a lesson in insight mining
Oops! Did I say that? I said that- a lesson in insight mining- did I say that? I said that. I did. Shit. F**k. No more swear words or you good for nothing folks who are reading this will start getting an insight into my mighty mind! Is anyone actually reading this blog other than that guy who claims to be the Dhaka Adman? I would hope not. I would pray not. What a waste of time it will be! Shame! In any case, who is interested in advertising other people in the advertising industry? Oh! It is not even an industry and Apon is very angry with this. So, our agenda is to fight for the industryship! Apon, if you ever read this, which I doubt you will, please don't mind me announcing the Agenda of an Anarchist so openly! Please forgive this colleague who belongs to this soon-to-be industry as you. Salute to our Industryship!
Shit! I have lost it or I am lost. Where did I begin? I remember. I remember. Every time I say I remember, I remember, I have to say it twice because in school I had read Robert Browning once and that too only one of his poems ever, which was called I remember, I remember. Since then I can never say I remember, I remember once, I have to say it again I remember, I remember. And that is all I remember, I remember about the poem I remember, I remember that I remember, I remember.
There I go again. Back to what I was saying about the Insight Mining thing; I think I will be sued for it. They are two perfectly bon a fide English words that I have every right to use but since I belong to an industry or soon-to-be industry of ideas I respect the ethics of not whacking other people’s ideas or tools, which happens often here and quite blatantly. It has even become part of the brief language where clients have begin mentioning that since our idea has been usurped by so and so competition we will have to think of something else or reclaim our territory. And there is this particular orange-utan of a client who gives a rat’s ass about whose idea it is. If thery like it they will just go ahead and whack it. As I was saying, Insight Mining is a phrase that is used either by Ogilvy or McCann guys as one of their tools. So I will stop using the phrase because I wouldn’t be talking about that. But, I can still talk about insights, which I will in a while. The reason I started thinking about insights is because of this guy called Farhan. If you claim to be in the advertising soon-to-be industry in Bangladesh you won’t get far not knowing Farhan. Anyways, Farhan called me, for the first time ever I think, in my seven long years in Dhaka, in which I came, fell in love, married a Bangladeshi girl, also from the soon-to-be advertising industry, and have sired a daughter, too. He called me to ask me if I would conduct a workshop that the Ad Club is arranging. I couldn’t refuse Farhan because I respect him. Anyone else I would have turned down. Not that anyone ever calls me to conduct workshops, barring some crazy kids from DU once and these Ad Club guys the second time around. But I respect Farhan because he is a gentleman and a person who never fails to throw you a smile. He is generous not just with his smile, which people think is his PR tool, he is generous with praise too. He was one of the first guys from the soon-to-be advertising industry who actually told me that he loved the djuice campaign and thought that it was the first true youth brand created in Bangladesh. He said it just like that. You must be thinking what’s the big deal, but trust me, it is. I have many a time SMS-ed or called my peers in the soon-to-be industry to tell them that I liked their campaign but never ever have I received any such calls or messages. Of course it just could be we have never ever created a campaign to be praised, but that is unlikely. So, you understand the import of being patted by someone within your fraternity. I mean it feels good. So that is Farhan for you.
So, I thought I would start the workshop with concept of insight, a much-abused word in advertising. And that is how I began by talking about insight. I was thinking this is how I would begin the workshop with:
"Good Morning! Why have workshops on advertising? After all, every Tanvir (not Pal), Dalim and Hasan I have come across have an opinion about advertising. I am sure you do too. Never mind you have never been inside an advertising agency or spend just a few years trying to be a glorified peon in one. (In fact, I had decided to be cogito ergo mum on the subject of advertising but for Farhan.) When it comes to cricket, medicine, and now add advertising to this list, Bangalis know everything about it. They will tell you how the shot selection of Ashraful was wrong or the best medicine for arthritis is turmeric and yogurt paste mixed in cumin seed fried in hot mustard oil, and if you disbelieve him, he will add condescendingly, that you can go seek a second opinion. This flair has now been extended to advertising, especially TVCs. They will tell you why a particular idea didn’t work or how it should have been a wide-angle shot. Phew! That lands us at an insight about Bangalis and we can phrase it as, Beware the Bangali if you are NOT looking for free advice!
I will leave you with this thought. Have you ever thought how awesome James M. Cain would be as a copywriter? Yes it is the same guy who wrote this line: The Postman Always Rings Twice!
Shit! I have lost it or I am lost. Where did I begin? I remember. I remember. Every time I say I remember, I remember, I have to say it twice because in school I had read Robert Browning once and that too only one of his poems ever, which was called I remember, I remember. Since then I can never say I remember, I remember once, I have to say it again I remember, I remember. And that is all I remember, I remember about the poem I remember, I remember that I remember, I remember.
There I go again. Back to what I was saying about the Insight Mining thing; I think I will be sued for it. They are two perfectly bon a fide English words that I have every right to use but since I belong to an industry or soon-to-be industry of ideas I respect the ethics of not whacking other people’s ideas or tools, which happens often here and quite blatantly. It has even become part of the brief language where clients have begin mentioning that since our idea has been usurped by so and so competition we will have to think of something else or reclaim our territory. And there is this particular orange-utan of a client who gives a rat’s ass about whose idea it is. If thery like it they will just go ahead and whack it. As I was saying, Insight Mining is a phrase that is used either by Ogilvy or McCann guys as one of their tools. So I will stop using the phrase because I wouldn’t be talking about that. But, I can still talk about insights, which I will in a while. The reason I started thinking about insights is because of this guy called Farhan. If you claim to be in the advertising soon-to-be industry in Bangladesh you won’t get far not knowing Farhan. Anyways, Farhan called me, for the first time ever I think, in my seven long years in Dhaka, in which I came, fell in love, married a Bangladeshi girl, also from the soon-to-be advertising industry, and have sired a daughter, too. He called me to ask me if I would conduct a workshop that the Ad Club is arranging. I couldn’t refuse Farhan because I respect him. Anyone else I would have turned down. Not that anyone ever calls me to conduct workshops, barring some crazy kids from DU once and these Ad Club guys the second time around. But I respect Farhan because he is a gentleman and a person who never fails to throw you a smile. He is generous not just with his smile, which people think is his PR tool, he is generous with praise too. He was one of the first guys from the soon-to-be advertising industry who actually told me that he loved the djuice campaign and thought that it was the first true youth brand created in Bangladesh. He said it just like that. You must be thinking what’s the big deal, but trust me, it is. I have many a time SMS-ed or called my peers in the soon-to-be industry to tell them that I liked their campaign but never ever have I received any such calls or messages. Of course it just could be we have never ever created a campaign to be praised, but that is unlikely. So, you understand the import of being patted by someone within your fraternity. I mean it feels good. So that is Farhan for you.
So, I thought I would start the workshop with concept of insight, a much-abused word in advertising. And that is how I began by talking about insight. I was thinking this is how I would begin the workshop with:
"Good Morning! Why have workshops on advertising? After all, every Tanvir (not Pal), Dalim and Hasan I have come across have an opinion about advertising. I am sure you do too. Never mind you have never been inside an advertising agency or spend just a few years trying to be a glorified peon in one. (In fact, I had decided to be cogito ergo mum on the subject of advertising but for Farhan.) When it comes to cricket, medicine, and now add advertising to this list, Bangalis know everything about it. They will tell you how the shot selection of Ashraful was wrong or the best medicine for arthritis is turmeric and yogurt paste mixed in cumin seed fried in hot mustard oil, and if you disbelieve him, he will add condescendingly, that you can go seek a second opinion. This flair has now been extended to advertising, especially TVCs. They will tell you why a particular idea didn’t work or how it should have been a wide-angle shot. Phew! That lands us at an insight about Bangalis and we can phrase it as, Beware the Bangali if you are NOT looking for free advice!
I will leave you with this thought. Have you ever thought how awesome James M. Cain would be as a copywriter? Yes it is the same guy who wrote this line: The Postman Always Rings Twice!
Labels: insights
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