Adkatha: The Story of Indian Advertising (Hardcover)

They say “No history of anything can ever include more than it leaves out.” But we tried. This is the fascinating story of a century of advertising in India, from its early beginnings in the founding of the first small, local, vernacular advertising agency to the present day, when India has grown into one of the world’s most important advertising markets. It is not just a chronological record, but an insightful and absorbing exploration of the way the industry and its creative expression have evolved in response to the dramatically changing economic, cultural and social milieu of the times, from the heyday of the British Raj to the emerging economic superpower of today. The book takes a decade-by-decade look at Indian advertising, succinctly summing up the trends of each period and elaborating on them in rich detail, both visually and verbally. It also presents thought-provoking essays on factors that contribute to the evolution and growth of advertising such as the consumer; market research; the creative product; traditional and new media; the institutions that have helped shape the industry; and future challenges that can be foreseen. This lavishly illustrated and informative book will be of interest to advertising professionals, the marketing world and communication industries, institutions and academics, as well as students and those just wanting an engaging read about a curious but exciting profession About the Author Anand Halve is a post-grad in management by education; brand consultant by profession; teacher at heart; and Hindustani poet in spirit. He is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) and has worked in major advertising agencies including Lintas, Rediffusion and Enterprise, and has served on the Board of Directors of Enterprise Nexus Communications. He is a co-founder of chlorophyll brand and communications consultancy, Mumbai, perhaps India’s first brand consultancy, set up in 1999. His experience has helped him write the best selling book on IIMA alumni entrepreneurs, “Stay hungry, Stay Foolish”. He is a frequent writer in online and print media and speaker at industry fora. He is visiting faculty at MICA (Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad), and IIMA. His book, ‘Planning for Power Advertising’ (2005) is used as learning material in several management schools. Anita Sarkar has more than 40 years’ experience of advertising in India. As an eyewitness to many of the events described in this book, she has seen, at first hand, the evolution of the industry through various highs and lows. Anita started as a copywriter with JWT, went on to O & M (then SH Benson, where she became Copy Chief) and then to Lintas where she spent 18 years, rising to Creative Director. She freelances as a creative consultant and writer, and is involved in corporate communications on all levels. Anita particularly likes delving into the creativity and guts that go into the making of memorable ad campaigns. Her experience in advertising continues to be a source of inspiration in whatever she does.