Ok, with this one I am treading into dangerous territory. This is an anecdote that I share… and I have only heard about it… unlike other shared stories where I had the first hand knowledge of the event… here I am just reporting something that may maynot be true. I treat this as a story doing the rounds of certain agency in early 90’s. In advertising and marketing hazar such stories are available.
The story is anchored around another of HTA ( JWT) famed Annual Sales Kickoff at Pattaya in 1992 or 1993. Mike Khanna was the head of HTA and the delegate list included Sexi Bhatia, Nikhil, Fali Vakil, Kamal and many more.
So, when you are in Pattaya, the evenings are spend where else but at the walking street. The more senior you are the more premium is the joint you sit back and relax in.
So, it is said that evening the senior team was enjoying their chilled beer and still continuing the leftover business conversation from the half day of hectic conclave presentations. That evening, in that particular joint on the first floor, sensuously dancing was this lady with amazing assets. It was simple innocuous evening between friends and beer, till someone decided to play a prank. It is not known who scripted what happened next.
The lady post having been briefed and primed with American greens soon started teasingly dancing next to the team relaxing on one of the sofa. The time was ripe, her focus was this gentleman with a very Americanised accent. Her thumb threatening to pull the plug on what was very precariously was holding the top. And finally it did – in one fluid undefined moment they were free. Truthfully speaking, no one was expecting it – and so naturally the reaction from man with a definitive accent went ‘OH BEHENNDI’
Immediately pouncing on the opportunity offered, the true Punjabi from Mumbai remarked ‘You can take a man pout of Punjab- but you can’t take Punjab out of the man’. Truly spoken words of wisdom.
It is further told that to drive the point home, in the very next pitch presentation at Mumbai, the very same Punjabi made the point in the first slide of his presentation in ALL CAP’s 48 Point Arial- ‘YOU CAN TAKE A MAN POUT OF PUNJAB- BUT YOU CAN’T TAKE PUNJAB OUT OF THE MAN’ and the man who had uttered the words in sudden nervous excitement was there to smile – knowing the story where the statement had originated.
Other episodes in Advertising and marketing
● Thank You ● Rain Clause – I ● Lethal Combination ● APPETITE ● Puncture ● Adultery- the moment ● ASSET ● I am Sankar ● The Count ● Introduction ● Time Bomb ● Small Tile ● Shoot Report ● Sardar Khush Hoga ● Shoot At Mud Island ● Kaali Peeli Picture ● Upgrade ● Juhi Effect ● Out ● Two More ● Eleven Minutes ● The Cherry Win ● The Presentation ● Black Gold ● Buffered ● Continue With Client ● Not Fired ● One Less Decision ● The Ghost Of 35 Rani Jhansi Road Jhandewalaon ● The Problem ● Imported Art Card ● Banyan Tree Agency
