The Hindu Business Line : Looking back, looking ahead

The year 2008 should be remembered for the fantastic heights our sportspersons scaled. One should not forget another aspect of Mumbai that has emerged almost recession- and terrorist-proof: Bollywood.

Distress, triumph, grief, hope: 2008 saw it all on a big scale

Ramesh Narayan

Happy New Year!

It’s a brand new year, and here’s wishing everyone good health and peace of mind.

Mumbai, in particular, and the world in general must have heaved a massive collective sigh of relief to bid 2008 good bye. What a year it’s been!

In January 2008, the Bombay Sensitive Index or Sensex, as it is popularly known, shuddered and collapsed. Or so the pundits would have us believe. Please note, the Sensex is something very vital to Mumbai, as this megapolis is the commercial capital of India, and the lives of its denizens are inexorably entwined with the shenanigans of this unpredictable index. Through most of the year, analysts and experts urged investors to “stay invested”, “bottom-fish”, “cherry-pick” and so on, till in October, the Sensex dived to new lows once again, setting off a pall of gloom that only darkened as clouds of acrid dark smoke billowed out from under the cupola of the iconic Taj Mahal Palace wing and the Oberoi Hotel in tony South Mumbai on November 26, 2008. For Mumbaikars, the cup of woe was overflowing. Questions were being asked if Brand Mumbai had taken a beating, what with the loss of life on the one hand, and capital on the other.

The answers are not simple. Yet, I believe Brand Mumbai is alive and well, thank you very much.

As I have said before, the brand architecture made up of hope, hard work and resilience has not changed. It just got younger.

The year 2008, in my opinion, should be remembered for the fantastic heights our sportspersons scaled. Abhinav Bindra struck gold at the Olympics and our good-looking pugilists signalled their arrival on the world scene with a sterling display of power. Saina replaced Sania as the young great hope and Vishwanathan Anand brought even more glory home to India. As if that wasn’t enough, Dhoni and his merry men set about establishing themselves as probably the best cricketing team in the world. And Tendulkar, whom Mumbai can lay claim to marginally more than the world can, used his broad bat to spread a soothing balm over the still raw wounds the city was recovering from. The advertising industry had a number of new models to choose from amongst this plethora of charismatic achievers.

One should not forget another aspect of Mumbai that has emerged almost recession and terrorist-proof: Bollywood. Yes, notwithstanding the financial meltdown and the terrorist attacks, December seems to have closed strongly with both the Indian Khans (Shah Rukh and Aamir) drawing audiences out of their mood of despondency and into the multiplexes for a few hours of entertainment and escapism.

So what does Brand Mumbai have to guard against?

Quite a few things. First, collective amnesia. I believe the lessons we claim to have learned should not be consigned to the rubbish heap of history. The youth are on trial. They need to prove they are not just hot air and restless energy. They need to show they can go the distance. All the way to the voting booths.

Also, Mumbai needs to urgently market itself as a city destination, not just as a gateway to India. There are many attractions that could be highlighted and if cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong can be great tourist destinations, I see no reason why Mumbai cannot rival them.

While we should never forget those who died in the terrorist attack on Mumbai, we should also remember and never forget something else that died in the financial meltdown: Trust. Yes, many financial analysts, brokerage houses, audit firms, rating agencies and banks are guilty of collectively murdering trust. And they should introspect and realise that they are being seen as a bunch of amateurs at best, and something unprintable at worst, and they have a lot of serious image building to do in the year ahead.

Talking about trust and integrity, at the microcosmic level, the advertising industry needs to desperately get its act together with regard to scam ads. A recent meeting organised by the Advertising Club Bombay and the Advertising Agencies Association of India saw some of the biggest creative names coming together and piously calling for ways to stop scam ads. To them I say, if you are honest, all you have to do is tell your creative teams “no scams”. It’s really as easy as that. And then it’s also as difficult as trying to double guess if another creative director is going to submit scam entries for awards anyway, and not wanting to look left out in the race for metal, submit a scam entry yourself. In this sombre mood that Mumbai is in, we need these sanctimonious creative heads to realise that while the city is demanding integrity from politicians and administrators and police personnel, they are unable to be honest to themselves and their industry. They need to take a collective pledge of honesty to their industry and their profession.

To me, January 2009 will see one event which will symbolise the never-say-die attitude of Brand Mumbai: The Mumbai Marathon. About 36,000 citizens have signed up for what will be the biggest ever affirmation a city can make against fear and the forces that are trying to bring them to their knees.

When Mumbai runs for the sheer joy of running, it will be chasing out the demons of despair that have clouded this great city in the last year.

Welcome, 2009! The future looks bright!

(The writer is a communications consultant.)

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Looking back, looking ahead