Ad Creep......

I don’t know why I suddenly thought of writing about this. I guess because I just feel I am constantly a midst some advertisement or the other. Today, Advertising is everywhere. You step out of your home and there is not a single place where you are not bombarded with some kind of advertising or the other. Be it messages on the backs of car park receipts, your electricity bills, on football or Cricket grounds, on trains, taxis, buses, on paper bags, on the handles of supermarket trolleys, on store floors, in washrooms, on elevator walls, park benches, even on commodes in the toilets. It also includes techniques such as projecting huge images on the sides of buildings, or slogans on the gas bags of hot air balloons. Nothing can get more intrusive, that’s ambient advertising for you. It is said that the word ‘Ambient’ advertising’ was presumably coined during the peak of popularity of ambient music, a genre with electronic textures that create a mood or atmosphere. With the cost of traditional media advertising skyrocketing and a glut of ads fighting for consumers' attention, marketers are aggressively seeking out new advertising vehicles.

Here take a look at some ambient advertising. It’s a mix of Indian and international Ambient ads: Images Courtesy : Google Images.  

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An ad for Tyskie beer

A Watch Ad..  holders in the Bus

Ad for an Financial Investment company : saying  its extra safe and its guaranteed  investment

Lonely Planet India advertisement: large book marks placed 

An ad for Taramontina Precision Knives: 

So do you like ambient advertising... i leave that to you to decide if these ads are really intrusive, one the face...

DD to screen Festival Films from June 13

I am not sure how many of you watch Doordarshan regularly. I have been and especially on Sunday’s when DD National shows some of the old films. I remember watching Razia Sultan, Umrao Jaan, Shatranj and many more such old flicks including National award winning films which we have lost out on as seldom these films are shown on Cable TV. This is apart from the new flicks as well that the channel shows. DD has now gone a step further and will be now airing festival films. So any Indian film that has been screened at any of the International festivals, including IFFI, Goa from year 2000 onwards, DD has opened new doors for these film makers. DD National will screen these films along with National Award winners in a newly created program “Best of Indian Cinema” and offer a fee of up to Rs. 25 Lakh. It seems that this move by DD is also to attract more viewers. 

So now look forward to Indian films that have been selected and screened at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, Locarno, London, Karlovy Vary, Nantes, Rotterdam, Fribourg, Munich, Busan, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Rome and Sydney film festivals are eligible for telecast. Its understood that DD will have an eminent panel that will select the films for the series. In the next couple of weeks, Doordarshan will formulate the details about the series and decide upon a timeslot. “Best of Indian Cinema” is expected to go on-air in June, 2013.

Unlike, the BBC in UK which is also a public broadcaster, DD in India lost out to cable TV and most people have lost out on the habit of watching DD National. Thanks to DTH, we can now watch DD channels as well.In the last few years DD has gone through some drastic changes both in terms of the look of the channel and improved production quality . Their news I find is one of the best. They have some interesting programmes such as Bombay Talkies, Rangoli ( that showcases old film songs) on Sunday morning. It has also started simulcasting some private satellite channel programmes. The other channels from DD stable such as DD Bharat, DD International, DD sports and DD News are all interesting. If you have not been watching DD its not a bad idea to start now