Creative spark lights up telecom ads

It's finally happening. The telecom segment is all flush with a burst of creativity. Interesting interpretations and insights are cropping up all over, so much so that even the weakest of these ads shines brighter than the advertising in other categories.

Perhaps it's because the category has so much innovation, both in tariff and in handsets that it fuels the creative spark far more than a toilet soap or a toothpaste can ever hope to do. This industry has come a very long way from being a mere voice service to offering music, photography, chat, internet, all in the palm of your hand. so much so that the phone has turned into a personal assistant that most people can't do without - creating innumerable avenues for creative expression.

I have picked two ads that illustrate the party of very good work across brands that the segment is enjoying right now. One is the insightful ad for Moto Yuva that exploits the ever so true reality that most adults love to act younger than their chronological age. And the second, a delightfully spontaneous ad from Vodafone for a tariff plan called Chota Credit.

It's truly commendable how something as mundane as a small extension in prepaid talk-time can be translated so touchingly into a story that has almost everybody warming up to it! Even though the fountain pen felt a little bit like an anachronism in these days of gel pens and other high-tech writing options, that little drop of ink has well and truly worked itself into our hearts!

What I've learned

Trust - that thorny path to success

One of my most trusted assistants who joined me way back in 1972 decided to swindle me of a pretty hefty sum, after having worked with me for a non-eventful two decades or so. In a second instance, I discovered that one of my senior colleagues who had had a heart attack was negotiating his next job right from his hospital bed, which the company was paying for!

As I look back, this is one sure lesson that I have learned. However much we as human beings might have progressed in all things material, deep down inside us little has changed from the days of asuras, yakshis and rakshasas! Ingratitude continues to thrive and thieves continue to come disguised as trusted aides. But yet we continue to trust the next 'trustworthy' person that comes our way, only to be taken advantage of again.

Like it happened to me again and again in 2005 and 2008 - in both the cases the drivers disappeared with huge unpaid debts. Despite being swindled time and time again, by such a wide spectrum of people - from polished, highly paid colleagues down to drivers, I still believe that one of the most hard-to-comprehend

'Dhirubhaisms'-that of trusting people despite being let down by them, is the only way forward.  Continuing to believe in their honesty and reliability might seem suicidal or just plain downright dumb to some, but believe me, the surge of positivity that your hope brings with it, is far more productive than the negative consequences of suspicion and mistrust which only trigger a domino-like effect on events surrounding you. 

If you want to build anything at all - an empire, a career or a relationship, I am afraid that the only way you can build one that will stand the test of time is by continuing to trust despite being hurt. Sounds impossible? It worked for Dhirubhai, it works for me and let me assure that once you move away from the hurt, it will work for you too.