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With over 100 awards (including a clean sweep of the big 4 - CAG, ABBY (Bombay Ad Club), A&M and AAAI. And having penned lyrics for such acclaimed non-film works as Shubha Mudgal's Ab Ke Saawan, Mann Ke Mannjeere and Silk Route's Boondein as well as their latest offering Pehchaan, Prasoon is pleased with his brimful of work.

He is the man behind the much acclaimed Ads for companies like Kelvinator, Voltas, Cadbury's, Barbie Doll, Asian Paints and Nokia. He is also the brain that worked on the social awareness campaigns for VDIS, Eye Donation (Aishwarya Rai) and the award winning films on Polio, besides many others.

So, we asked him point blank, what does Advertising means to him! "Advertising is Communication and it is part of a big marketing plan for a product. Personally, it keeps me constantly charged up, the constant shift from the nature of products and the immediate response enthuses me continuously," he gushes restlessly.

Before we move further, lets trace his roots from where the vital values stem from. Raised in a humble middle class UP family, Prasoon's parents are trained classical singers from the Rampur Gharana. A science student, he got an MBA degree and entered Trikaya Grey in the Client Servicing division.

Since his real passion lay in poetry, he wrote copy off and on before turning a full-fledged copywriter on joining O&M. And it was in O&M, that he scampered up the success stairs. "In advertising, if you understand the process, then the growth is fast," he suggests. And what about Poetry, the primary source of his spiraling growth! "My first collection of poems appeared when I was 17. It was called Main aur Woh. I wrote two more after that (Dard so raha hai and Samadhan) and am currently working on the fourth. The written word is the ultimate satisfaction."

Prasoon admits that his middle class background proved to be a blessing in disguise. For when he entered the field, big international companies like Grey Worldwide and O&M were looking for people who represented the class, which was fast emerging as the prospective base for most of the Fast Moving Consumer Goods companies. He enthusiastically discussed a few case studies to elaborate his point.

Remember the Nokia mobile Ad - Zindagi ki raah mein rishton ko na peeche chodne deta Nokia. "The idea is to rub off the values. Just attach those values which are larger than the brand and ultimately it is good for it. We highlighted the emotional element in the mother-son relationship. And it worked. For we received a mammoth feedback from people who told us how touched they were," he says.

Another example is the hugely successful Cadbury's Dairy Milk - Khaane waalon ko khaane ka bahana chahiye, where the hyper active Cyrus Broacha dances and bafoons at a typical middle class marriage. "Many of the marriages all over the country are witnessing the trend of giving chocolates as gifts to the guests. It shows the popularity of the Ad and the fact that the message that we tried to convey has been received very well," Prasoon chips in.

Now, you couldn't have missed out the chirpy Cadbury's Perk Ad - Thodi sipet pooja kahin bhi kabhi bhi. "This was once again close to the Indian culture for we utilised the occasion of Karva Chauth, which is close to the typical Indian diaspora. It is also about positioning of your product and how you are being different. It all depends on the character of the product. People want to be seen with someone who is constantly innovating," the Ad-man says, who by now, is totally engrossed in the conversation. His commitment and passion for his profession is very much imminent. And yes, the man loves to talk about it with utmost sincerity too.

So Prasoon, how would you squeeze your thoughts on Advertising, in a nutshell, considering the present scenario ! "Consumerism has risen. The demands of an average consumer have risen manifold. One needs to highlight the relevance of hunger. It is all about Desire and how you arouse it! An image for a specific product has to fit the context of the nature of the product. For e.g. A durable image for a durable product, like Voltas refrigerator. Then building image on the basis of that constantly changing image. One just can't negate the fact that the disposable income of middle class has increased  manifold. And they shall buy your products from that income if you give them convincing reasons for doing so."

Well, you guys have had your fill of his views on Advertising, so how about switching gears to his other love! As we have stated above, apart from being a celebrated advertising guy, Prasoon Joshi is also a new age lyricist with words that carry depth. His verse have been put to good use by the practised vocals of Shubha Mudgal and the nascent effervescence of Silk Route in their respective musical forays.

He is currently writing songs for Saurabh Shukla's first film as a director, while the score for director Adeep Singh's first film Mukt has already been recorded. We'd have loved to probe him further to visit those dreamy lanes of poetry, but our busy man had an appointment with with another O&M biggie Piyush Pandey. And you bet, one really didn't want to come in between another blockbuster idea seeing the sparkling lights on the small screen.

So Prasoon, just define a successful idea and we shall leave you in a restless world bubbling with many of those. "Ideas are gonna be the future. One who has got a better idea shall stride ahead." Makes sense. Isn't it! And more importantly coming from someone whose career wagon is on a dream ride, it carries enough validity.

Interview:Faridoon Shahryar