|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Dum Dum Bullet: Adventures of
a Corporate Soldier
Sandeep Goyal began his career as a management probationer with Goodlass Nerolac Paints. He then joined the world of advertising and media. The book describes Goyal's varied experiences (or adventures) in the high-voltage worlds of sales, advertising and media. Written in a first person, intimate style, the book makes engrossing reading by describing what goes on behind the scenes before we see glittering advertisements in the print and the electronic media. It provides the reader a glimpse into how glamorous models' destinies change overnight in the advertising world. For a scratch shoot for Monte Carlo, Mudra Communications hired Ritu Chowdhary for Rs 500 a day (she was willing to do the shoot for Rs 400 a day). Says Goyal, "The girl Ritu metamorphosed into Mahima Chowdhary and made her mark in Bollywood." Another girl, Sushmita, went on to win the Miss India crown a few months after a shoot, and was then crowned Miss Universe. The end of Goyal's sales probation at Goodlass Nerolac saw him in Bombay HO after his stints in Rajasthan and Chandigarh. In Chandigarh, Goyal worked under ASM Sardar Mahinder Singh, "a thirty-year Goodlass veteran". While approving a worksheet for a road-marking paint tender, prepared by Goyal, Sardar Mahinder Singh decreased the bid amount, on a tender figure close to 12 lakh, by a 100 rupees. They won the tender by exactly a 100 rupees. "Even a one-rupee difference can make or break your bid," the ASM explained to Goyal. Those were the days of terrorism in Punjab. Goyal talks about the "dreadful headlines" in the morning papers-terrorist attacks and innocents shot at everyday. It was, therefore, largely an uneventful stint for him. In Bombay, Goyal was assigned to work in marketing services as the powers-that-be thought that he had a "fertile" mind. He was asked to interface with two ad agencies, Ulka and Everest. Says he, "I could not have asked for more. Advertising (and good-looking girls!) fascinated me." Eventually he joined Hindustan Thompson Associates (HTA) as an account executive. Soon he became one of the youngest account supervisors at HTA before he joined Trikaya Grey. At Trikaya, Goyal worked on Bhilwara Synthetics' Made-in-Heaven range, targeted at the marriage season. "The model playing the groom decided to throw a tantrum. He wasn't available beyond the stipulated time," says Goyal. He took him to a chai-wallah outside Famous Studio "to drill some sense into him." The model had a younger brother in tow, of medium height but very powerful built. When they decided to agree upon something as a gesture of goodwill, the model said, "Okay, can I keep the dark-blue suit I shot with in the morning." "Sure, you keep that one. And your brother here can take his pick too...," Goyal said amiably. Says he, "The groom I gifted the dark-blue suit, Arbaaz Khan, went on to become a well-known actor. The powerfully built brother, of course, was none other than superstar Salman Khan!" It may be appropriate to conclude this review by telling the reader how the name AirTel came into being as a brand name. By this time Goyal had joined as Head of Rediffusion, Delhi. Sunil Mittal of Bharti asked him, "I was asking, are you sure Tango will go down well as a brand name." Says Goyal, "We had spent the entire morning debating and discussing the critical decision. "Net Cellular" had been abandoned as an option much earlier. The options, after many iterations, were down to "Tango" and "Bharti"... "Tango" had emerged a firm favourite, first and foremost, because it was short and snappy." However, later Mittal threw "AirTel" as a possible brand name into the ring. "Sunil extended his hand and I shook it. It was sealed—AirTel it would be." |
The
writer of this book on the advertising and the media world begins by
explaining the title of the book: "The original Dum Dum bullet
dates back to the late nineteenth century. Produced at the Dum Dum
ammunition factory near Kolkata, it had an exposed lead nose which
underwent rapid expansion on impact... advertising is no different. It
is, you could say, soft-nosed-much like the Dum Dum, it is focused on
its target and balloons on impact."