Grow A Backbone

In August 2024, I was invited to attend AdVision and I arrived just as Shoaib Qureshy, a stalwart of the ad industry, was speaking. In his talk, Qureshy highlighted how mediocrity plagues our industry and that he too needed to evaluate his work to see how good it actually is. He ended by playing a short clip (too short, in my opinion) of the song Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay. He went on to reference that the lyrics suggest that we should aspire to be on the list of superheroes and legends like Hercules and Achilles. However, in my opinion, I don’t think he fully grasped what the song was trying to convey, as I believe the song opposes this belief of wanting to be exceptional or a ‘superhero.’ He also used the song to substantiate his claim that mediocrity is the biggest issue facing our marketing and advertising fraternity. It’s not. The problem is the lack of a backbone.

When I started my ad career, a colleague and I attended a meeting with someone who offered us the chance to cut Star Plus transmissions and insert our ads. When I asked whether this was legal, he confidently replied that it was. Later, I told my colleague that we would not engage in such activities. Other illegal media-related activities in the industry include advertising on cable channels run by operators (Fouad Husain wrote about it in Aurora some years ago) as well as inserting brochures and flyers in newspapers at depots. Whenever someone brings up ethics in marketing, I have to stop myself from laughing out loud. The truth is, we lack ethics. Marketers will do anything for reach, including advertising in controversial programmes or any content that grabs eyeballs.

I firmly believe there should be zero tolerance for plagiarism. Unfortunately, our industry’s attitude towards it is as ineffective as the government’s token efforts to fight corruption, like sending SMS messages or displaying ‘Say No to Corruption’ banners on ATM screens. We need to back up our values with actions. Agencies or clients found guilty of plagiarism should be blacklisted and sent a clear message that this behaviour will not be tolerated. Yes, inspiration is fine but plagiarism is not. This also means brands must be honest and ethical about pitch ideas and held legally accountable if they steal them.

Speaking of corruption, years ago, when I started working as a media planner, I had lunch with a friend who made a surprising observation. She said, “You are a media planner, but you aren’t rich.” Taken aback, I asked her to explain. She told me about another media planner who had received appliances and possibly a car as a result of his ‘efforts.’ I understood what she meant but I told her that kind of behaviour wasn’t for me. I haven’t been a media planner since 2011 but the way media is bought seems just as susceptible to corruption; brand and marketing managers have, in the past, been known to ask for ‘gifts’ in return for their business. In one instance, a big ad agency gave up a 250 million rupee account because the brand manager asked for a laptop which the agency refused to provide as a gift. They decided principles were more important.

Although many people believe marketers exploit women to sell products. When Neil Peter Christy launched his agency Headlion, he proudly stated that there were “no necklines” in his account management team. He was addressing an issue that simmers beneath the surface. Around the same time, I attended a talk at a private university attended by agency and client-side professionals. A client representative remarked that the best agency was one that provided the best women and booze. His counterpart on the agency side retorted, “accepted by the best clients.” The exchange was tone-deaf, to say the least. Beyond the moral implications of using women as eye candy, there are troubling issues like harassment and bullying.

As for the mediocrity that we seem to wallow in, I say let’s focus on fixing the bigger issues. Let’s be responsible and accountable. I can stand working in an industry that produces mediocre work but I am often ashamed to be part of one that sweeps serious moral issues under the rug. The skill we need in 2025? It’s simple: a backbone.

Tyrone Tellis is Senior Manager, Corporate Sales and PR, Bogo.tyrone.tellis@gmail.com