Nawabs, Nudes, Noodles - an insight to society through the lens of advertising - launched

A packed hall brought a smile on author Ambi Parameswaran's face where the who's who of the industry was present. The highlight was Parmeswaran's talk session with ad and brand guru Santosh Desai

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | June 10, 2016

The much-awaited launch of Ambi Parmeswaran's book Nawabs, Nudes, Noodles happened last evening at Godrej India Culture Lab at Godrej One, Mumbai, in the presence of the who's who of the advertising and marketing fraternity.

Speaking at the book launch event, Parmeswaran said, “A packed hall with standing room only, over 350 enthusiastic audience, what more can I ask fo! Thoroughly enjoyed the talk and the launch. Special thanks to Santosh Desai for coming all the way to Mumbai for the launch. Great audience and terrific questions. A day well spent. Heard #nawabsnudesnoodles was trending on Twitter! Thanks to PAN Macmillan and India Culture Lab at Godrej One.”

The book is published by PAN Macmillan India.

Diya Kar Hazra, Publisher, Pan Macmillan India, said, “It is one of those rare books that packs information, knowledge with entertainment and fun. There is no other book like this. So, it is the first book that looks at how we have changed as people and as a country looking through advertising.”

Parmesh Shahani

The event was conducted by Parmesh Shahani, Head of Godrej India Culture Lab. The event started with Parmeswaran sharing details about his book. He said the book is divided into four sections. The first is on people, the second is about the products, third is about services and the fourth one is on the problems faced by the advertising industry. The book has 23 chapters.

He explained in detail on how he came up with the title of the book and also discussed few of the legendary and controversial ads he mentioned in his book.

By giving examples of the ads, he has tried to portray the changing society over the decades. He talked about the transformation of ads through generations; from fairness ads, to ads related to jobs and packaged food to music and clothing.

Santosh Desai

The next was a session between Santosh Desai, MD and CEO, Futurebrands, and Parmeswaran. Desai asked a few questions about the digital advertising era, socially bent ads and ads much discussed about over the years. He also asked questions on ads changing according to the needs of consumers. They discussed topics like too much reading into each ads and consumers becoming more negative about products on the social media. The audience present at launch also asked a few questions.

Talking about the book, Desai said, “The book is excellent and is comprehensive and gives insight to the society through the lens of advertising, and it is written in a very accessible style. So, it is possible for a very wide leadership to enjoy the book. I have read the book earlier and have also contributed to it.”

Fawzia Madni

Fawzia Madni, Consultant, National Centre for the Performing Arts and Former Associate VP, International Media Marketing, Times Group, said “The book looks really interesting. I like and admire Ambi. He is an advertising icon and the finest critic of culture and advertising. I look forward to read his new book.”

On the success of the event, Shahani said, “I am very excited. There were 500 hundred people present and the auditorium was packed to capacity. But more importantly, we talked about so many pertinent questions about advertising. Ambi contextualised advertising in the changing face of Indian culture and history. The book raised issues like gender, sexuality and the changing notion of jobs. And Santosh Desai asked some magnificent questions as well. It was enjoyable, which is exactly what we try to do at India culture lab. We hope to do many more events related to advertising in the future.”

He ended the session with the quote: “The codfish lays ten thousand eggs, the homely hen lays one. The codfish never cackles to tell you what she has done, and so we scorn the codfish, while the humble hen we prize. It only goes to show you that it pays to advertise.”

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com