By A Correspondent
The author was very apprehensive at the beginning to launch his book at Godrej India Culture Lab because he thought there would not be enough people to fill the huge auditorium. But he was in for a surprise when not only was the auditorium full; people had to occupy the aisles to sit through the book launch. We are talking about MG Parameswaran or Ambi as he is popularly known, who launched his book ‘Nawab, Nudes and Noodles’ on June 9.
Presented by Pan Macmillan and Godrej India Culture Lab, the launch saw a cross-section of the fraternity and many students congregate in the auditorium.
The book is as much the story of Indian advertising as it is about India. From sartorial taste and food habits to marriage and old age, music and language to celebrities and censorship, the author examines over a hundred ads to study how the Indian consumer has changed in the past five decades and how advertising and society have shaped each other.
He gave the audiences an insight of the book through a very interesting and interactive presentation. He started from the very idea of the social concepts about marriage, gender, music and language is changing and ended with how advertising is important for the economy to grow. Combining anecdote and analyses he shared a slice of modern history and evaluated the relationship between affluence, aspiration and desire in India. He spoke about the changing trends in our country where he discussed the ads that caught imagination of the entire country. From ‘Jo Biwi Se Kare Pyaar’ to the controversial Tuffs shoes campaign, the book delves in to a memorable journey through brands, consumers and the world of advertising.
The presentation was followed by a chat between the author and brand expert and MD and CEO of Future Brands Santosh Desai. They spoke about the challenges and the approach he took while researching about this book. The trend in advertising these days seem to be moving from traditional mediums like television to more contemporary mediums like digital. So, when Desai asked whether the consumer approach of advertisers has changed due to digital, Parameswaran said, “I do not think as yet but it will change. Most people who are below the age of 30 or 25 do not read the newspaper and do not watch television. We have to figure out new ways to reach them. The interactive medium gives you an option to do a lot more. I am sure if we have been able to fully exploit that. The other worry I have is in India we have this huge power distance equation. May be our consumers do not want interaction. But that story will play out in the future. As of now, I think it will change eventually.†Parameswaran also stressed on the fact that due to digital evolution the society is also changing and people are very aggressive in the manner they express their opinions due to the emergence of social media.