Nimish Dubey

American singer Billie Eilish is indeed making headlines these days. And as she gets ready to sing for James Bond, here are ten facts you might not know about pop’s latest sensation.

In its advertising charge against Nirma, Surf came up with a character no one would ever forget: Lalitaji. A housewife who would bargain for everything, but not on the price of Surf.

In the 1970s, the Indian washing powder market was dominated by Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL) and its Surf was pretty much THE detergent powder to use. That changed with the emergence of a washing power called Nirma.

The comic revolves around the discovery of the daughter of the Gaulish chieftain Vercingetorix who Caesar defeated at Alesia.

You want to advertise the most Indian snack. Something that no one imagined could be a branded product, let alone advertised. You are literally on a shoestring budget, ruling out celebrities and fancy sets. So what do you do?

Pepsi came up with the line “Yehi hai right choice, baby, Aha!” and in its initial campaign (directed by Mukul Anand) featured Indian pop star Remo Fernandes and film star Juhi Chawla. Although the jingle caught on, the drink itself was not really striking the sort of chord that the brand wanted. It would do so, with a little help from a current and two future Bollywood stars at the time.

Through “Asli swaad zindagi ka”, Cadbury changed the perception that chocolates were for only children. The ad did not highlight or make the product the hero - it barely had a few glimpses of the chocolate itself. What it however focused was on humans and how they were feeling, right through the ad.

Bajaj’s response to challenges from mainly motorbike-pushing brands like Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki in late 1980s was an ad campaign, called "Hamara Bajaj", that set a new benchmark for Indian advertising - not just motor vehicle advertising, but advertising in general.

How successful the Cherry Chaplin ads were can be gauged from the fact that they went on for quite a while, a rarity in an industry where change is almost constant.

Although simple, the “Mummy, I am hungry” ad had so many nuanced messages right under that surface. No one found it spectacularly entertaining, but it got the message across - moms trust Maggi for their kids. So it had to be good!

The reason for Marcelo Bielsa’s formidable reputation stems partly from his passion for the sport, a passion that is so far-reaching that it encompasses everything around the game, even life itself.

Happy Birthday, Mr Anderson…er….Neo!

I am removing every Michael Jackson song from my electronic devices. It just does not seem right any more after what has come to light in Leaving Neverland. The four-hour documentary has literally been the last straw that has broken the back of this camel that was Michael Jackson’s fan.

Here are ten people who were and are stars and legends in their own right, and yet never got an Oscar for their efforts.

An increasing number of people on social media networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube now make posts to get attention in the form of likes and comments, rather than to simply share a slice of their lives.

At the 1970 World Cup, England goalkeeper Gordon Banks denied Brazil legend Pele with a save that is almost universally regarded as the greatest the world has ever seen.

Remember how Charlie Chaplin never won an Oscar award for his acting? Well, the Grammies have their own “Good Heavens How Come They Never Got a Grammy” hall. And some of the artistes in it are not just famous but downright legendary - so legendary that they did not need a Grammy to prove it.

The best tech books of 2018 by Emily Chang, Scott Galloway, Adam Fisher, Ken Kocienda and Gary Vaynerchuk.

Known for patient attrition and spending hours at the crease, Sunil Gavaskar turned a phase in Delhi by scoring 121 runs from 94 balls.