic substances are… Marijuana/ Grass/ Weed is a derivative of the same heady plant that plays havoc with the CNS (central nervous system) and your life in turn.
It would interest you, that most regular uses of Marijuana are known to suffer from impotency as well! So it’s a big NO NO on all respects..
This is probably why their use is fairly common among creative professionals across the world. In reality its only a subliminal dream that the user is living in with serious repercussions that may prove to be highly detrimental in future.
If I were you, I wouldn’t waste time on these junkies’ lives and would much rather focus on my own life and craft. Stay focussed and work well to prove your mettle. If it gets very uncomfortable, just move on.
If you have the craft and talent, am sure it will find its space and drug free!
All good wishes to you, my friend. Say NO TO DRUGS, be well and stay healthy.
I want to be an entertainment journalist and i am due to graduate in two years. Do you recommend that I do a journalism course, or is it true that there is no real journalism training required when it comes to Bollywood. Please advise.
Hey, as far as I know entertainment journalism goes far beyond our Bollywood!
A journalism course is the way to go. It’s important to learn the rudiments of this craft before you decide on the genre that you plan to work in.  The foundation is always critical and no amount of Bollywood insight will help with that.
Writing well is a trait that a lot of people may be lucky to possess but that doesn’t always make them great journalists and vice versa. Passion for detail, mastery of the language and infinite networking skills, all go with good journalistic ability and hence its important not to confuse the ability to write well with journalism. My personal advice to you would be to do a good course in journalism and then allow it to guide you on the selection of the genre.
Moreover, if you are passionate about this the future will be more than bright. Go for it buddy!
And that brings us to the end of this week’s edition. Have a smashing weekend and enjoy yourselves to the hilt. Nothing like a break in this game of chess we call life. Find method and celebrate every single moment of it. After all we have only one life!
And if you still believe you need to ask questions during the weekend, go ahead and mail us at editor@mxmindia.com with ‘Dear MxM’ and your ‘City’ mentioned in the subject line.
Till next week then, Sayonara and God bless!
Jaisurya Das, maverick and media evangelist, eats, sleeps and makes love to brands. His consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable.
For more on his work visit www.xanadu.co.in He is also Contributing Editor of MxM India. The views expressed in this column are his own.Â