Bangalore: The Advertising Club Bangalore lit up Adda 1522 with the latest edition of its Inspiration Room series, featuring Rajesh “Ramsam” Ramaswamy — Founder of The Script Room and ad filmmaker at Coconut Films. The evening brought together creative professionals, marketing minds, and storytelling enthusiasts for an honest, nostalgic, and often laugh-out-loud journey through the world of Indian advertising.
Ramsam took the audience on a journey through two decades of game-changing work, presenting a curated reel of his most loved campaigns — for Tanishq, Paper Boat, Netflix, Swiggy, and OYO among others. Each of these were packed with sharp, takeaway-rich insights on storytelling, format, and audience connect.
A standout moment of the evening was the deep dive into the legendary “Yella Ok. Cool Drink Yaake?” campaign for UB Export beer — a line that’s now part of Kannada pop culture. Featuring Sandalwood superstar Upendra, the ad was witty, irreverent, and hyper-local, asking why anyone would choose a soft drink over a beer priced at just ₹17. That this iconic tagline came from Ramsam back in his JWT servicing days only added to its lore — and marked the turning point that nudged him permanently into creative. He urged creators to embrace originality, saying, “Why do we try to do a poor Mission Impossible when we can do a great something else?” and reminded the room that “Sometimes, the uncool can be more interesting” — a line that sparked both laughter and head-nods.
When asked about AI’s place in the creative world, Ramsam delivered a typically grounded response: “Creative people live off observation. AI just does, it doesn’t observe.” The sentiment resonated strongly, reaffirming the human touch as irreplaceable in truly impactful storytelling.
“Ramsam is equal parts entertainer, educator, and philosopher,” said Laeeq Ali, President of the Advertising Club Bangalore. “His ability to break down complex insights with clarity and humour is what has made this edition as memorable and iconic as his work.”
The evening closed on a celebratory note with a lucky draw where ten lucky attendees walked away with bottles of wine from the club’s beverage partner John Distilleries.
