Review: Don’t Forget 2004 by Jayshree M Sundar

Everyone likes the underdog, perhaps because everyone seems to see a bit of t heir own weaker moments in the underdog story. The redemptive power of the underdog story is that it makes you believe that just by marshalling your inner strength, skill and intent, you will be able to overcome not only great odds, but mighty opponents far more gifted or powerful than you. Like all underdog stories, this is the story of a remarkable upset with lack of resources and bad press ranged against a mighty behemoth with massive monies, government machinery and media goodwill on its side.

India was reportedly shining. The prime minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, was seen as a beloved, avuncular figure. The Congress had not been in power for eight years and its epitaph had been written by nearly all observers. Poll after poll predicted a rout, and a massive win for the BJP juggernaut. Even many INC party members were dispiritedly expecting another loss at the hustings.

Meanwhile, Leo Burnett, a multinational agency, had recently hired Jayshree M Sundar as its Delhi head. Successful elsewhere, the Delhi branch had a small set of clients and the agency was looking for a way to make its mark and be noticed, in a market with several highly successful and much larger competitors. But a political party, that too slated by almost everyone to lose? That may not have been the cause celebre they were looking for.

On the other hand, it doesn’t get bigger than this: the target audience – 650 million Indian voters across state, caste, creed, gender and age; the objective – to win hearts across the country, in 26 or more languages.

The story of the 2004 election campaigns, with India Shining pitted against the Congress’ Aam Aadmi is one that many of us saw first-hand. For people who lived through those years, the behind-the-scenes look at what happened is even more fascinating.

The story of how the account was won – from Jayshree receiving what she thought was a prank call inviting the agency to pitch, to turning around a campaign of this magnitude in seven short days – could have made for a book in itself. But the journey that took place once the account was won is equally compelling. How an ad agency with its youthfulness, irreverence and lack of respect for hierarchy learns to tango with a supposedly staid 110-year-old. How a tiny media budget is innovatively stretched to cover every nook and cranny of the country. And how every seemingly small decision – from the tagline to the types of images they use – ends up in crafting a successful campaign.

Although the book could have been an academic case study of marketing and branding, Jayshree brings a pizzazz to the storytelling that makes it a warm and human story, replete with glimpses of day-to-day life in an ad agency. Its brilliant diary style, peppered with anecdotes of quirky characters, funny stories and lots of samosas, makes for compelling reading.

What is amazing is that unlike many raconteurs, the author doesn’t position herself as the centerpiece or the mastermind, but focuses on the intricate teamwork and the combination of talents and skills that put together the campaign. Even more, in a country with a limited number of women leaders in the public eye, she highlights some of the peculiar problems, from safety to a clean toilet, that even the most senior women leaders still have to face. She also brings to life many famous names that one has only read about in the headlines, with intimate glimpses of the highest levels of power and decision-making. All in a racy, pacey style that makes the book a breathless thriller, completely unputdownable until you have turned the last page, even though you know how the story ended.

The story of the campaign is a masterclass of how to build a brand, starting from the basics – the consumer insight that holds everything together, coupled with a creative leap that makes the message relevant to the disinterested audience. It is a case study of how communication is crafted. It is also a great story of client servicing, of building a partnership of trust between two very different entities.

Read Don’t Forget 2004 if you’re a student of marketing, branding and communication. Read it if you’re interested in contemporary politics and recent history. But most of all, read it if you enjoy a crackling good story, told with panache.

Priyadarshini Narendra is a management professional with over 25 years of experience across advertising, consulting and marketing across diverse organisations, including a stint as National Head, Brand Solutions at HT Media. A graduate of IIM Calcutta and INSEAD, she is an avid reader

Everyone likes the underdog, perhaps because everyone seems to see a bit of t heir own weaker moments in the underdog story. The redemptive power of the underdog story is that it makes you believe that just by marshalling your inner strength, skill and intent, you will be able to overcome not only great odds, but mighty opponents far more gifted or powerful than you. Like all underdog stories, this is the story of a remarkable upset with lack of resources and bad press ranged against a mighty behemoth with massive monies, government machinery and media goodwill on its side.

India was reportedly shining. The prime minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, was seen as a beloved, avuncular figure. The Congress had not been in power for eight years and its epitaph had been written by nearly all observers. Poll after poll predicted a rout, and a massive win for the BJP juggernaut. Even many INC party members were dispiritedly expecting another loss at the hustings.

Meanwhile, Leo Burnett, a multinational agency, had recently hired Jayshree M Sundar as its Delhi head. Successful elsewhere, the Delhi branch had a small set of clients and the agency was looking for a way to make its mark and be noticed, in a market with several highly successful and much larger competitors. But a political party, that too slated by almost everyone to lose? That may not have been the cause celebre they were looking for.

On the other hand, it doesn’t get bigger than this: the target audience – 650 million Indian voters across state, caste, creed, gender and age; the objective – to win hearts across the country, in 26 or more languages.

The story of the 2004 election campaigns, with India Shining pitted against the Congress’ Aam Aadmi is one that many of us saw first-hand. For people who lived through those years, the behind-the-scenes look at what happened is even more fascinating.

The story of how the account was won – from Jayshree receiving what she thought was a prank call inviting the agency to pitch, to turning around a campaign of this magnitude in seven short days – could have made for a book in itself. But the journey that took place once the account was won is equally compelling. How an ad agency with its youthfulness, irreverence and lack of respect for hierarchy learns to tango with a supposedly staid 110-year-old. How a tiny media budget is innovatively stretched to cover every nook and cranny of the country. And how every seemingly small decision – from the tagline to the types of images they use – ends up in crafting a successful campaign.

Although the book could have been an academic case study of marketing and branding, Jayshree brings a pizzazz to the storytelling that makes it a warm and human story, replete with glimpses of day-to-day life in an ad agency. Its brilliant diary style, peppered with anecdotes of quirky characters, funny stories and lots of samosas, makes for compelling reading.

What is amazing is that unlike many raconteurs, the author doesn’t position herself as the centerpiece or the mastermind, but focuses on the intricate teamwork and the combination of talents and skills that put together the campaign. Even more, in a country with a limited number of women leaders in the public eye, she highlights some of the peculiar problems, from safety to a clean toilet, that even the most senior women leaders still have to face. She also brings to life many famous names that one has only read about in the headlines, with intimate glimpses of the highest levels of power and decision-making. All in a racy, pacey style that makes the book a breathless thriller, completely unputdownable until you have turned the last page, even though you know how the story ended.

The story of the campaign is a masterclass of how to build a brand, starting from the basics – the consumer insight that holds everything together, coupled with a creative leap that makes the message relevant to the disinterested audience. It is a case study of how communication is crafted. It is also a great story of client servicing, of building a partnership of trust between two very different entities.

Read Don’t Forget 2004 if you’re a student of marketing, branding and communication. Read it if you’re interested in contemporary politics and recent history. But most of all, read it if you enjoy a crackling good story, told with panache.

Priyadarshini Narendra is a management professional with over 25 years of experience across advertising, consulting and marketing across diverse organisations, including a stint as National Head, Brand Solutions at HT Media. A graduate of IIM Calcutta and INSEAD, she is an avid reader