Balancing style with substance

What I liked: It's not often that you come across stunning simplicity and when you do, it always has the power to stop you in your tracks.

My choice for the week is the advertisement for Toshiba colour television. If I'm not mistaken it is the second ad in the campaign for the same product.

Functional yet masterfully elegant, the ad does everything a good ad is meant to do.

It draws you in, it makes you want to know more, it doesn't baffle you with esoteric jargon and it makes you want to go to the nearest shop to have a look and listen to the product.

It is target market driven campaign and invests the product with the "upmarket" look without trying too hard.

The "idea" is there -- visible for all to see and a neat functional headline complements the breathtaking visual in a simple, factual style.

In my opinion it is a perfect balance between style and substance, the same promise, I guess the product offers. Yes, my vote definitely goes to this perfect little piece this week. And I will be dropping into a Toshiba shop soon!

What I've learned: How "frank" can you be?

Let me narrate a little anecdote that changed me professionally for the rest of my career. Way back when Vimal was handled by the very talented Frank Simoes, I was the advertising manager of the brand.

We wanted a more stylish image for Vimal and the agency set about putting together a campaign that would achieve that. No layouts were presented as is usually the case in creatives such as these.

The agency had a grand scheme -- helicopters, airports, permissions, expensive designers and models -- no expense was spared to achieve the desired result. And then came the presentation. I saw it first and was ambivalent in my reaction.

The truth was that since I knew about the effort and the expense that was invested in the creation of the campaign I did not have the heart to express my reservations about it. And then it was Dhirubhai Ambani's turn to respond.

He looked at me, saw the ambivalence in my eyes and then looked at Frank and asked him whether he liked the campaign.

Frank said that he did not. It was a life-changing moment for me. Frank ran a proprietorial concern. He definitely did not have the deep pockets to write off such an enormous expense.

But yet, his professional integrity was so high that he could not lie. Even at the risk of such a significant loss. He agreed with Dhirubhai's concern that the work had too much opulence and no soul.

He, of course, went on to create the legendary Only Vimal campaign after this presentation.

But the stand he took left an indelible impression on me. Never be afraid, not at any cost to express your professional honesty.

It is always best to stick to your convictions. Both in your clients' interest and yours.

Thank you Frank. You made me see what no book could teach me.

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