Public relations is sure getting competitive, going by their wacky ways to lure people for business publicity events. The other day, an invitation for the launch of Pfizer?s smoking cessation product landed on Eavesdropper?s desk in the form of cutlery, followed by a bone china plate a couple of days later, asking the recipient to turn up for a ?ready-to-serve? product. Earlier, someone sent along a Viagra pill (a dummy one, alas) to indicate the boost the sender promised to provide one?s success prospects. More recently, there came a neat electric switch along with an invitation, prompting one to ?switch on? to a new idea. But the most spaced out of them all came from the maverick billionaire Richard Branson, who sent a small telescope, requesting the recipient to bring that along to the press conference. Eavesdropper feared the worst. But, quite the stuntman, he did a 22-storey aero drop from the Hilton terrace in Mumbai (albeit aided by steel ropes), fully clothed (!), too.
U-turn
The English have been lobbying loudly to get RBI to open up the banking sector further. The French prefer discretion. As a French diplomat sneered, why shout from roof-tops? Asked for an email address, he scribbled it and pointed out the gouv.fr part, not to be mistaken for gov.fr. ?If it does not have a ?u?, we will be Engleesh,? he said, in mock alarm.
Golden silence
Post-Budget, all the chiefs of public sector banks hailed the loan waiver in unison. However, the chief of SBI breathed not a word. Was he too mortified to comment? The real reason, it turns out, was that the Budget came during SBI?s ?silent period?, a regulation with which he had to comply?since having filed a prospectus for the bank?s forthcoming rights issue.
