BENGALURU : It has been 28 years since his retirement and yet, 90-year-old UM Subbarao, a resident of Yelahanka, continues to recall his days in advertising. A one-company man, he entered the advertising industry in 1955 as an apprentice at J Walter Thompson in Mumbai and worked there for six years. Subbarao was then transferred to Madras in 1962 and retired from the same place, following which he decided to return to Bengaluru along with his wife Lakshmi.
“Advertising used to be good then. The difference was everyone had to do everything, starting from scratch to finish. Now, there are departments within ad agencies such as art department, production department, research department and so on,” Subbarao says. It was however, difficult to find models for the shoots. “In those days, entering the advertising industry was like the film industry. People were orthodox. Since ads did not have dialogues, everything depended on the expression,” he says.
His wife, Lakshmi had modelled in several of his work for brands such as parry’s sweets, prestige, TVS motors, TTK mixture, Indian Overseas Bank, Amruthanjan and so on. “Modelling used to take minutes. The team would tell us how they want the ad to be and I would pose accordingly,” Lakshmi, now 78-years-old recalls.
However, Subbarao feels that a comparison should not be done on advertisements now and then. “Now, everything has gone digital. It is easier and work is more accurate. Both have its own charm,” he says. But leaving a positive note on those days, he says there was work satisfaction which made employees loyal to one’s company.
“The management would ensure they retain employees. So even if we got a better job offer, people preferred to stay back. Now, youngsters jump from one company to another,” he says.Subbarao retired as a senior art director just when television advertisement started to gain momentum.