On August 7th, 2012, I gave a guest lecture at my alma mater, St Xavier's College in Mumbai, to the Bachelors of Mass Media students. The college is the foremost liberal arts college in India and a member of the Harvard College in Asia programme. The theme of my lecture was Advertising: Communication Through the Big Idea

1. woodrow
wilson
If I am to speak ten minutes,
I need a week for preparation;
if fifteen minutes, three days;
if half an hour, two days;
if an hour, I am ready now.

2. Made you look
The confessions of a not so mad man.

3. I am not

4. A
Positioning
pundit

5. A master
of Persuasion

6. Lallu A
thought
leader

7. fart A
marketing
puff daddy

8. I am a big idea hunter.

9. Advertising is about how
to communicate with ideas.

10. Great advertising
is about big ideas.

11. Great big ideas

12. How my ideas are born

13. THE BRIEFING IS AS
IMPORTANT AS THE BRIEF.
SOME OF MY BEST IDEAS HAVE BEGUN
AT BRIEFING SESSIONS, OFTEN ENOUGH,
WITH THE CLIENT DELIVERING THE BRIEF.

14. I IGNORE THE BRIEF.
I FORGET ABOUT THE ASSIGNMENT, SHUFFLE
IT TO THE BACK OF MY MIND, TO THE
SUBCONSCIOUS, THE PART THAT FRIGHTENS
MY THERAPIST EVERY TIME SHE SEES IT.

15. THEN WHEN IT’S RIPE
(YOU CAN SMELL IT),
I START WORKING.
I READ UP ON THE PRODUCT, THE CATEGORY,
THE COMPETITION.
I START WRITING. DOODLING. SCRIBBLING.

16. ABOUT THREE DAYS LATER, MY CREATIVE
PARTNER AND I MEET.
WE DRINK, WE EAT, WE COMPARE NOTES.
WE HATE EACH OTHER’S IDEAS.
EVERYTHING IS DISCARDED.
NOTHING WORKS.
THE BRIEF IS BANKRUPT OF INSIGHT.
THE PRODUCT IS BEREFT OF ANY MERIT.
THE BARGIRLS ARE LEERING AT US BECAUSE
THEY CAN SMELL OUR FEAR.
WE ARE IN A STATE OF PANIC.
OUR PRESENTATION IS TWO DAYS AWAY.

17. I RETURN HOME. I AM SLEEPLESS.
MY ART DIRECTOR AND I EMAIL EACH
OTHER IDEAS IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT.
IN THE MORNING WE MEET FOR A
COFFEE TO DISCUSS THE NEW STUFF
WE’VE GOT.
WE BRAINSTORM.
A HOMELESS MAN INTERRUPTS US AND
BREAKS OUR CHAIN OF THOUGHT.
WE LOSE THE BEST IDEA WE’D HAD TILL
THEN. WE START AGAIN.

18. WE CRACK IT.
IT’S BRILLIANT.
NO ONE HAS EVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE
IT. NOT IN THE CATEGORY.
NOT IN THE COUNTRY. NOT IN THE WORLD.
(WE CHECK).
WE ARE SO RELIEVED WE MOVE FROM THE
COFFEE SHOP TO THE PUB TO CELEBRATE.
WHEN WE STUMBLE OUT, WE REALIZE WE
ONLY HAVE 18 HOURS LEFT BEFORE WE
PRESENT.

19. I WRITE REAMS.
MY ART DIRECTOR SCRIBBLES PAGES OF
ROUGH LAYOUTS. WE SNAP AT OUR STAFF.
WE FORGET TO EAT LUNCH.
WE FORGET TO EAT DINNER.
AT 2 AM WE SURVEY THE WRECKAGE.
WE HAVE TWO RADIO SPOTS. A TV SPOT.
THREE MAGAZINE ADS. FOUR TRANSIT
SHELTER POSTERS. A MAILER. AN FSI.
A GUERRILLA MARKETING STUNT.

20. OUR “SUIT” HAS STAYED WITH US.
JUST SO HE CAN CHECK EVERYTHING.
HE PERFORMS USEFUL FUNCTIONS
LIKE ORDERING PIZZA.
AND ASKING IF WE’RE DONE, EVERY
FIVE MINUTES AND PROOFREADING.
IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG NOW IT’S
HIS FAULT.

21. EARLY IN THE MORNING (9 AM FOR
ME), WE PRESENT. IT’S A HIT. THE
CLIENT LOVES IT.
CUT TO A MONTH LATER AT THE
LAUNCH PARTY. BILL GATES/INSERT-
BIG-NAME-HERE HIMSELF THANKS US.
BUT WE DON’T NOTICE. WE’RE IN A
PANIC. WE HAVE A PRESENTATION AT
9AM THE NEXT DAY AND WE DON’T
HAVE AN IDEA. YET.

22. TO SUM UP:
BRIEF: LIVE WITH IT, LOVE IT, IGNORE IT, FIGHT
WITH IT, TAKE IT TO BED
IDEATE: HANG LOOSE, DON’T TIGHTEN UP, LET
THE IDEAS COME.
CRITIQUE AND COMPARE.
KILL ALL YOUR UGLY CHILDREN.
EXPAND THE IDEA
PRESENT IT IF IT SURVIVES ALL THE TORTURE

23. One example

24. The Dalai Lama

25. There is one reason why people will attend
a talk by the Dalai Lama.
Only one reason. Because of the speaker.
We want to hear him speak live,
in the flesh, because his great
but simple message has the power to change us.
And while the Dalai Lama
may not always be with us,
his words have great power.
They have the power to live on, in us.

27. HIS WORDS WILL
LIVE ON
IN THE MOST
SURPRISING
PLACE:
YOU.
HIS WORDS WILL SPEAK TO YOU. HIS WORDS WILL STAY WITH YOU.
HIS HOLINESS THE 14TH DALAI LAMA. LIVE.
APRIL 28, 2012. OTTAWA CIVIC CENTRE. FOR DETAILS OR TICKETS
VISIT TIBET.CA/2012 OR SCAN THE QR CODE WITH A SMARTPHONE.

28. HIS WORDS WILL
LIVE ON
IN THE MOST
SURPRISING
PLACE:
YOU.
HIS WORDS WILL SPEAK TO YOU. HIS WORDS WILL STAY WITH YOU.
HIS HOLINESS THE 14TH DALAI LAMA. LIVE.
APRIL 28, 2012. OTTAWA CIVIC CENTRE. FOR DETAILS OR TICKETS
VISIT TIBET.CA/2012 OR SCAN THE QR CODE WITH A SMARTPHONE.

30. Another example

34. Third time’s a charm

35. math major
physics
major
chemistry
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37. www.barrettandwelsh.com