Addendum is a weekly column that takes a sometimes hard, sometimes casual, sometimes irreverent yet never malicious look at some of the new or recent advertisements and comments on them.

How many times have you sat seething with impotent frustration watching that little circle as it lazily goes round and round on your computer and on your phone? How many times have you wished that 3G was really what you thought 3G should be? How many times have you travelled abroad and seen the blinding download speeds in many countries and bemoaned the fact that in a country where mobile handsets are setting the markets on fire, a so-called 3G service and a mirage for Reliance 4G are simply unacceptable?

Well, cheer up. Airtel 4G is here. And it is using its first-mover advantage to full use. The new TVC from Taproot Dentsu says it all. A rooftop competition between two young ladies is in process and the idea is to see who can download data faster. One of the girls wins with effortless ease, even when the contestants are told to download a full movie. The winning girl does in a few unbelievable minutes. And then you are told about Airtel 4G and the real speed it can offer. And for good measure a challenge is issued that if anyone can match these speeds, they would get a full year’s service free of charge. Airtel knows it is the only 4G service in the market today so it can make a real big statement and the competition can do nothing about it. A really effective TVC which brings out what the market has been waiting for – speed – and also establishes itself as the only seriously fast player in the market. Having said this, I truly hope 4G is really 4G and not sometimes E and sometimes other mysterious letters of the alphabet that keep popping up on my handset which apparently has Vodafone 3G service.

Nothing like a first-hand account

Cancer is a deadly word. As the world of modern medicine races to find a quicker and surer cure for this disease, there are certain harsh realities that one needs to face squarely today. Yes, cancer is a scary term. Yes, the patient needs more than pity, she needs real support. Yes, the patient needs to face the ailment herself and yes, the existing cures cost a lot of money. And finally yes, it is very difficult to say all these things publicly. And that’s why I call HDFC Life Insurance a very bold client. In its new TVC for a policy that deals with cancer, they have Lisa Ray, a cancer survivor, making a very straightforward statement about how she had to face cancer, and how it can be beaten, with the right medical care, the inner strength and the money that is needed. She takes the money angle head-on. And announces that it is very expensive, after which the benefits of the HDFC Life policy are spelt out. The direct approach is very different. The pain, the agony, the sheer reference to money, goes down well because it comes from the lips of a well-known cancer survivor. This is an instance where celebrity endorsement is not a lazy exercise. It is an intelligent, well-thought-out one.

Vox Pop: In response to my question about your favourite gender-sensitive ads, reader Madhulika Rawal writes in with her choice. Ariel’s ‘Share the Load’, which also gives a very positive take on the dynamics of the daughter-in-law-mother-in-law relationship. Havell’s coffee-maker ad, which is a classic. And Titan Raga with the divorced couple. Thanks, Madhulika! I would have chosen the same ads.

Reader Ravi Shankar wonders if the chest-thumping of many business television channels, all claiming to be number one based on selective interpretation of viewership results, would be tantamount to cheating. Well, Ravi, it is a fact that selective interpretation is the name of the game. I can assure you that media planners who actually release ad spends to these channels would not be impressed. They are past masters at this game and the advertiser would only spend her money where her particular audience is viewing that channel or programme. That leaves the viewer. And here you are, pointing out precisely what the truth is. Nobody is fooled.

Ramesh Narayan is a communications consultant. Mail your comments to cat.a.lyst@thehindu.co.in

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