P. James (magician)
Encyclopedia
P. James is a magician
from the city of Chennai
, in South India. He is best known for his famous guerrilla advertising
campaign (inspired by Brooke Bond painted wagons), in which the phrase "P. James Magic Show" and his phone number are painted on virtually every street in the city. It has been estimated that there are at least 30,000 instances of his advertisement. James adopted his stage name after his grandfather, also a performing magician.
Chennai is a city where the wall space is tightly controlled and shared by competing political parties. It is also dominated by advertisements for commercial goods and services. Despite this, James has achieved a high penetration with his marketing campaign, at a low cost. He has, however, spent a total of 14 years painting, setting out by himself at 9:30 PM. He uses a mixture of black oxide and Fevicol for the paint, as this is cheap, but also survives through rain. James' technique has been called naive by some observers. Indeed, the advertising campaign has not resulted in particularly high market share, although James attributes this to the increasing movement of magic from the stage to the television screen.
James' campaign has spawned several imitators, notably A-Z entertainment, which adopts a similar font and style of placement, though at a lower concentration. It is not known what link, if any, exists between the various organizations. It is also unknown what relationship James has with the nationally famous P.C.Sorkar
, or with rising local talent, such as JMK Disco Raja.
In late 2007, James was requested by the Commissioner of Police to abstain from his sign-painting. This is the culmination of various efforts by authorities to put an end to James' advertising campaign.
In August 2009 the magician lent his name to a book project called “Looking For P James”. The book was a photo journal of the city of Madras-Chennai which was written by the British author Darren Burnham and published by Global Adjustments
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
from the city of Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, in South India. He is best known for his famous guerrilla advertising
Guerrilla marketing
Guerrilla warfare is about waging small intermittent attacks on different territories of the opponent with the aim of harassing and demoralising the opponent and eventually securing permanent footholds....
campaign (inspired by Brooke Bond painted wagons), in which the phrase "P. James Magic Show" and his phone number are painted on virtually every street in the city. It has been estimated that there are at least 30,000 instances of his advertisement. James adopted his stage name after his grandfather, also a performing magician.
James' campaign has spawned several imitators, notably A-Z entertainment, which adopts a similar font and style of placement, though at a lower concentration. It is not known what link, if any, exists between the various organizations. It is also unknown what relationship James has with the nationally famous P.C.Sorkar
P. C. Sorcar, Jr.
P. C. Sorcar, Jr. is an Indian magician based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the second son of legendary Indian magician P. C. Sorcar, and is today considered the most prominent magician in India...
, or with rising local talent, such as JMK Disco Raja.
In late 2007, James was requested by the Commissioner of Police to abstain from his sign-painting. This is the culmination of various efforts by authorities to put an end to James' advertising campaign.