Growing up young

As we mature as an advertising audience, it's a great time to be young in India.

What I've liked

There used to be a time when exaggeration in advertising was looked upon with scepticism. In fact, it was quite fashionable to stick to reality as a route. Such as product demonstrations. One demonstrated the benefits of a product, and the very credibility of the storytelling managed to sell huge numbers. And then came animation, and we in advertising tested it cautiously. I remember the trepidation with which we introduced Aladdin's Genie to the Rasna story, more than a decade back. Even though the advertising was primarily aimed at children, we did a lot of research before we adopted a fantasy element. Thankfully, the Genie was received with open arms. But by and large, reality continued to rule unquestioned. until now.

Take Bajaj's Harry Potter-lookalike commercial. Somehow, it now seems perfectly acceptable to have a little boy flying around on a broomstick in an ad meant to sell a bike to grown-ups. The brand comes through as lovable and trendy. Who would've thought it possible a decade ago? And then there's Eveready, which turns a toy car into a swank limousine!

I'm so glad that we are finally growing up as an audience, and marketers don't have to get nervous when they exaggerate a point. We are finally learning not to take life so seriously, and how to distinguish between fact and fiction. In the general rush and blur of 2006, it might seem like a small step - but it's a huge leap in the creative mindset for the ad person.

What I've learned

There is no time like now to be young!

This is a sentiment that can be fully appreciated only by those who do not qualify as "young" anymore. But it's a fact: now is the best time to be young and Indian.

The most popular lament from the 1960s through the 1970s and right down to the 1980s used to be that India was a land without opportunity. For the academic minded, for the business oriented, or even for the entrepreneur. It was a common chant. Anyone who really wanted to do something extraordinary with his or her life would try desperately to go abroad to have dreams fulfilled. Because nothing was possible in this country, or so people felt. It was not an exaggeration. Things really used to be difficult.

I remember a time when foreign exchange regulations were so stringent that we were not allowed to carry more than a pathetic minimum of dollars. It was barely sufficient for us to get by. I remember once having to forgo lunch in New York to buy a beautifully cut shirt in a store window. Today, you can tap into your bank account from almost anywhere in the world, and you don't have to cut a sorry figure on foreign shores anymore.

At home too, children today just don't have to settle for conventional options. You have as many areas to specialise as there are capabilities and talent. Entrepreneurs too, have never had it so easy. The biggest obstacle to setting up your business used to be finance. And now, loans in so many sectors make entrepreneurship a really difficult option to ignore.

All you need is a dream and the will to succeed. The country provides you with everything else.

You can study what you've always yearned for, you can work in the field of your dreams. Or you can be your own boss. You can own your company, or even buy up a few abroad. Suddenly, India is sparkling with a million opportunities. And if you are young and hopeful, there is no time like now.

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