People must oft wonder why a TV serial about advertising is called Mad Men. I for one, who work in advertising believe that it is quite apt. Not only does a person need to be a little off his rocker to pursue a career in a field that is so demanding, this is a career that thrives on insanity. Add to this the mad hours and demands that the profession throws your way. Still, one man’s insanity is another’s genius. The motto that seems to drive the creativity of today.
I chanced upon an ad a few days back for a wood laminate brand Greenlam Ply. An unusual category indeed for a television commercial. The ad in itself was quite outrageous. It depicts how an old gentleman happens to pass an undertaker who happens to be selling coffins. The person, so enamoured by the coffin decides to convert to Christianity just so that he may be buried in the coffin. Quite a stretch; but definitely an ad that catches the eye. Making the sale however is questionable. I wonder why we haven’t seen some complaints from the Christian community for cheapening baptism and playing on the sentiments of religious conversion. Still the fact that we are talking about it does mean that it caught the eye!