sabih speaks

Talent Haat

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:22:00 +0000

Where's my haat?

Thanks to my dad's overly hopping career (unlike the majority who's reading this) I've had the privilege to experience what the gram bangla'r haat is, first hand. From the Sunday haats in my village home to other weekly haats in various towns across Bangladesh, they have always been appealing in their own ways. Its a must visit for all who cherishes the famed picturesque Bangladesh. Since that day is not far when we might actually have to re-live the haat experience through word of mouth alone.

But I am not a policymaker nor am I the golden son of the soil who stands up to a "haat bachao" movement. If anything, I am the geek who resorts to a blogging platform and power of words to use haats to get reader's attention to my demeaning diary.

To us, the masses... the aspiration to go digital by 2021 was an ambitious dream by the Government. But a good dream, indeed. I mean at least through that our policymakers and citizens could at least go to sleep knowing in the dream world lies the next Matrix or Tron :p A place where anything and everything is possible and nobody takes NO for an answer. You can learn and unlearn everything... and you are truly the master of your own destiny (there goes my effort to not sound blasphemous). The fact that a skilled technician or a honed business manager is just a skill that needs to be downloaded into your system (aka. the brain) makes anyone and everyone a talent of choice. There would be no LinkedIn, no books like Winning Job Interviews or Boost Your Interview IQ, no suits with matching shoes and ties... in short, no showmanship at all! But as reality stands today... Digital Bangladesh is a mirage that's as dreamy as The Grid in Tron. And the case with talent pool in Bangladesh is not much different either.

The story goes like this... about a decade back every time my dad brought in "koi" fish, my mom cooked a delicacy. It wasn't a regular occurrence since "koi" was comparatively expensive a fish and if anything took considerable effort to cook and eat. Now-a-days "koi" is widely available, significantly cheaper (time value) and also better looking (whitish as opposed to darkish). Yet the whole family looks at "koi" as just another fish and looks for delicacies elsewhere. The bottom line is quite simple - the delicacy is now in abundance, but its no more a delicacy at all. The cost of making "koi" an affordable fish through farming bombed! Sure people can and will buy more and more "koi" fish every passing day, but not with half the admiration they had a few years back.

The talent haat in Bangladesh sings the same lullaby as well. Back in 20th century we admired and aspired to be a graduate, then if lucky a postgraduate. Today our aspiration (if any) is in the league of MPhil and PhD. While there was a dearth of talent back then, the talent were actually talented. If a job circular got 200 applicants, you could safely have a desired pool of 20 candidates amongst them. Whereas with better education system and higher literacy rates if there are 200 applicants today, chances are only 2 will fit the bill. The point remains quite straight forward, one that I have stood up for ages. With an increase in quantity, there has been a decrease in quality!!!

My father took me to haats because they had all the traditional delicacies that one couldn't find in city markets. From a 20 kg "bowal" fish to 20 kinds of "shaaks", they just had a different offering all together. We can make a million sites like monster.com or bdjobs.com, but the quality of people plying those are nothing better than the widely available "koi" fish of today. And that my friend, is where we stand!

My Fair Lady

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 04:20:00 +0000

I am not into musicals, but I am told (by my good friend Mr. Wiki) My Fair Lady has been called "the perfect musical". Based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, this 1956 production held the record for the longest run of any major musical theater production in history back then.

Just as always, the above has no relevance whatsoever with what's below!

If Ford's Model T had changed the face of automobile industry back in the early-1900's, the face of average Bangladeshi beauty (aka. women) was transformed in the mid-1990's when Lever Brothers (now Unilever) launched Fair & Lovely. Turmeric could have been the timeless natural remedy for skin-darkening but ask any modern Dhaka woman to draw an association between fairness and beauty products, the result is almost unanimous... Fair & Lovely. Its been such a successful product in the subcontinent that numerous me-too brands have sprung up over the years. Whether its the classic "opposites attract" dilemma (dark men vs. fairer women) or the white fixation diaspora (an inherent feeling), brands like Fair & Lovely are here to stay. Many might argue how the educated and enlightened women of today might have moved beyond the middle-class targeting FnL user group, that men are on the lookout for inner beauty or even how dark is dawn (Kalo ee jogoter aalo). My rebuttal... what about FnL Menz Active range or the up-class Garnier/Loreal skin-whitening creams in your shopping list!

Not so long back I was discussing with a few of my colleagues about the perception of beauty in this part of the world (which is predominantly "white is beautiful"). And it wasn't surprising at all to notice once we realized how uniform beauty is by definition and (worse) by practice. You just gotta be white or prepare to lose your pride.

On top of it the plague of Indian soaps and Bollywood was transforming our idea of a beautiful woman into a girl from the silver screen. She had to wear what was trending... kameezes from short to anarkali pr pyjamas from churidaar to three-quarter (I dunno what those are called, my bad)... she had to look like that Gauri from Kutumb (SET) or Khushi from Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon (Star Plus)... her agenda was to be THEM!!! And them unfortunately aren't singular.

I mean look around... all you see are well-dressed, mostly petite, largely straight-haired, definitely fairer girls who by their sheer choice of submitting to uniformity over individuality upheld no comments! Be it Sonia or Salma or Khadija or even Sokhina... all are fairer (and perhaps prettier) than yesterday... yet the real (my) FAIR LADY is harder to come across today.

Where Did You Do Your Schooling?

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:11:00 +0000

Up until a few years back, the title question was a regular feature in all "get to know you" sessions I had. Whether it was a girl that I was courting or sitting opposite to a board of interviewers, I have always answered it in the most peculiar of ways every time. I had my reasons, after all... I had been to 10!

Yes, yes... you surely have read it right. The person who maintains this blog, he who has all the weirdest of views on life and thinks of himself as a IQ:140 genius has indeed been to 10 schools. The number excludes the college years (grade 11 and 12), since school is strictly till SSC or GCSE O Level in Bangladesh. The mystery of attending 10 schools for supposedly 10 classes gets even more delusional since I attended three of them for a good three years.

Anyways I am from that southern district of Bangladesh where all rich and famous are born, courtesy of which I can never get things started right away :p Blame it on the people of Noakhali or blame it my pure blooded Noakhailla nature, I just can't help it! So without further ado here goes my story...

The year was 1988, a year remembered by most for the worst flood in Bangladesh history. I was five. Thanks to my dad's jumping jack army life, I had already seen two cantonments by that time. I was born in Comilla and celebrated the birth of my younger brother in Jessore four years later. Both in CMHs (Combined Military Hospital aka. Military Field Hospitals) of course. We had just moved into Rajshahi. It was a cold cold place and all I remember form the first few months was contracting asthma and seeing mango trees all around. Soon my parents realized, they were stuck in a dessert town (Varendra area is the driest place) with a son who needed schooling. Many affluent families in the North actually found it better to send their kids off to Darjeeling or Kalimpong instead of seeing them rot in the scorching dry summer. However I wasn't that lucky. My dad surely wanted the best education for his eldest son but in a place where even locals had zero confidence over the existing schools, he didn't have much of a choice.

On the banks of mighty Padma, next to a carefully maintained mango plantation was the site of my first school, River View High School1. The picturesque location was perfect for a resort or even a residence perhaps, but definitely not a school. I barely remember a few snapshots of those days, the most obvious being a rather embarrassing one (my dad won't let me forget). The plush green playing field, the sight of Padma in walking distance and the scores of mango tress around the school were perhaps the only highlights of River View. I don't recall how long I attended the school since I was shifted from this part-government school to a private one soon.

Mother Box Kindergarten2 was a private English-heavy school in one old shabby building in the city. It was named after the founder of Rajshahi University, the fame educationist Mother Box. The classes were really cramped and again I don't remember jack. Perhaps the only recollection I have is of an Indian Magician visiting my school He had a few super common tricks (that even I mastered a few years later) and was selling a small handbook of tricks. I remember crying my heart out to get a piece of that for my collection, just as a collectible (I still buy dozens of such stuff for the same absurd reason)!!!

Life in Rajshahi was actually getting better. I started my first proper hobby, not so surprisingly stamp collecting. Looking back I am not sure whether I wanted to collect it or not. I guess my dad just influenced me to start collecting something that required and developed your knowledge of the world. My heartfelt gratitude to him for that (I dunno what I would be otherwise)!!! I also bought my first wristwatch from Rajshahi. I had a digital (Asahi or Akashi) followed by a analog Q&Q (I think). Tintin was another high point of my stay in Rajshahi. As soon as I read my first, I was a fan in no time. Till date I haven't come across a good enough alternative of it.

We were starting our third year in Rajshahi as my parents thought it was time for me to change schools, AGAIN!!! This was by far the closest to my home, had the ugliest of all names and was housed in a residential building. Upashahar K.G. School3 was however the pinnacle of my schooling years (in terms of academic results :p). Starting out in a High School and landing up in a K.G. School, I dunno what were my parents thinking (like duh!!!). Nonetheless, I topped the class throughout the year only to fall terribly sick right before the finals, settling for a respectable second. Whether it was the empty goal post or my sheer academic genius, I left Rajshahi with a heavy heart for not being able to secure the first position!!!

My dad had probably hit a glass wall of some sort in his career, cause we couldn't believe moving into a new city in the North Bengal. But there it was - a new town, a quieter place with a colder winter, Rangpur. Walking down the memory lane, I actually have some wonderful memories of my stay in Rangpur. The school I enrolled into, Rangpur Cantonment Public School & College4 was and still remains one of the best in that region. I attended classes 1 to 3 here. Made some friends. Had an intimidating encounter with the bad boy in class (who also happened to be my first know-it-all ichre paka friend). And most importantly had my first crush (a boy of 2 falls for a girl of 1). Unfortunately before the love could blossom any further, her dad got posted out and the next time I met her (ten years later) she was almost engaged to be married. I saw one of my all time favorites Terminator 2: Judgement Day in Rangpur (I remember seeing it every weekend for a good few months in fact). Learnt cycling, cricket, badminton and playing Captain Commando. I also did my first and last stage show in a Club Night, singing in a chorus goofing up the finishing tune. It was surely one of the best times in my life.

As if North Bengal weren't bad enough, Dad got posted in the troublesome Chittagong Hill Tracts. The Shanti Bahini (PCJSS) was still at large and he was posted in the worst possible zone, Babuchara in Khagrachari. While I was enrolled in Chittagong Cantonment Public School & College5, my dad was busy being a real-life Rambo (fighting and killing the separatists). I think his coolest picture in service years from that time. It was a rather stressful time for my family with my dad out there, and the school lacked life in general. While I was quite old by then, the only memories I have are of collecting Chacha Chaudhary Comics and sitting next to a retard boy in class who drew amazing comic heroes. The foundation of my friendship with him was simple - draw me what I wish for everyday. I know I am mean. And someone who can blatantly tell his stories of being selfish and mean, is to be kept at a safe distance ;)

The Curse of God Knows What followed. Dad got transferred again. From the killing fields of Hill Tracts to running after smugglers in Netrokona. It just could not get any worse. I was to be proven wrong... SOON!

Anjuman Adarsha Government High School6 was the school I attended. If the name didn't say it all, too bad! It was a horrendous experience. I was the boy who had a pencil box that had drawers coming out with a click, I was the boy who carried a tiffin box that had a spoon attached, I was the boy who went to school in a SUV (at times a bike) and I was the boy who had been to Dhaka. Now put a few ONLY before all those BOY in the previous sentence, and there you have it. Beyond the school, Netrokona was pretty fun. I learnt fishing, visited some really beautiful places (Sushong Durgapur, Bijoypur, Haluaghat to name a few), killed a snake and almost got bitten by one. I even attended after-class tuition at some school teacher's place. Lets not even get started on that.

Finally the lady luck had smiled, we were (me aged 12) in Dhaka. The year was 1995. My dad quickly got me admitted in Rifles Public School & College7. We lived in Peelkhana. It was arguably the most serene place to live in the city of chaos. I managed to have my second crush (the first on a classmate), which obviously resulted in nothing at all. After a handful years I was again topping the class. Made really good friends and was enjoying my time in the capital. For a period of time, we had three family member going to the same school - me, my younger brother and a first cousin. While studying in Rifles Public, dad got transferred to the remotest place to-date, Chapai Nawabganj. Thankfully, he somehow managed to keep me enrolled in the school as we packed our bags and shipped out again.

I felt like a Royalty being in Chapai Nawabganj. Not because my dad was the man in town or anything, but for the sheer of pleasure of being home schooled. Since I was admitted into a school in Dhaka, I was home schooled by my parents and a wonderful guy called Mr. Taher (learnt a lot from him, specially about trucks and pens). Sadly my non-conformist education was a short-lived fling. Some wise ass gave my parents the idea of sending me to a local school, just for the sake of proper schooling (as if I wasn't enough already). I was still enrolled in the Dhakaiya cool co-ed Rifles Public and this was a 100% natural cock fested Boy's School. Harimohan Government High School8 even put Anjuman to shame. It was so bad, even recalling those days makes me puke. Students went to school wearing sandals (that was the style), attending prayers in the middle of class hours was mandatory, tiffin was served from school (a choice between daalpuri or biscuits) and the classes started at 11 (in suburban areas day shift or 11am-4pm classes are the way to go). I was so bored during the tiffin breaks (which was for nearly an hour to let the kids play their hearts out), I started growing a sense of frustration. I was only in class 6!

Thankfully my parents realized. I was put back on home schooling and started preparing for the first prove your worth test. It was time for Cadet College. I was given the choice to pick one but not whether I had any interest to attend. With my impoverished, unprepared, village-educated knowledge I somehow managed to get myself admitted into Sylhet Cadet College, another picturesque location that somehow caught my attention. By this time we were back in Dhaka (this time in Dhaka Cantonment) and my dad had got back his senses. He decided to keep his heir to throne close by and scrapped the idea of cadet colleges once and for all. But there was a binding clause, I had to get admitted to a new school.

Following the family heritage (of my cousins and dad), Adamjee Cantonment Public School & College9 was the obvious choice. However after first week of classes, I realized it was to be a rough ride. Adamjee was a classic boys school where all hopes and aspirations of finding a friend (who is a girl) was the school next door, Shahid Anwar Girls' School & College. I think if we dig deep, there would be an alarming number of Adamjee-Shahid Anwar tie-ups in history of love in Dhaka Cantonment. Unfortunately I wasn't to feature in that list. God had other plans for me!!!

I had sat for two admission tests simultaneously. The first being the obvious Adamjee, and the other was its subtly niche cousin Shaheen. Since Adamjee results were out early, I started my classes there. But no sooner had the Shaheen results been published the alarm bell rang again, I was to be a Falcon (i.e. student of Shaheen). B.A.F Shaheen College10 was my address since then till I finished schooling. Joining in class 8, I was an alien that soon made its place in the crowd. Still I always felt a lil' left out, looked down upon and mocked at during those years. After all, I was the boy from villages trying to make it large in town! Shaheen was another classic, but a co-ed lovie-dovie one. Love stories, breakups, fights over girls were rampant and so was inter-house sports and fierce section vs. section rivalry. It was in many ways, the first proper school experience I had.

So there you have it. Almost three years each in three schools...

classes 1, 2 & 3 in Rangpur Cantonment Public4, Rangpur
classes 5, 6 & 7 in Rifles Public (including home schooling)7, Dhaka
classes 8, 9 & 10 in Shaheen10, Dhaka

And then seven different schools across five different cities for the rest...

class Nursery in River View1, Rajshahi
class KG I in Mother Box2, Rajshahi
class KG II in Upashahar3, Rajshahi
classes 3 & 4 in Chittagong Cantonment Public5, Chittagong
classes 4 & 5 in Anjuman Adarsha6, Netrokona
class 6 in Harimohan8, Chapai Nawabganj
class 8 in Adamjee9, Dhaka

The question still remains unanswered: where did I actually do my schooling?

Watch wish list

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:50:00 +0000

No collection is ever complete. Not without a long wish list at least. Neither is mine.

With my new found love for watches, I had to make a few tough choices. Choices like - Quartz vs. Mechanical? Automatic vs. Hand-wind? Swiss vs. Res of the World? and what not. To summarize these confusions... I had categorize the kind of collection I wanted to have.

For a poor man's genius son (gorib ghor'er medhabi shontan) like me, the primary driver in decision making was price. So I picked the $100-150 category to begin with.For a watch enthusiast, this actually is a no-go category. You barely get anything worth collecting at these prices. I was illiterate and new... and had grown up with only one watch in kind. The Honda Cub, The Volkswagen Beetle, The AK-47 of wristwatches... venerable Seiko 5!!!

I got my first Seiko 5 from a random store in Sunway Pyramid, Kuala Lumpur. They had a huge collection of Seikos and I was just astonished by the prices they offered. Later I found out, these were mostly produced in a Seiko factory in Singapore, thus the unbelievable bargain!!! Just in case you are in the lookout for good Japanese watches (Seiko or Citizen), Singapore and Malaysia are just about perfect places to look for. (Sadly they no longer offer Seiko 5's in homeland Japan).

So my first was the SNK613K. I guess I tried to pick up one that resembled most with my imagination of a mechanical (first seen with my Grandfathers). Good or bad, this was the first...

Like many many things before this, I got glued into the Series and wanted to collect a few more Seikos (5 or not). But my steel bracelet watch collection was already comprehensive and Seiko 5 collection didn't have much of the other. So when I stumbled upon the Seiko 5 Military Collection, the appeal of o.wning a flieger dial (resembling pilot watches worn by German pilots in WWII) got the best of me.

The SNK809K2 is a very popular model indeed. One of the more affordable military watches that didn't cost a penny to run and offered the luxury of a NATO strap. The NATO strap made it easier to be worn everyday and was another first in my tiny collection. Its been two months since I got it, and I am loving it!!!

Swiss will always be Swiss. But considering the price point, there was always only one brand to choose from, Swatch. In my 2010 trip to KL, I also got myself a Swatch. The Swatch watches are unique in many ways... Swiss-made but cheap, Has separate battery casings and Sealed clockwork (you can't open the watch if it breaks down). Basically what it offers a one night stand the fabled Swiss art of watchmaking.

My Swatch was from the Irony series and called Black 'n' Red (YCB4008AG). Quite attractive a piece but yeah as I said earlier, comes with some major drawbacks. The best thing about Swatch has always been its bold and rather eccentric styling, and this one is no different!

Another decent bargain I came across while looking for a proper dress watch was the Skagen and Obaku brand.While Skagen and Obaku are both of Danish origin. Skagen produces self-branded watches, jewelry and sunglasses; Obaku franchises its designs to other watchmakers (Ingersoll in UK and Titan in India). Although I would like to believe Skagen is a better brand (and value), I got a good bargain at Amazon for a Obaku Harmony piece and picked it up. The watch had a considerably large dial (41mm). Thanks to my thin-build, I am restricted to watches between 36-38mm for best fit. But its a proper dress watch with a clean and elegant dial. The Japanese zen philosophy that supposedly inspires is evident throughout this minimalist design. For the price you pay for such a design/build... its worth every penny!!!

It was time I moved to the bigger league (not necessarily money-wise, but popularity and heritage). The major Swiss brands are still dreams (Omega Speedmaster, Rolex Submariner etc. etc.) but more affordable yet equally classic options were there (Hamilton Khaki, Orient Mako). So here goes my list of future probables. Some are here because of their "cult" following, while others for "value". Poor me is still not sold on the idea of spending a 1000 grand (or more) over a timepiece that has exact same features as any of the above except the country of origin. Yes, I am an Apple fan but I use and promote Android just as much ;-)

The cheapest of the lot, Invicta 8926 Diver... a watch that has Rolex looks at Casio prices. An all time favorite in forums like Poor Man's Watch Forum and Watchuseek. It retails for only $79 with 550 reviews averaging 4 stars on Amazon as I type... and I'll leave it to that :-)

Next up, an American classic. Although owned by The Swatch group and runs on Swiss ETA movements, Hamilton's Khaki Field watches are a must-have for any military watch enthusiast. And at $368 (on Amazon) its decently priced for a classic brand like Hamilton.

No wishlist would be complete without a proper pilot's watch. And I found just about the perfect deal (and bargain) with Archimede Pilot. As elegant as the watch is (made in Germany), it doesn't cost you a fortune to own one (sells for about $540).

Finally, nothing beats the brute and crude Russians when it comes to rugged products that just delivers. Applies just as much for wristwatches, too. The no-nonsense Amphibia and Komandirskie from the house of Vostok represent the very best of Russia. Practical, functional, durable and inexpensive (Amphibia at $70 and Komandirskie at $50), one of them just needs to feature in my collection.

Komandirskie

Amphibia

To rub off the image of inferior quality watches, Seiko started producing the Grand Seiko series in 60's. Priced between $4000-10000, they were crafted to compete with the very best of Swiss watches. Considering quality and price they are indeed as close to perfection as watchmaking can possibly get. However due to rather limited or failed (whichever applies) they have found their place mostly in Asia (Japan to be precise) but with a cult following in many watch forums.

The history was to introduce what watch enthusiasts call, Poor Man's Grand Seiko (PMGS). No way in hell, am I going to spend that much of greenbacks over a perfect piece of timepiece made by Seiko. Just like everyone else only a Rolex, a Patek Philippe or a Panerai fits the bill for such a hefty tag. However Seiko (I don't get their marketing or product design objectives) makes a few Seiko 5 models that exactly resemble their expensive siblings. Cheap-ass or whatever, I thought it would be great to get my hands on a PMGS (2 models shown below).

Seiko 5 SNKE01K1

Grand Seiko GMT SBGM001

Seiko 5 SNKF51K1

Grand Seiko GMT SBGE001

That's about it for now. I am sorry to have disappointed the ones who were looking for brands like Omega, Tag Heuer, Rado or even Tissot, Movado, Oris etc. Since watch prices vary on perceived vs. actual quality mostly, I would suggest anyone looking for affordable watches to have a look at Top 20 Poor Man's Watches (below $1000) and visit enough enthusiast blogs/forums. A watch is actually an investment in the $1000+ category. It can still be a collectible at <$1000. But I beg you not to waste money buying junk fashion watches. Amen!

Inflation of MBAs

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:01:00 +0000

I am just a BBA graduate. With a not so mentionable CGPA.
Just had to state the facts before I get into fiction mode...

Flipping through the weekend newspapers (The Daily Star, Banik Barta and Shomokal for the record), my lazy sleepy eyes roamed across the pages looking for something different, a not so news material. I tend to forget at times, the dramatization that exists in our news presentation in general and how we usually have to downplay the actual publication to get a closer estimate of whats actual.

Thanks to loyalty, stupidity or being a 3rd generation service holder... I've been sticking around the same job for a little over last four years. Which in turn makes me not too keen on the job circulars or employment notices in the dailies, let alone bdjobs.com. However, today was different... I was plain bored and couldn't find anything better than to check out whats in offer in the markets!!!! Who knew, I was in for a ride...

Unlike most of my fellow mates out of college, I decided to hang up my boots after BBA thinking if I was to get back to the academic track once again, it surely had to be a more worthwhile experience. Almost five years went by ever since, and I remained as uneducated as I was back in convocation. But my smart alec classmates didn't waste a dime beating around the bush. They jumped right in.... some into the same-old MBA at NSU and a great number to the other greener pastures in UK and Australia (mostly).

Growing up, my dad always used to say A tree is known by its fruit... something that I has helped me boost my confidence in the real world. People with god-gifted talent and natural potentials are in plenty. At least I have been blessed with the opportunity to know a lot of them. But it hurts to see how we continually thrive to make efforts to be in-line with the crowd, be a part of the masses... buy degrees after degrees!!!

There is no alternate to good education. For all I know, I read half stuff for about 50% of my natural productive hours everyday. But when it comes to academics, I have over the years grown a strong distaste towards the memorize and reproduce form of education (the only means available in Bangladesh). Good education made better human beings by making them more enlightened, knowledgeable and perhaps (most importantly) more depth! But that's just too hard to find...

In today's world where anything from a Sales Executive at a Pharmaceuticals to a Business Development Manager in a Telco come with the same requirement... an MBA, I am left dumbfounded.

MBA as I've come to know through years of schooling and work, is a jack of all degree aimed at people who make decisions, give strategic directions and most importantly are business leads of some sort. What a Insurance Sales Agent or a Pharmaceutical Sales guy gets out of it is clearly beyond my understanding.

Moreover in a country where we face tough time in getting 40% of the population to even sign their names properly (in mother tongue), every starting job comes with a postgraduate degree requirement! How this phenomena results in poor education system and poorer students coming out of it has been argued over and over again by educated (properly) intellects many a times!!!

Irony is... we complain but we never fail to comply either :(

Am I losing it?

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 18:58:00 +0000

I had a few hundred dollars remaining in my credit card with no immediate plans of spending...
And somehow I managed to land myself at the Men's Watches section in Amazon. And after Intense research and bargain hunting... seven (yes you read it right, 7) watches and a zero balance was all that remained!!!

That was back in 1st week of August 2011. Ever since I have properly read up on horology, bid for antique movements in eBay and awaited the delivery of the following few~

Without further adieu let me present to you my Ramadan 2011 collection...

The first addition was the second Seiko 5 for my collection, a military watch... a mechanical movement! A venerable Seiko 5 (model no. SNK809) with black straps and a flieger dial.

SEIKO SNK809K2

I have been wanting a proper dress watch for sometime now. You know, the ones with leather straps and a clean and clear dial (timelessly elegant). I got a very good deal with Obaku and didn't wait a second to pick up the following,

OBAKU V112GCIRB

The other 5 had the following split,

a Ben Sherman R773 for my Dad,
a Skagen (can't recall the model no.) for my Mom, that got stolen off the luggage :-(
a Pulsar PXH035 and a Timex T20041 for my Brother
and finally another Ben Sherman (this time a R7865) for my soon to be married cousin!

The items mentioned in this blog wouldn't have been here without the kind support of my dear friend KB and even dearer AA, who carried it halfway across the world for me!!! Thank you once again :)

E.I.D Mubarak

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:35:00 +0000

Its supposed to be "Eid Mubarak/Blessed Eid". But I made that up.

Just like that. Perhaps for a perfect start to this piece... but you'll be the judge of it!

E.I.D for me is Everything In Disguise!!!

It all started this morning. While offering the Eid ul-Fitr prayers in my neighborhood mashjid (mosque), the Imam (Islamic Cleric) during his customary khutba (public preaching) repeatedly kept reminding the unusually large gathering of dressed-up attendees of how "The practices of Holy Ramadan" should be continued well beyond the stipulated thirty days. I have heard the same lines at least a dozen times throughout the month... in different talk shows in radio and TV, magazine article, elderly folks and the web. They all sound and demand the same, don't let your greatness to be confined to the month of Ramadan only. However many times its said or echoed though, some things are not meant for change...

Let us start with the most obvious... salaat (the most common Muslim act of worshipping). As creations of Allah and followers of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Muslims are required to perform salaat (offer prayers) at least five times (waqt = time) a day. For half-hearted followers who whole-heartedly work (like me) the morning (fajr), the noon (zuhr), afternoon (asr) and evening (maghrib) prayers can be easily discounted citing inconvenient hours. Yet from the very first day of Ramadan, people like me flock in the neighborhood mashjid for every waqt and throw tantrums at work for not having adequate praying facilities. Going by the teachings of Islam, selfless modesty does take front-seat from the very beginning! The capitalist 9 to 5 work-hours get customized, lunch-outs disappear and a sense of devoutness is in the air. Even the foul-smelling colleague of yours is no longer looked down at, since you all start smelling pretty much the same.

It is said that if all Muslims paid their due zakat, there would be no poverty in the world. Unfortunately there is more than enough poverty across the globe along with even greater number of zakat defaulters. Before Eid (throughout the month of fasting) we all go for some sort of a "religious diet". We dont deny alms to the beggars, shove off street urchins or forget saying bismillah and alhamdulillah at the beginning and end of every meal. We just put on a cloak that says humility guaranteed... and damn... don't we do a good job of it!!! By the time its Eid, without a fail I wonder... why on earth did I think that of them!*)^&(%?

The more softer (but I believe harder) habitual changes aren't to be missed out either. When you see Qiraat (Quraan recitation) competitions and Islamic talk shows on every possible channel at the same hour of the day, when you hear hamd o naat instead of chammak challo on your way back home, when you realize there is no lunch hour at work or when you simply decide not to check out the latest Pit bull video on YouTube... you know its Ramadan!

As an aspiring follower of Islam, I wish all I said above were just facts.... But rarely that is the case!!! From hereon, you all are free to judge me... as it is purely and sanely the opinion of a person who surely has some bias about how things are in life!!! O and nothing blasphemous... rest assured!

If the glass was half full till now, let me tell you the story of the glass that was half empty...

The preach and practice the teaching of Ramadan throughout the month (in our own different ways)... yet it seems... the excitement of being at close proximity to the Almighty dies down almost instantaneously after Eid (end of Ramadan). There is a sharp and somewhat drastic drop in number attendees at mashjids. The five waqts of prayer start seeming like too much trouble or too inconvenient. Lying becomes the only truth. And spitting goes down drastically in the streets :p
(oh yes! we spit more often in Ramadan avoid any doubt about consuming liquid during the fast).

Zakat as a word and as a practice... largely begins and ends with Ramadan (for most of us, at least). Without paying any heed to the idea behind it, most (including my family and indirectly me) engage in buying the cheapest bargain sarees and lungis (there are special zakat range) to be distributed amongst the housemaids and what not (I know some nice folks send it to their village homes, but that's about it). Women inquire, cry and creep about how astronomical a sum they need to pay as zakat (for the truckload of jewelry they have stored away) and settle for a fraction of it by themselves. Suddenly every penny spared for a street urchin or elderly/disabled beggar throughout the year supplements the missing zakat fund. It always magically adds up to a satisfactory answer, every time...

Iftaar... the great feast of Ramadan (I hope I ain't exaggerating) is another marvel. While we fast to feel the pain and suffering of the needy (the ones that go without a proper meal a day) and learn about patience, spirituality and submissiveness to Allah; its like daydreaming when you stand by any of the major food-places just before iftaar (watching the voracious foodaholics in action) and think back on those basic fundamentals of fasting in Ramadan. When you spend as much on Iftaar as a lunch in any 5 Star buffet... I wonder where lies the lesson about patience and humility in their actions!!!

The broadcast media is indeed the funniest of all. As you startle at the sight of a semi-burqa clad newscaster (who usually turns a few heads everyday) and get the warmth of enjoying something "religiously right", the next TV advert sporting that bouncing babe in red isn't so. The FMs go back on playing biri jalaile during Azaan (summon to offer prayers) and girls across the street start looking like that perfect Coke bottle!!!

No body's perfect and I don't even make it to the shortlist. I am not the person (courageous or capable) who points a finger at our beloved (or loathed, is it?) society and exposes imperfections. I don't preach or practice Islam to the extent where you should start taking me seriously either. I have been associated with a lot of (not so nice) adjectives in life but hypocrite ain't one of them. I am just another person... stupid enough to express the expected in words, dumb witted to believe we can change!!!

Because We Can, We Must

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:57:00 +0000

Around half a century back Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream, where he envisioned a world (America) free of racial discrimination and inequality once and for all. He didn't however live to see his dream turn to reality (I wonder whether we have?). But when Barack Obama said, "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek" the words of Luther King echoed across the American people. For good or for bad they (Americans) had leaders who shared the same dream, 50 years apart!!!

If we look further back, there is the great Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) who believed in ahimsa (total non-violence) and preached, "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind." He was a living legend indeed. In fact Martin Luther King, Jr. himself had once said, "Christ gave us the goals and Mahatma Gandhi the tactics." Such is the acceptance of this Brahmachari that even at this kalyug (modern era/dark times), activists like Anna Hazare take up his non-violent methods to rally against Anti-corruption. Gandhians are still at large in India and across the globe irrespective of race, gender or religion. Idealism is usually the force which drives all progressive change and he had one that won a million hearts (and continue to do so) "Ahimsa Paramo Dharma".

Without further adieu let me get to the point! The enlightened people that you are (reading it) must be knowing about most of what I've highlighted in the above paras. But the irony is that we know the situation, perhaps can dig up a solution but definitely can't execute the desired course of action. Even our greatest leader Bongobondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1971 had called upon his countrymen in a thunderous voice, "Ebarer Sangram Amader Muktir Sangram, Ebarer Sangram Swadhinatar Sangram" (This struggle is for our freedom, this struggle is for our independence), inspiring what would turn into Bangladesh Liberation War. 40 years down the line... we still don't shy away from using it in every possible manner or putting his name and portrait in every possible place. These consecutive acts of mockery by successive governments has left us with no leader at all (at least not without acute controversies).

I grew up knowing Bangladesh is a nation of patriots and survivors that are full of optimism and adaptability. By the time I had grown up... I considered myself stuck in a rat hole of corrupt and uncivilized people who ensure nothing social insecurity and spiraling inflation and has no vision but of their own. Gandhian or not, dreamer or not.... I am just another citizen of Bangladesh. And all I ever wanted to love my country and contribute towards its development. I used to feel miserable at times knowing I probably wasn't contributing where is required the most, politics (more specifically student politics). But then when you wake up from that lucid surreal dream, you realize it is nothing but a pothole (like the ones you scrape through everyday). A pothole in a street that's underwater (sewerage preferably) , a pothole that we try to mend temporarily every now and then... a pothole we must we must fix to move forward!!!

Question is, HOW do we do it? by WHEN? and most importantly WHO does it?

Reminiscing through Wristwatches

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:26:00 +0000

Coincidences are perhaps meant to be strange. Leaves you wondering "how on earth?" and et al!

And considering how eccentric my life has turned out to be, I take pride in enjoying many such events from the very earliest days of my life. For a start, both my grandfathers (paternal and maternal) owned the exact same wrist watch till the time God called them back home. I don't know for how long they had had it, but just for record... I got to spend a good 6 years with the paternal and 16 with the maternal one. I mean back in 80's there weren't probably too many options to choose from in Bangladesh (or were there? help me out here), Plus given the fact one lived and worked in Dhaka and the other in distant Feni (that too in a remote village); the likelihood of them owning the same brand, same model, same styled and almost similar colored wristwatches didn't seem rather unusual up until very recently. Both my granddads were proud owners of one of most widely owned, collected and a one-time revolutionary product called Seiko 5

The 5 stands for five essential features of the watch, namely shock resistant, water resistant, automatic, and day and date display. A hardworking everyday wear timepiece, the Seiko 5s stood the test of time well after the demise of their respective owners. I can't exactly recall the dial colors on them... but customary to the line, they both had stainless steel bracelets and twenty one jewels.

I can still clearly recall how they used to make a point to ensure their mechanical timepieces stored enough juice last the night before heading off to bed themselves. Th watches were chunky and unimpressed the Casio digital loving me every time without a fail. Time however, did the trick slowly and surely... As I grew older, digitals were slowly replaced by analog quartz. Casio had become too immature and school-boyish and only cheap Q&Qs befitted my new world. Sports to casual to dress... the use and style of watch design was also taking a hit. I was soon discovering a soft corner for having a few options, every time I was putting on a watch. The seeds of horology were sown in deep and yet I had no clue of it!

A handful of Titans and Fasttracks later, I started looking East (now I could afford to). A Citizen Quartz was a welcome addition to my growing collection of easily-dead watches (o yes, Titans die on you faster than your pet rabbit). The Citizen was to join hands with my long-loved Casio Digital which I had picked up from a random store in Rajshahi New Market back in '96.

Casio SFX-10

The Citizen was trendy and coupled with its sleek stainless steel bracelet, could double-time as a dress cum casual watch anytime. The black dial on silver with hints of red at the centre was quite a stunner.

Citizen BK0830-57E

The inflow of Made in India Titans continued, as in a few years I had racked up four (with one dead)... 1 Octane, 3 Fasttracks to be precise (and 1 Fasttrack died over time). The living ones are pictured below:

Titan Fasttrack Army Collection 3008TL01

Titan Fastrack 1389SL01

Titan Octane 9243SP03

But it was a small epiphany standing infront of a watch store in KL that got me thinking (after buying a Swatch Irony), its time to relive the chunky winding days of my childhood, it was time for me to get a Seiko 5. And man haven't I enjoyed owning this ever since...

Swatch Irony YCB4008AG

Another first, Seiko 5 SNK613K

Seiko 5 SNK613K

Coming soon... a Seiko 5 SNK809K2!!! I think I want a set of 5!!!

Honey and The Money

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:44:00 +0000

50 Cent made the autobiographical Get Rich of Die Tryin' based on his rather troubled life (try getting shot nine times and survive to make a movie on it). Fortunately for a commoner, life is usually devoid of such extremities. We aspire and strive for what most want us to be and at times (very sporadically though) fantasize what we could have been. In this crude capitalist world of ours, we are constantly faced with questions that often end with answers that necessarily aren't what we signed up for.

Take career for example... for a man who wasn't born an Arab Sheikh or a Mogul Emperor, making something out of thyself has been a top priority ever since I developed a sense of life. As opposed to some who can just snore thinking life happens to you while you are busy making other plans, the question I've faced all my life is what? by when? instead of a more vague and casual let's see. The core philosophy during the schooling years it was study hard which progressed to be study hard, party harder in college and finally before reaching its current state of work hard, play hard. Although I slacked quite a bit during the study years, it was largely amended by the time I started to work. As a career choice, advertising seemed more of the underground genre than to the chart busting pop hits like Banking, Law, Marketing or even Teaching. But I was from a different school of thought, the one that played around 'its not where you start, but where you get at the end". And man have I enjoyed my last few years at work... being an adman.

But just as life isn't a bed of roses so wasn't bringing ideas to life. Unlike some of its more esteemed industry colleagues, Advertising as a service made far less money than a law or an accounting or even a management consulting firm did. It gets clearer once you realize that all major law, accounting or consulting firms are partnerships (i.e. McKinsey, PwC) while advertising agencies are mostly owned by holding companies (i.e. WPP). I knew what I had signed up for... and tried extra hard to make up the 0's that were missing. The incredibly flexible workspace, the always entertaining colleagues, the eccentric artists and the glamour of being an adman was simply too good to be true. While my friends were busy selling loans, developing annual sales plans or preparing duty rosters; I spent twice their time at work putting great ideas to good use. The supposed great ideas were not always great and involved a lot of smoke and holy water. I had almost forgotten the reason why we all work... the pay!!!

"Who needs money when life was already great, honey?" was perhaps the question that buzzed my head every time I was offered an opportunity to switch industry. Yet as I readied myself for the next big move in my life... all that's great seemed to be puny. The holy matrimony beckoned the colorful me and handed over a reality check on what life is all about. All of a sudden it was stability of the job and salary package instead of joy of work that mattered. How much? had overshadowed how happy?. And to top it all, bank statement had a greater influence than the amazing score in happiness index.

Men, in not so chauvinistic manner were just expected to be in the money-making jobs. Be it a banker with no life or a lawyer with no ethics; you are just to make money... everyday in every possible way. There lied no alternate to this 'common belief' even after having strong-opinionated and successful working women around. I had to work for I had to provide for a family and not for any of the utopian self-actualization or greater self-esteem. Lost and confused, I tried to looking for a way out resorting to my fun-filled gang at work; and sadly I realized... if they could, even they would (move on). It was the bite in the back I was least prepared for, the choice I thought I would never have to make, the life I frowned upon!!! The path ahead was precise and concise, marriage is for the one with money...

Special thanks to my banker buddies Shafkat and Naim for helping me decide on the easier said than done headline...

My Bengal of Gold

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 16:47:00 +0000

Just in case you were wondering, the title is from the famous song by Tagore "Aamar Shonar Bangla". Aside from being the national anthem of Bangladesh, the song is one of the better ones out there encapsulating the true beauty of Bengal.

Representing the branding/communications fraternity of Bangladesh, it gives me no pleasure knowing we have achieved almost "zero growth" in increasing the value of "Brand Bangladesh". While different bodies have been mobilized and some been rather proactive (i.e. Bangladesh Brand Forum) to make amends, the end-results are yet to materialize (or far from being sufficient). The government on its part, has done little to make any sizable impact except coining words like "Digital Bangladesh" (which is more fallacy than facts) as well as incorporating "Beautiful Bangladesh" (a stop-gap measure that none seem to approve of). The BPC (Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation) has been a playing catch-up ever since its inception. Which makes it not surprising that even after forty years of being an independent nation, we lack a proper tourism infrastructure. Albeit there has been sporadic moves from the private parties (some mutually beneficial, whereas some purely commercial), tourism in general is considered a public sector undertaking and yet the government has gone underground on it from the beginning.

I fell in love with Kerala only after "Gods own country" showed me how pristine and natural it was and I can only recall Malaysia as the "Truly Asia" country... but I can never associate Bangladesh with such a one-liner in an instance. Of course the proverbial greenery of Bangladesh (which is supposed to depict the green countryside) exists, but really! how many of us would endorse that with a sane mind and hand on our heart? I believe, the numbers are in hundreds if not 10's...

The point wasn't about how far behind we are (which is true for most advancements, actually) but to appreciate what measures we have taken to better our image globally. Sadly, not too many enterprising spirits (persons or companies) have actually brought about any memorable changes to-date! Be it in terms of image building (may be Grameen Bank and Dr. Yunus, but even that's a taboo now) or actual facilitating (name one resort/place that is truly unique to Bangladesh? Just one...) we have failed over and over again to make any great improvements to the sorry state of tourism in Bangladesh.

But as always (just like any fiction or inspirational true events) there is HOPE! Hope in the form of new media (social media, web marketing). While we (the nation, the government, the ones running it and the people) are stressed to feed our poor, implement ADP (Annual Development Plans) or even keeping inflation in check some evangelist souls (companies as well) have been making the most of digital to promote "Brand Bangladesh". Although the following mentions aren't the latest or greatest, they make way for (what I believe) the beginning of a lot of new beginnings for our Bangladesh!!!

First up is a video made by a student from Dhaka University (which I'm led to believe was developed out on a whim) that created a new kind of buzz (promoting Bangladesh's image to the world) and gained popularity through YouTube and Facebook mostly...

Developed by ZANALA Bangladesh, the next one has been (again) one of the most circulated videos about Bangladesh. It was intended as a part a campaign that promoted Bangladesh at an international conference in Canada. Funded by IDLC Bangladesh Ltd., this video even went on to win a special award for "Nation Branding" at Commward 2009. I was lucky to be at the Gala cheering for IDLC and ZANALA for a very well deserved prize...

The final mention, and perhaps the best of the lot (in terms of quality, story-telling and a genuine communication) is "The School of Life" made by GREY Dhaka for the Beautiful Bangladesh campaign and was aired during the opening ceremony of (another milestone for Bangladesh) ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in Dhaka. Not only did it make a dent in everyone's way of thinking (regarding Bangladesh) it was what I would call, a genuine effort to put an image to "Brand Bangladesh"... I loved how the film ends with a call of action (admission going on...) would genuinely endorse it as a must-watch for anyone seeking to get an idea about Bangladesh!

An extended version of the "Beautiful Bangladesh" film... Personally, I think it doesn't do justice to the original film (the girls starts looking uglier, for instance). Also with more time to play with, the story somehow falls short of connecting better! Nevertheless, I thought the update was required to this post... thus... here it goes...

Obviously none of the above make it to the league of a full-fledged campaign like Incredible !ndia, but its a start! And we all can (at least in our own ways) come together to help these trailers make the rest (of the world) fall in love with the movie (hopefully a planned and comprehensive country branding effort)...

A special thanks to Views On Tourism. We should all be thankful to the ones like Majbritt Thomsen for their initiatives! I for one got inspired to write this from a Ms. Marjana Shammi's blog.

A Tale of Two Videos

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Mon, 16 May 2011 08:41:00 +0000

Opportunity is missed by most people
because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work

If the above statement held true for all my colleagues at Ogilvy, I surely wouldn't be writing this post :) Working in advertising comes with "a different touch", best described by the Hindi term "thoda haatke". We work absurdly long hours for not the most promising end of month paycheck, we showoff with brands that actually gets our salaries and at the end, we are eternally dissatisfied with others (esp. competitors)!!!

In the league of such eccentric people, I am no angel either. If anything, my eccentricity and complacency gets the better of me in most cases for good or bad. Just the way a rather sane me tried to jump on board the Cannes Canoe (taking part in the Cannes Lions) almost a similar opportunity came knocking on the door for my creative buddies, but for a bigger audience at work.

This year being the 100th birth anniversary of "Father of Modern Advertising", David Ogilvy... the company he founded is planning to hold special centennial celebrations in his honor. And what better place to honor a legend than at the legendary Cannes Lions Festival itself. To promote the pride in being with Ogilvy, competitions were across different disciplines to excite and entice Ogilvians around the world for an all-expense-paid trip to Cannes Lions 2011. Previously I had mentioned how I was lucky to be considered for a ticket to Cannes through the "Young Suit of the Year" competition. Although I made it to the Top 10, I missed the final cut (Top 5) by a whisker!!! The other competition launched was the more open to all "Create or Else"; where the creative types were invited to share ideas and work that inspires in a video. The video had to be an all original content (concept, music, photography, filming etc.), between 2 to 4 minutes long and had to be a team of two. The ten most viewed video owners will be reviewed and one lucky team gets to take part in Cannes Lions. The following were the submissions from my beloved Bangladesh:

First up was the all "art" combination of Razib and Sakib. The fine arts duo capitalized on the recent killing of Osama Bin Laden as they published, B+S (osama and obama)...

The copy department soon followed suit as Mehedi teamed up with our in-house animator Nafis to create Bring back the green

With the rumor mill of a few more upcoming still buzzing, and I assure you of putting them up as well. For now, enjoy the works of the fabulous four and spread the word around!!! Who knows, may be one day your time will come as well...

New drama unfolds, as the B+S (osama and obama) has been removed from YouTube as per direction of the competition committee citing political sensitivity and company policy. However there is good news in the form of a third entrant. Here comes Positive or Negative? by Imran and Russell...

Surprise, surprise... Razib and Sakib strike back after the untimely end of their first video with a rather artsy and eccentric submission, AWARD

The Suit

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 11:51:00 +0000

In my experience, there is not a single role in an agency a suit (boringly called Account Manager) cannot or (more appropriately) doesn't fill in for; a jack of all trades; a one-man agency. But of course there are a few must have’s along with other good to have’s. Below are my top 5:

Passion for advertising is the fuel for careers in our industry. The very moment it runs dry, its time to bid goodbye. Neither is it completely irrational, nor very logical… for it is the best of both worlds and one needs to feel for it to be in it at all times.

While passion drives us forward, it’s the ownership of our work that keeps it steady. Good is never the answer, its always got to be great.

However, it’s not possible to own your work completely without having an eye for detail. There is simply no scope to overlook the obvious (down to the tiniest detail).

Since it’s advertising, there is never an absolute right or wrong. In the shades of gray we operate in, we should always trust our instincts. Many a times, what doesn't feel right just isn’t right!

And finally to be one heck of a suit, we need to love our clients. We wouldn't be here today if it weren’t for the opportunities they entrust us with, likewise they wouldn't be as great they are without our undying love and respect for their business.

If you do belong to the group above, the next step would be to find out your kind...

Bringing on the suits (A typology of account managers by Eric Blais)

1000 Words of Wisdom

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 10:58:00 +0000

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together"

Never had a clue how this excerpt from Van Gogh would be the perfect answer to “why me?”. For an adman who sells campaign ideas for brands for a living, it wasn’t the usual child’s play to sell brand “SABIH” and keep it sold! To my utter surprise, five years after I baby-stepped into the mad world of advertising, nothing described my achievements better than the quote above.

Back in 2007, joining Ogilvy was a gambit for me. The agency had just opened its doors in Bangladesh - a bagful of prospects but little accomplishments in reality. As exciting yet enduring the journey was, it was only in 2010 when the hard work started giving dividends. An idea that was simple in concept but fabulous in action did the trick for Ogilvy. The first 360° campaign, in which I double-timed as both a suit and a copywriter, the launch of Air Action by Mentos broke the deadlock of creative recognition for Ogilvy. Scoring our first ever metal for effective creativity (at the national Commward 2010) and that too in a prestigious category (Most Effective Launch) was just about perfect. However beyond that fanfare, it gained us the client’s trust that let us practice better creative freedom (developing the first of its kind radio engagement campaign, Mentos Monday that won in Dhaka Adfest 2011) and reinforced Ogilvy’s image as the preferred partner (leading to handover of the McCann business to us). In a matter of three years, the PVM account had grown by over seven times and was the second largest business of Ogilvy Bangladesh. All this achieved by getting the basics (of creating great work that works) right!

However, being a brand steward often calls for going beyond the call of duty. Over the years, I have consistently tried to develop and deliver on the stewardship principals again and again. For me it was always about owning the brands I worked for, instead of being employed to look after the brands. When TANG was losing market share to me-too brands, an initiation on my part resulted in a sampling program across eight metros that regained significant market share. In addition to that, I helped identify a need-gap followed by writing a business case on how Kraft could grab share off carbonated drinks by making TANG available at vending machines. The idea was well appreciated and approved by Jiri Hejl, the then Regional Business Director for Kraft Foods, but could not see light of day. Kraft’s acquisition of Cadbury had unfortunately put the plan back to the drawing board. A few months back, at a social gathering, I stumbled upon a group of Italian photojournalists working on the RISHI community. Hearing what they had to say, I was in my MD’s office first thing next morning explaining why we should take up this opportunity. If pushing forward with a one-off campaign wasn’t risky enough, there was almost little or no money to be made. All I could foresee back then was a social cause that would make headlines and an outstanding campaign in the making. A year later Khachar Bhitor Aachin Rishi became Ogilvy Bangladesh’s first ever entry into AME. It’s remarkable to recollect how I could convince an “it’s no good” to “it’s our shot at fame”.

It really doesn’t help being a blogger, a social network junkie and a tech geek from a country barely beginning to embrace the “digital revolution”. However, I try to keep myself and the rest of Ogilvy Bangladesh updated on what’s the latest and greatest in digital around the world with regular mails that read “daily dose of awesomeness”. Managing the Ogilvy Bangladesh fan page on Facebook, attending webinars on social media by Thomas Crampton, subscribing to Digerati by Barney Loehnis are just a few of the initiatives I am part of. My newest undertaking was to be nominated as the Digital Lead of Bangladesh. Following Ogilvy’s global drive towards Digital, when my MD offered this opportunity, I eagerly took it up. Our first digital project – Grameenphone Brand Page (a brand activity showcase) was also my responsibility.

In the end, it all comes down to the realities of the bottom line. When it comes to business, I have always considered myself numbers-oriented. Not so long ago, PVM was having an artwork redevelopment across all SKUs. Instead of getting this done by Selection (their central design house in Italy), I pitched and sold the idea of using Redworks as the studio operations partner. Since then PVM has used the local Redworks facility as and when required and that resulted in additional revenue from unidentified new business. After a few years of absence, when Kraft/Cadbury was reviving their Bangladesh operations, we were asked to handover the business to their media partner. Instead I was successful in getting them to keep not only the creative but also the media business with us, adding substantial greenbacks in the process.

Google Ogilvy & Mather Bangladesh and you are most likely to find either my blog or professional profile in the Top 10 results. Innumerable times I have been the introducer of new faces to the agency. From talent scouting in campuses to headhunting from other agencies, I have been instrumental in getting recruits across the hierarchy. Considered the blue-eyed boy of Ogilvy, I thrive at instilling a sense of pride that comes from working for Ogilvy. The long hours, and unfriendly clients become irrelevant in the face of the contagious enthusiasm I nurture. The Duracell Bunny-like passion and devotion to my work was always held in high regard and aptly recognized. When the moment of truth finally came, I found myself up against the very best of Ogilvy at Ad Champs 2010. Although I was the youngest delegate by age and experience, my team was the eventual winner by a margin nonetheless. This meteoric rise (though the Ogilvy ranks) and the budding fame (TV and Magazine interviews) has been an inspiration for everyone in and beyond. And as a people’s person, I always try to make the best of it by motivating the apprentices.

It has been nothing short of a spectacular journey at Ogilvy for me... and I believe it is only to get better with time. While being nominated for the YSOY 2011 competition is definitely a moment of pride, I’d rather win it to turn dreams into reality. Passion for advertising is my reason for being, and what place to showcase it better than Ogilvy… I am Sabih Ahmed, and I am here to win it!!!

This what I wrote in my "Why Me?" application for Ogilvy Young Suit of the Year 2011.
No portion of this write-up may be reproduced or reused in any form without prior written consent.

The Shadow Chronicles

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 16:09:00 +0000

Being an established self serving advocate, it was quite unbelievable that I would miss the chance to go up on stage and collect the silverware for my campaign "Mentos Monday" at the Adfest Dhaka 2011. But as ironic as it may be, it happened... and somehow, I really have no regrets about it :) After all, winning is all that matters and my missed chance was soon made up for as I stood on stage collecting the second silverware for the night that we (Ogilvy Bangladesh) had won. Winning feels great... everyone gets to take pride in it, dialogs start about it, criticism goes up by a notch... ah well, its all just part of the package at the end!!!

Beating the mighty Prothom Alo to take the best print ad award (news and publications category) was quite an achievement for Daily Sun. Being only a few months old, the English daily is hardly a match for the no.1 newspaper in Bangladesh for over a decade. And even when it comes to communication, Prothom Alo has been leading the way with some of the great campaigns that we've been exposed to in past few years. However, it wasn't to be the same this time around... the Daily Sun Victory Day (16th December) print ad dethroned its predominant competitor to take away the silverware!!!

The idea was to associate how the "pen" is mightier than the "sword" (or in this case the rifle) and salute the freedom fighters on the eve of Victory Day.

However, as deserving or crappy as it may seem... no sooner had the award been announced that an anti-alliance was formed. As I closely watched people from the creative industry bombard this piece of communication as a "copycat" of a noted campaign from a global brand; I simply couldn't resist to dig deep and actually unearth the practice of using such shadows in advertising around the world.

The campaign from which the one above had apparently taken inspiration (or copied) from belonged to Lego, the colorful interlocking plastic bricks that we all loved back in childhood.

This campaign was all about highlighting the greatest strength we posses as children, "creative imagination". When a child's vivid imagination takes over, even the simplest of Lego structures could stand for the unlikeliest of objects (in this case a ship, a dinosaur, a tank and a plane).

Considering how half a glass of water can stand for both optimism (if seen as half full) and pessimism (half empty) in one single visual representation; its hard to believe that a creative mind would associate the campaigns above to be of the same kind (let alone, dubbing the local to be a "copycat" of the global).

In fact, the use the shadows to mirror the subtext of the image is a common practice that's been going on for ages. Its easy to label a local creative as a knockoff of the global award winning work, but when you see the following, does the same neurons tickle your brains?

And more...

Even movies haven't shied away from ripping the benefits of this shadow-play either...

Its really unfortunate, that we as a nation are obsessed with defaming the achievements of others (and I'm sure multiple occasions are popping up in your head, too). It would be really great to have something as original and authentic as the Holy Qur'an, but that's hardly ever the case. Because the brains behind such creative work take inspirations from their daily lives; it seems, at times their expressions of different ideas take not so different shapes at the end...

Its always easier to say something is "copied" rather than trying to interpret what the thought behind is, just like the way it is to condemn than to compliment!!!

For more on use of shadows in advertising, please visit http://abduzeedo.com/remarkable-uses-shadow-advertising

Money Mongers

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 16:21:00 +0000

Lately, I have been busy arranging and taking interviews of a whole bunch of fresh graduates for my firm. Considering the business is advertising and the firm being Ogilvy & Mather; I genuinely had expected a lot of good buzz from the "graduate market". It wasn't too far-fetched an expectation, since almost all of Hollywood has in one way or the other pictured admans to be the coolest, most sought-after and playful professionals right after George Clooney in any role (i.e. negotiator or thief) and Brad Pitt as a renegade (fight club, troy, kalifornia etc.). Even in our fashion/trendz go-to country India has colorful advertising personalities hitting the headlines quite regularly (Prasoon Joshi - Lagaan, Balki - Cheeni Kum and the critically acclaimed Rahul Bose; all hail from advertising). But when in comes to Bangladesh, just as many other "brainiac" industries; advertising is always referred as an industry in its nascent phase. Saying this, I guess its very clear to the wandering mind how hard it is to recruit good talents for the industry...

At the beginning of my career in advertising (which was not so long ago), I was told by one of my earliest mentors in this industry... your career is like a race, either you sprint start and get juiced out by the middle of it or you could run a marathon and live up to the Aesop's fable of "the hare and the tortoise". In both ways, its a race and running is imperative... there is no easy way out but its not only about raw power and brute strength either. The smartness lies with the "mode" you choose and also how effectively you make the most of the path chosen. Philosophies aside, it is very uncommon in today's youth to be accredited for being a marathon runner. For there is no prize for starting small to make it big one day, but only to start big to be the biggest in no time :) Sadly, we fail to realize... as Mr. Paul Arden rightly puts, "Its not how good you are, its how good you want to be". The word "potential" is more common in people than the word "successful" and one doesn't have to dig too deep to figure why?

The great talent-grabbers of past - BAT, Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser and Standard Chartered are still there at the top of the food chain. But its the more hyena like newcomers who have actually redefined the job prospects of a newbie. Upcoming and promising local banks (Brac Bank EBL, Dhaka Bank), conglomerates (ACI, Rahimafrooz), communications superpowers (GP, Blink, Warid/Airtel, Qubee) are all who operate in the upper-mid food chain and consume the most of talents. I am no communist, nor do I see myself resenting for not starting in any of the companies mentioned above... but I am pragmatic and in no way can I justify some of the absurdest amounts that I hear of as "starting/basic package".

The US of A, the great capitalist superpower, the mother of dreamlands, the country which sets the benchmark for these "martian" salaries has a PPP (per capita GDP) of $47,123 and a minimum average MBA starting salary of $73,000 (the least a MBA graduate would start with). Makes sense; considering "ivy league" is a word coined by them and them alone, and almost 90% (figuratively) of the world's Top 500 universities are from mainland USA. Interestingly now, if we look at Bangladesh, a developing (a gentle word for poor) country from the third world with a meager PPP of $1565 (that to, after consecutive years of near-to double digit GDP growth), average starting salary for a decent MBA graduate is in and around the region of $5000 (taking in reference the average starting salaries posted in recruitment ads). While the US MBA grads enjoy a nearly 1.5 times valuation (as opposed to the general mass), its an astounding 3.2 times for a Bangladeshi MBA. And just to add more juice to the irony, no Bangladeshi university even features in the Top 500 and there is no sign of one making into that list anytime in the near future (According to webometrics, BUET the highest ranked, is 2916th in the World).

Its really good to be on the receiving end of such astronomic sums at the month's end... and I don't see any harm in watching these children (I couldn't find a better word for the freshlings) become complacent over time. Its not because they are right in doing so, but because in the rat-race of hiring the best talents, we have actually gone beyond the logical sums that rightly valuate a fresher's talent and capacity to contribute to the hiring organization. At the end, these companies do perhaps get the best of the best, but only to lose them in a few years for a better/sweeter deal to a competitor. This chain of offering better to get the best is indeed never-ending (only to the point when one becomes too expensive to maintain or simply, just redundant). The money we make... makes a lot of difference in our daily lives (after all, that's why we work to begin with) but we fail to realize the money cannot be the ultimate decisive factor in choosing careers. Religious Teacher, Doctors, Firefighters, Teachers and Police make the top half of the "most satisfying occupation" list in US. And when you wonder how would these occupations actually suit in Bangladesh terms, all you are left with is a grim expression.

All said and done... there will always be a disparity between the highest paying jobs and the most satisfying ones. It is for us to determine for ourselves which suits us the best, and not only that pays the best. A career is not about how fast you start the race, but how high you actually finish it. And finally to end it, I look back on the the apt words of Baz Luhrmann from the song "Sunscreen",

"…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself"

This blog post is also available at http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2011/07/04/career.htm

NOT EVERYONE CAN FLY

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 18:22:00 +0000

10,000 is the amount you have to spend to make a return trip to Chittagong.
14,000 for Cox's Bazaar. Yet it took me not a paisa more than
9,000 to make a return trip to Kuala Lumpur. Ask me how?

To answer this question, we have to turn to the magnificent 70's. When despite the Cold War's Russian roulette, a gentleman called Freddie Laker coined the infamous "Sky Train" service between London and New York. Laker Airways, which eventually failed... had started an era in air travel which would shape a large portion of what we see as the "airline industry" today. Low-cost aka. budget aka. no-frills airlines, are in simple words, airlines that sell tickets at considerably lower fares. Although too simple to address, this cost-saving is actually achieved though a very streamlined, effective and no-bullshit model. Over the years, airline behemoths like Southwest in 70's, Ryanair in 80's, Easyjet in 90's and last but not least Air Asia in 00's have started out with this no-frills model, sustained the global downturns and have survived to be winners at the end. In fact Southwest today is one of the largest airlines in the world, and also one that sustained the least (-) growth during the post-9/11 recession. I wonder why?

I am not a widely travelled person as many of you who are reading this could and would be. But I do know a bit of history and adding to that a few jargon from the business school, a few years learning the consumer traits... I do at time get an insight or two, right. Today's dissection will not be about the low-cost air travel model, that's for the travel gurus and airline pundits to solve. But what I want to bring to light, is the successful and almost unimaginable revival of a dead-concept in the hands of a magician, who goes by the name of Tony Fernandez. Unless you haven't figured it out yet (gosh! this article is so not for you, then)... I am talking about the latest and the bestest airline that flies to Dhaka, Air Asia...

1 Ringgit (Tk. 23) is how much he paid for taking over an ailing low-cost carrier by the name of Air Asia. Although the token money was nothing more than a formality, he took over the debts of a dying airline with nothing but his exceptional management skills and a trusted bunch of investors (through Tune Group). He gave up his career as a Regional Boss at Warner Music, invested his life's savings into this unknown Tune Group and left the rest to his proven track record of turning things around. And this was all in 2001...

As 2002 drew the dawn of a new day in his own life and the life of his newest venture, Air Asia... It was nothing short of miraculous, when the airline posted profits within a year of its takeover. Some say marriages are made in heaven, acquisitions in hell; but this acquisition was simply too good to be true. And after nearly 10 years of doing business by selling a single class of seats, in a single type of aircraft (initially Boeing 737 and now Airbus A320), with no on-board meals, no refunds and exceptional turnaround times... Air Asia proudly boasts a fleet of 103 aircrafts (with 121 in orders) flying to over 60 destinations around the globe.

Their model was pretty straight-cut to begin with - keep journey times less than 4hrs , which enables them to have seats that don't recline, serve no complimentary meals and of course charge for everything from a reserved seat to extra baggage (well as opposed to a general airline, Air Asia offers 15kg of baggage per head) to even having some extra leg room (yes, they call it HOT SEAT :p). The aircrafts are maintained by some really efficient crew who have a turnaround time that can compete with a Formula 1 pit-stop any day (no wonder, Air Asia sponsors Scuderia Ferrari) and because they are all of a single type, having spare parts in dire times is never a worry anyway.

Ironically even after the arrival of this messiah (who has literally let everyone fly), the local scene hasn't changed much till today. United still flies return trips to Chittagong for no less than 11,000 and with almost equally shitty seats, they charge 24000 to KL as opposed to Air Asia's meager 17000 (at max on a peak period). Air Asia lets you pre-book tickets... not just any advance, but literally years in advance... Whereas for a traditional career out of Dhaka, web ticketing is a hieroglyphic and advance ticketing a myth. In the past decade, Bangladesh has seen the rise of a few private carriers (namely GMG, United and most recently Regent), demise of some other private carriers (Royal Bengal, Parabat, Best) and the continued disgrace of the flag carrier (Biman).

When the whole world is busy benchmarking them against the low-cost operators, Bangladeshi airlines' are busy fighting their own battle... staying in the green to stay in flight! Albeit we have one of the most discouraging air travel frameworks in Bangladesh - high cost of aviation fuel, non-competitive airport charges and subsidized flag carrier; the opportunities were always there. The moment Bangladesh government opened our skies for a short duration in 2007, airlines like Air Asia jumped into this opportunity. Foreseeing the ever-increasing spending habits of the growing middle-class and a lifelong "wanderlust" nature of us, Bangladeshis... Air Asia did what local airlines couldn't do in ages (probably could never have done, either).

They brought down flying to a "reasonable level"!!! By reasonable, I don't refer to the (throw away price) TkTk. 17,0000 I will be paying to fly off to KL once more in a few days via Air Asia. These folks from Malaysia, have not only made air travel an affordable mean of getting around (well ironically, only to KL and onwards for now) but also introduced us to a concept unseen, unheard and untried.

End of the day, all that we have learnt and tried to achieve is nothing but follow their suit by lowering airfares (when promotional fares meant 1 Ringgit for a KL-SG flight, we replicated it as 10-15% off on an already overpriced ticket of DHK-BKK flight), sticking to Cold War-era gas-guzzler aircraft (the De Havilland Dash 8s and even older MD-80s are nothing short of 10 to 20 years old as they are bought) and eventually getting themselves F*CKED (bankrupt) in the process (case in reference, GMG).

People say, men in the army have their brains in their knees; strangely it seems... so do the pilots and aviation aristocracies!!!

And thus we remorsefully realize... NOT EVERYONE CAN FLY!!!

This blog post is also available at http://bangladeshcorporate.blogspot.com/2010/11/not-everyone-can-fly.html

the beauty of BUZZ!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 16:39:00 +0000

Social networking, micro blogging, instant messaging, twitting... all this supposed wonders make up for the world that we live in.

A world which is LOUD
too OPEN for the closed-minded and
COMPLICATED beyond definition.

And although we complain and suffer in it... we genuinely like livin' in this "chaos".

Such a world is nothing but a creation of ours. Well at least, I tend to think so. As we get more and more involved with the "power of the Internet" over the "actual human skills", we consistently make way for the "new world" to take over the old one, the one we define as our home... where we have lived and ruled for thousands of years.

This change isn't an overnight process though; over the years... through the million hours we have spent making this world a better spiderweb, more grapevine-d or whatever you may wish to call it.... we have become victims of creating a BUZZ about everything. Everything that moves, every soul that sneezes... makes a BUZZ!

In simpler words... we are a victim of the very buzz that we create to keep ourselves content, recognized and most importantly going on for more.

Sitting here in my desk on a random Saturday night, with my facebook window open, MSN signed on, gtalk in "away" status... I am conveying my message through a blog. A message against buzz is ultimately going to be promoted via another buzz. That's how ironic the whole process is, yet that is how we have come to accept life as. We live in it, we breathe it, we look forward to creating a bigger and better version of it every freakin' time...

We simply are... and will be...BUZZed!!!!

This blog post is also available at http://bangladeshcorporate.blogspot.com/2010/11/beauty-of-buzz.html

conquest of (ad)CHAMPIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:36:00 +0000

I was standing on the verge of completing three years with Ogilvy, of which the recent most was perhaps the most happening to-date. Over the years, I had heard of wonderful talent management programs Ogilvy runs locally as well as internationally, many of which I was associated with. This is the story of "conquest of paradise"... a paradise of advertising champions!!!

Back in 2007 when I joined (seems ages back), a new management was in place and so was the company itself. Training/talent development seemed to be the word-to-go as by the end of Q4 '07 (I only joined in September), I had already done two rather interesting workshops on Ogilvy's very own 360 degree Brand Stewardship and Common Creativity.

By 2008, as my Ogilvy vocabulary was on the rise, I was introduced to the "Future Giants" program. Future Giants isn't a just single program but a combination of workshops and trainings which make up for "the ultimate adman crash course". Although the year went by without any notable mentions, I was told of a program which happened to be the "shining star" of Future Giants; "Adopt A Country" or AAC module. Under this program, a young, talented, aspiring and potential future leader would be sent to a presumably better/bigger Ogilvy operation for a stint of twelve weeks only to return as a better resource than ever with renewed vigor and passion for the "Company of Immortals" (refers to Ogilvy & Mather).

But!!!!! even after making it through the nomination process, the Global Recession of 2009 struck and that was it for my blooming dreams. As most of 2009 was spent crying and contemplating, if the company would make it through... luckily for Bangladesh (a country largely immune to the effects of 2009 recession) business was going just as usual. Thus 2009 was marked with some wonderful workshops, esp. High Impact Presentations conducted by Dale Carnegie Training. This was a one-on-one coaching experience aimed at making a STAR PRESENTER out of an ordinary you that even came with a money-back guarantee. Undoubtedly, the excitement and suspense it generated remains unmatched to this day. It was simply an amazing experience... as they videotape your progression from Presentation 1 to the Final presentation (no.5, I think) over a course of two hectic days, the transitions are as startling as watching a stop-motion film on a plant's growth over time. May be I had a rapid development to showcase upon, or may be I am the self-obsessed (as I'm often told) who just loved watching himself on TV... it was truly an improvement over time!

2010 was knocking at the door, and I was still awaiting that fabled dream of an Ogilvy experience abroad... when I was re-introduced to the sleeping dream of participation in the relaunched AAC program in 2010. Hopes were high, spirits touching the sky but no news to make me cry (in joy :p)... By June, I was asked for a personal bio since my name was being nominated by local management for the mother of Ogilvy trainings, AdChamps. I had heard about it when an ex-colleague and my MD, Keya Apu had been there in 2008... but it was a thing of the dreams, not to be realized anytime soon. But as always, I wrote a rather obscure yet inspiring story about myself (click to read)... that spoke more of confusions than achievements.

Two months had gone by, and I had successfully secured the first ever creative award for Ogilvy Bangladesh as the unbelievable news of my selection into AdChamps came out. Considering my position (a mere Account Manager) and time spent at Ogilvy (only 3), I was rejected after getting the initial nomination. However largely due to my boss' (Keya Apu) insistence and persistence regarding my capacity to absorb and learn, I was finally inducted into the final roster of AdChamps 2010.

Held in the Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel at Galle, Sri Lanka since 2008 (skipped in 2009, no event) AdChamps brought together the very best of Ogilvy Asia Pacific for a three-day intensive training on the latest and greatest Ogilvy had to offer in terms of learning and practice. 2010 was even special as Russia and South Africa was added to the guest list to make it more comprehensive and effective geographically. Along with my other colleague (and also reporting line manager) Saif Bhai, I was to travel to Galle for the conference in September. The joy from winning the metal hadn't subsided as the excitement and fear of participating next to the ad-geniuses took over. As the days drew closer, sheer panic gripped me as I was constantly thinking of how not to let people down (being the only Manager in a conference of Directors and above, it was literally child's play to fail miserably).

Entering the Greatness!!!

With a 16hr transit for a 4.5hr flight, we reached Colombo half-dead... let alone being all pumped up and ready to rock :p And after another 6hrs (getting lost in the way) journey to reach Galle... I was almost giving up on event making it in one piece. But it was the first view from the hotel lobby (click to see), that was enough to take away all the hardship and pain getting there. From the getting-lost on the way lunch at The Brief, to the welcome dinner at Amangalla, to the team dinner at The Fortress and finishing it off with the grand dinner (not so grand food though) at our Global CEO Miles Young's very own Mirissa Hills... the food, the architecture (mostly that of Geoffrey Bawa, the legend) and the natural ambienceexCMO of Unilever. As for delegates, I was not only the youngest delegate by age (only 26) but also by post (Account Manager) and attendance in Ogilvy talent programs abroad (1st for me). The delegates were literally the cream of Ogilvy's Asia Pacific, but also centerfold persons in their respective industries.

Delegates of AdChamps 2010

AdChamps news coverage on DailyFT, SL

For the 1st day and a half... all I did was gulp and gulp again as I exchanged wishes with awe and inspiration with the fellow delegates. By the 2nd day, as we were briefed on the highly anticipated "live pitch competition" my heart sank in worries of what team shall I end up with, what if I do so bad my teammates think of me as the L word. Luckily enough (thanks to Almighty, as I've always been), my team ended up being one of the strongest (selected through random sampling though). And as we worked through the night, preparing and making our killer idea come alive... the sheer competitive feel was at its highest peak. No team was worse off if not better, and all of them had the same structure to begin with - 1 distinguished team leader, 1 planner and 4 or 5 delegates. The competition was between 6 teams with one eventual winner whose ideas will actually see light of the day and a (definitely not worth) second place.

In Action...

On pitch day, as the presentations begun... I somehow started getting a gut feel, we would do good (how good? that I had no clue). After three teams were done presenting, it was our turn... my teammates from Vietnam and Russia, Thorsten and Semen did the Intro and closing while I was tasked with the strategy formulation. By the time Q&A session had started, the whole team on dais... there was profound curiosity and appreciation in the plenary. An by the time it came to an end, drum rolls is all I could hear!!! It was an astounding presentation, a killer if you may call it. From the start to finish, with an incredible display of teamwork, creative innovation supported by strategic integration and wonderful presentation Team II (our team) had done it :D As we received congratulations and tap in the back throughout the extended lunch break, it was only a matter of time before the decisions were made final...

The WINNERS of AdChamps 2010, Team Unfair Advantage

Coverage in Bangladesh Brand Forum, BD

As I looked at the proceedings of the remainder of the day with the prized trophy on my lap, all I could think of is... THIS IS IT! This is what I had to do - to out-do every tom, dick and harry there was, to out-perform the greats in their own game... to beat 'em all and WIN THE GAME!!!

the Man with his Trophy

This is my story... and like all other fairy tales, mine had a happy ending as well...

the PERFECT CLIENT

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:18:00 +0000

Its been almost four years in advertising for me, across two distinctly different workplaces (A Positive/ Euro RSCG and Ogilvy & Mather) and only one thing that hasn't changed aside from appetite for advertising is, Clients. They are the cattle we feed on, yet also the masters we diligently serve... they come in all shapes and sizes... and "shades of grey" carries the true connotations of their nature (since they are never all whitely good or all blackly bad).

I must admit I've always been bestowed with some of the finest clients to manage and nicest client contacts to deal with; but as the saying goes "even the nicest of roses has thorns", it stands true for clients too. Many a times, I have been faced with the great dilemma of deciding "what makes the perfect client?". We all must have our own answers... and I wanna know your views on that!!!

It was NEITHER a survey, NOR any high-thought hypothetical bullshit, but just a random thought of seeing how we see this on a MACRO level. Given below are some exerts from what some of the nearest and dearest colleagues/friends feel about the issues.

According to Emran, the gentle giant who is also a hot-shot adman working at Asiatic MCL with prior experience at A Positive and Bitopi Advertising, "At the end of the day its a love and hate relationship, you cant leave them, cant live without them! for me a good client is whose mentality matches with the agency and after a long hard day(on most days...the nights as well!) at work....you can share a toast of Jack Daniels with the guys, learn from the mistakes, cheer for the good work, smile and look ahead to do some better work."

Pretty cinematic, huh! But that's what makes us unique, cause its advertising!!!

I believe the young guns are the BIG GUNS of the future, since all who bothered to fill in are the people who are taking it on, leading from the front... yet they are young!!! Rintu, a truckload of passion and dedication sauced up with a creative mind... that's what defines him the best :) In his own words, the perfect client has the following attributes - "Sometimes we spend more time with our client rather than our girlfriends.. in the client-agency relationship what is important to me is loyalty and understanding.. just like any other typical personal relationship ;).. no matter what, we will fight, we will have different opinions and perspectives.. but end of the day, we need to respect each other for what we are and what we know! client needs to have trust and faith on the agency and of-course agency needs to earn that.." Simple and universal words, but rarely do we see them in action. Just as oil and water never mix together, it seems... the elusive search for a perfect client is harder than than what it is thought to be.

I will conclude this rather small piece quoting the words of a creative soul. The other two being accounts person, have a different take on the whole scenario... and me being the same, couldn't possibly add nothing substantial to what they had said either. Luckily enough, a long time friend, a linguist and most importantly a copywriter, Tasnuva had a lot to say on this. Lets see what she exactly had in mind, " If I start speaking about this matter, I don't think when I'll stop....first of all, you can not simply be all in one, the problem with the clients in Bangladesh is that they tend to be creative and thus interferes in your work. We all have our own unique ideas that we like to implement. Now in this agency-client relationship I believe that we all have our own responsibilities that we are well aware of. Problem arises when you're given the platform of doubt of your responsibilities. Worst part is that not all of us have the guts sabih. we simply do not want to loose our clients and that's why no matter how bullshit the idea is, you'll just agree with the client so that you can hold on to the account as well as make them happy.... I believe I have been quite straight-forward."

And judging she wasn't still content with all that, the following verses were added later on, "By the way, I forgot to add, the perfect client would be someone who knows what the agency is doing, who knows how to respect the agency people and someone who is totally not a d**khead..."

From some very optimistic views to a rather harsh criticism, I was glad to get a 360* overview on this. I know this isnot even close to being sufficient enough to take a call, but a judgmental soul like mine, can't help but drawing a conclusion. And I would put my final words, in a very familiar phrase... "Birth, Death and Marriage are in God's hands" and some even add career to it (ideally to make it more cynical)... but let me take the honor of introducing an adman version of this rather universal phrase as,"Birth, Death, Marriage, Career and Client are all in God's hands".

Shalom!

I would like to convey my utmost gratitude to all those who took some time off their busy schedules to answer to my rather stupid and untimely query... Hang on! this isn't the last of my random trivia ;-)

.:Metal Maze:.

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:01:00 +0000

Go Nuts was the conference, March 14, 2009 was the date...
In the very first convention of O&M Bangladesh taking place at the picturesque Nazimgarh Resorts, I happened to be a part of the "Winning a metal" work group during the day-long sessions. Metal, as it is commonly defined in the creative/advertising industry is nothing but what commoners call Awards. I guess to keep the creativity buzzing all around, we always refer to landing an advertising award as "winning a metal" (aside from the very obvious chemical compound of the trophy). Little did I know of the part I would be playing in winning an actual metal for the first time in O&M Bangladesh's history.

Recalling back to that very day, I had a profound disinterest in attending sessions on a fun-filled convention that had started on the right note... but with no luck on that, here I was formulating strategies to bring home the glory. Many ad legends said over time and again, advertising is not science... but trust me when I say it, it's nothing much less either. Sitting on the drawing board, it was ever so easy to imagine myself standing in the podium of the much-coveted Cannes center-stage and making a "thank you" speech (I only wish...). But as it stood back then, an agency of 60 years heritage and 2 years of local operation, Ogilvy in Bangladesh neither had the firepower (right minded clients) nor the flamboyance (a project where creative prowess could be showcased) to win a coveted metal.

Go Nuts
Ogilvy & Mather Bangladesh Convention 2009

As I and the group-mates went up the stage to suggest our "strategy to greatness", there was only one word humming in my mind "effectiveness". It's ever so easy to think up something genuinely creative now and then, but its exactly the opposite when it comes to implement it. And considering the Bangladesh market, getting a client convinced on a "jaara hatke" idea is perhaps as tough as having no load-shedding all day. Thus, the solution was rather straight forward, go for results i.e. effectiveness. It is much harder to get an "idea to work as magic" for the client, but equally more appreciated and was within our limited grasp. With a venue-full of comrades staring on, I completed my "pros and cons" speech on how we could make it to the headlines with the help of "effective creativity" (as if none ever said so before).

Commward 2010 is the festival, August 7, 2010 is the date...

Luckily, Ogilvy hasn't been to its 2nd convention yet and the promises made at Go Nuts haven't been left unfulfilled either. Exactly 17 months on, Air Action by Mentos Launch campaign had managed to be nominated for the "Most Effective Launch/Relaunch Campaign". But still, as luck would have, a venerable competition lied infront from the likes of Grey/Grameenphone (V100 handset launch), Grey/Akij Foods (Speed energy drink launch) and Adcomm/Unilever (Wheel Power White launch), all of which were market leaders in their own playgrounds. Excitement and hopes dipped a bit, but the belief was indomitable... I could smell a sweet victory, one way or the other. And once again, probably for the hundredth time in life my instincts didn't fail me since for its Air Action by Mentos Launch Campaign, Ogilvy & Mather Bangladesh won the prestigious Most Effective Launch/Relaunch Campaign category. With a 200% growth in market share and a 60% increase in the segment size - courtesy of this innovative yet simple campaign, Air Action by Mentos is today the no. 1 mind candy in Bangladesh.

The WINNING Team

The Winner's METAL

The WOW Case

It feels great to have high expectations, and it feels better in achieving it. But once you get there, there is no coming back!!! All I look forward to now is the habit of winning... more and more, better and better metals to have the periodic table full...

the Call of STARDOM!

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 19:25:00 +0000

On a lazy worked up day, there I was contemplating what "to do" when our media manager, Sharna informed me of the rather unexpected good news. She had been loitering over the idea of giving one of our brands/campaigns a big break in the media through the many different specialized programs there were, but none seemed to be a good fit, or the timing was just not good enough. In such a situation, it was highly unlikely she would come forward with a scope of publicizing our efforts for the brands in a manner that's largely unpracticed at our premises- to go ON AIR!

As expected, the featured campaign from Ogilvy's portfolio was to be my celebrated Air Action launch campaign. Being rather "simple and conservative" in nature, this campaign had garnered enough interest and fame in the right quarters to be adjudged as the best work with the Ogilvy trademarks to-date. Soon I was called into action, being incontestably selected as one of the "speakers" for this upcoming tele talk-show on ETV. Before I could gulp in the good news, the second thunder struck me... it was my dear old colleague Mehedi who was to be the other speaker in this show.

"Ride on the Top", as stupid or grammatically incorrect the word may sound, was to be the program that would give me the platform to speak on air, in-front of a million boggling eyes. Just like the way we are always born without the "choice" of which parent combination we want, I was unable to choose which ugly-sounding program would be my launch platform.

By the time time we received the draft questionnaire of the things to be discussed, I was certain... this episode would be a bomb! Given the wide array of questions and scope to speak freely, the butterflies in my stomach quadrupled just with the thought of "what if " situations on air. Luckily, enough supportive hands were around cheering us all the way through (going as far as arranging mock interviews for the 2 ishtupids as well)!!!! Clearly, I was the one that sucked and was all tensed throughout the trials, while my counterpart cleared all levels with flying colors. This was NOT going the way I had predicted!

With hours spent fixing the right wardrobe and wrong hair-do (yes, I took a hideous haircut just before the day of interview... and obviously, it sucked!), there was I was... the man in the shining (thukku Tel Chipchipe) armor (i.e. formals) ready to face his "30 minutes of fame".

As I went about finishing the daily chores and preparing myself for the upcoming onslaught while riding on the top, I could clearly feel my palms getting greasier and hair mistier by the minute... it wasn't how I wanted it to be, yet it seemed that's the only way I was going to be :-(

Fighting off the Dhaka traffic with Mehedi and Sharna by my side, I was soon faced with the ominous sight of Jahangir Tower aka. ETV Bhaban in Kawran Bazaar. Hungry and fidgety, the 3 went about scavenging for food in the corporate bazaar of Mr. Kawran. The gold-digging me could not help but entice the rest into the rather poorly located Barrista coffee lounge, only to face the dilemma of "only yuck food available here"!

Finishing up the platter (or lets just say... being forced into finishing, considering the million we were paying for the food), we were soon greeted with a wide-smiled producer named Mr. Some Shaheen. On the very 2nd line, being unusually pampering, I appreciated the title of his program. Quickly he responded, with a shockingly colloquial accent, "Ji, amar program ride on the tof onek koshte khuje pawa ekta naam" (Yes, my program's name 'Ride on the Top' is indeed a hard-found one). Heart-broken, I dreaded the worst- how pathetic would this program be???

I had already given up on anything exciting or indulging form Ms. Sarah Ali's end (the supposed host), and now the last hope of having a good producer was dashed as well!!! It was only going the HIGHWAY.

Oh! By the way, on a cautionary note, if any reader hasn't been exposed to the idea of how the on-screen make-up works, you tube it! but DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME, it only succeeds in making a girly-man out of you. As we were introduced with the bimbo anchor, my dearest colleague got down to the usual business I specialize at (at least, most of the time)....sweet-talking with the hostess! Nevertheless, after some tensed waiting and getting tired of girly-made-up men all around, we the barbies were set on the stage of "Ride on the Top".

What happened next is what you will now find out in the video below!

Hope you enjoy what you see ;-)

Why Advertising? Why Ogilvy?

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:24:00 +0000

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference”

Echoing with the words of Robert Frost, it was an offbeat choice for me to take up a career in advertising. Considering how everyone loves to hate the advertising industry, it was a tough sell to convince my parents why their eldest offspring wanted to be an adman.

Fresh out of college, there were not too many career paths to choose from - the obvious being banking, which was always more stable and paid better followed by multinationals, which offered rapid growth and paid almost at par. While all my classmates lined up for the recruitment seminars of the above; the renegade in me chose to think otherwise. The answer to my hunt for a rule-breaking, different thinking, quirky career path seemed to lie with an “ad agency”.

Thus following on to my dreams, I quickly landed myself with an internship at Euro RSCG. As days turned longer than ever before, and the nights went by in a whisker... life in advertising was not as easy as I thought it would be. But in spite of all the stressful timeline and managing mind-boggling creative egos, it was sheer fun making “ideas come to life”. By my first year in advertising, I had developed a keen sense of creativity and a knack for ideating and planning. Making it through forming, norming and storming; it was time for performing.

However as I dived deeper into the (m)adworld, names like Ogilvy, Bernbach & Burnett echoed ever so frequently in my ears. Reading about them and their timeless creations, I soon stumbled upon “Ogilvy on Advertising”, the bible for all (m)admen. Getting done with the book, there seemed to be only one coveted career destination, a chance to work for David Ogilvy’s very own, Ogilvy & Mather Advertising.

Luckily, Ogilvy was just spreading its wings in Bangladesh back then; and soon I managed to join in. Apart from the rich heritage and worldwide recognition, Ogilvy provided me with a scope to manage brands that I could only read about in business journals or cases. The “red revolution” had just come into being...

Over the past two and a half years that I have been with Ogilvy, it’s been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride. From meeting living legends like Piyush Pandey in person to rolling out global brand launches out of Bangladesh; the highs would definitely outweigh the lows. Having a great team with a greater harmony in working, Team Ogilvy has been my “second home” from the very beginning. And while change remains the only constant in advertising, the “work hard, play hard” attitude keeps me going.

There are too few people who take pride in what they do for a living; I am blessed to be one of them. Working for the company of my dreams, I only look forward to keep on repeating what I do best “enjoy and cherish every work that I do”. After all, when you enjoy what you do, it's not work; it’s advertising...

My Bio - Life Wasn't Bad Even Then ;-)

This was written for Ogilvy Ad Champs 2010 delegate selection.
No portion of this write-up may be reproduced or reused in any form without prior written consent.

the THINK piece

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Tue, 04 May 2010 08:18:00 +0000

I talk, you talk, we talk…
We, the nation love to talk…
We talk about something, we talk about everything… yet everything seems to be nothing…
We are impulsive; we are intuitive but for us thinking is never imperative
We do things that we don’t think about,
We don’t think about things we do…
We are outgoing, we are intriguing
We are crazy about what we love,
We love being crazily in love…
We gossip a lot, we fight a lot more
We are wanderlust, we are reserved
We suffer, we recover… we are always together
We should start thinking since so much has gone waste sleeping
We are TODAY, we will be TOMORROW… it’s now or never
Its time…
We start thinking!!!!

the love of RED

noreply@blogger.com (Sabih Ahmed) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:27:00 +0000

Up until very recently, I never realized a common link existed amongst all items on my list of favorites - from the most desired car to the most loved team.

The common thread... as I would like to think as, was more apparent than anything else in those chosen items... but had always successfully eluded my observant vision. May be I was so absorbed in my decision making process that I failed to see through the choices I was making... and discover that common link. And after having spent a considerable time playing with brands and advertising, I still visualized my life in black and white without even a droplet of anything colorful. But lately, seeing my 13 year-old domestic-help Quamrul being obsessed with anything of a particular color; I began to reflect back on life to see if any such common link existed or not. Ironic it may seem, there was more than just a link, it was more like a string that held my life's choices in place... the common thread that tied it all together. This is the story of that common thread...

The missing thread was nothing more than a simple color that existed or were associated with all of my desired things... the color of blood... RED. Undoubtedly red remains a "primal choice" for the most coveted colors competition; but there is more to it than simply the CMYK scale.

Growing up, I enjoyed an abundance of exposure to the color of nature, GREEN... considering the fact I spent most of my childhood in serene cantonments in distant cities where the greenery and Army green were the only colors to be seen. By the time I was five, my instincts were going green in nature as well... I was shy, calm, unnoticed in a group and slow to react to anything unfair around me. The life of green, wasn't too appealing at all... nor were the consequences of being labelled a "green man" for my tree-like attitude towards everything around me.

But just like everyone else reading this, my horizon expanded as I experienced more changes, progressive mostly... through life. I started growing a stronger affection towards the center-piece of our national flag, the red circle on the plain green field. Red, as I remember from tiny-tot days; was the color of devil himself and everything not-right would inevitably be labelled in red (i.e. WARNING!) or just be red in color (i.e. blood and coke). It seemed, there was a color specifically made to to draw more attention for its destructive powers than everything else and just enjoyed having a stronger recall in the process.

From my earliest memories.... I recall, it was the global brand guru, who came home one day... asked me if I wanna chigy-wiggy (taste) with it or not! From that very day on, a bond of loyalty, love and friendship was formed that remains rock-solid till this date; and yes my dear readers... that love of mine is fondly called Coca-Cola and it is still the biggest brand in RED. Moving from that, my dad's "Old Spice" cologne and after-shaves along with his motorbike back then, a Honda H100 CDi (my favorite ride to-date) was also red. Some of my earliest, scariest and most adrenaline pumping memories are recorded while I was sitting on that bike's fuel tank seeing the world go blurrrrrr...

During my teens, as I started spending more time on TV than books, the love of red grew even stronger by the day. Cable television had just gone big in town, and I discovered myself to be a bigger sports fan than anyone else in the family right then. I enjoyed the thrill and excitement of racing... both on and off television. And it was no surprise which way my allegiance would lean once the question of Super-bike or Formula 1 came up. Initially, I was more into motorbikes and thus followed the MotoGP schedules more regularly, with my choice being none other than the Ducati Marlboro Team. But the interest soon diverted to Formula 1. Don't recall if it was because of all the hue and cry after Senna's tragic accident or not, I was suddenly following those tiny cars sitting on mammoth engines screaming past each other. The "prancing horse" or Ferrari, clad in scarlet red was the most obvious choice, and I never meant to go against the flow. Ferrari soon had Magic Schumacher on board and I was also grown up enough to get permission to watch races from the red lights-off to the checkered flag. As if Schumi's HITLER dominance on track wasn't a big enough influence, along came the most loved game in the world, football.

I believe, it was around the '98 World Cup when all the newspapers around were covering the star footballers of every team; the name of David Beckham came along. He was charismatic, a dead-ball specialist but on top all, he played for the Red Devils. That name... Red Devils instantly got me awed, as I looked on for every possible information on this "devil on pitch". Manchester United, as it turned out to be... was soon inducted into my list of "most followed teams" and has remained to be so there on. The game of football, as we all have come to know; is simply too beautiful and exciting to be compared to anything else... and with only a dozen races around the year, Formula 1 and Schumi were soon lost in oblivion. Branson and his all red "Virgin" examples (Records, Mega store, Atlantic Airways, Mobile, Rail, Drinks and what not) would be my other noteworthy mentions from this era.

Graduating from college and heading into the "roller-coaster ride" called career; the old love for red soon sprung up as I joined the "company of immortals", Ogilvy & Mather Advertising. Not too surprisingly, this was also a company that breathed red... not only in the color guides but also even had sub-agencies names redworks and redcard. I was in red-heaven once again, and the love of red seemed never-ending. Career also brought in more disposable income for this wretched soul, and I could afford a lot of things I didn't even dream of. Going places around the world, I kept on falling victim to this red menace and fell for more red-brands i.e. Vodafone in India, Air Asia in Malaysia and the list goes on and on.

Surprisingly enough, it was not only the products that were red in color; but also their actual owner brands were red, too. I never went on to a self-discovery meditation asking myself the subliminal causes behind this love for red, nor did I ever stop seeing red as the "color of life" (as opposed to popular belief). May be its the vitality red adds to the otherwise mundane life, or even the energy that flows through your veins every time you experience it; I just know my life would have been incomplete without RED.