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4 media execs on Business Week’s 2002 worst managers’ list
MUMBAI: Media managers have been much hyped in the past as those lovely people who can do little wrong, almost as much as the stars they help create. Well, not so much so any more. InternationalBusiness Week has listed four media executives in its worst managers of 2002 list announced in its latest issue. And they are people who were not so long ago glorified and hailed as corporate Gods.
Ousted chief executives Jean-Marie Messier of France’s Vivendi Universal and Thomas Middlehof of Germany’s Bertelsmann, Gerald Levin, who retired as CEO of AOL Time Warner, along with his former chief operating officer, Robert Pittman, are three executives who have been lynched by the magazine.
Business Week‘s list included its 20 best and worst managers, in alphabetical order without rating those within the lists.
Others managers who have found a place on the “worst” managers roster include former McDonald’s CEO Jack Greenberg, and in the finance sector, Sandy Weill of Citigroup and Bill Harrison of JP Morgan Chase, both of whom who continue to hold their positions with their firms.
Bill Gates’ former partner, Paul Allen, who rolled in the moolah with Microsoft, was polevaulted in the worst managers’ list for the poor performance his new venture, the troubled cable firm Charter Communications has been turning out. Joseph Berardino of Arthur Andersen, the audit firm convicted of obstruction of justice in the the Enron blowup, also figures in the list.
Among the big names who made it to the “best managers’” list include Steve Ballmer at Microsoft, Fujio Cho at Toyota, Lindsay Owen-Jones of L’Oreal and Lee Scott of Wal-Mart.
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De Beers launches ‘A Diamond Is Forever’ centenary book
Visual retrospective traces 100 years of iconic slogan and cultural impact.
MUMBAI: De Beers just dropped a century’s worth of sparkle between two covers because when a four-word line becomes forever, even the book needs a forever title. De Beers Group has released A Diamond Is Forever: The Making of a Cultural Icon 1926–2026, a landmark visual retrospective celebrating 100 years of shaping the modern perception of natural diamonds. The book traces how the brand transformed diamonds from elite heirlooms into universal symbols of love, commitment and personal achievement, with rare archival material, campaign highlights and cultural commentary.
At its core is the legendary 1947 slogan “A Diamond Is Forever,” penned by N.W. Ayer copywriter Frances Gerety. The four words redefined diamonds as eternal promises, earning the title of the 20th century’s greatest advertising slogan from Advertising Age in 1999. The book explores how this idea and others like the “Two Months’ Salary” guideline and the “Right Hand Ring” influenced social rituals, female independence and consumer behaviour worldwide, including in India, where diamonds shifted from gold-centric traditions to emotionally resonant milestones.
Beyond marketing, it showcases collaborations with artists like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Raoul Dufy, alongside icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. Later campaigns, including the 1990s “Shadows” series set to Karl Jenkins’ Palladio, reinforced diamonds as timeless and unique. The narrative also addresses today’s focus on provenance, sustainability and ethical stewardship, positioning natural diamonds as symbols of both enduring love and responsible luxury.
The book arrives as De Beers marks a century of innovation in luxury marketing, from the Great Depression to the era of conscious consumption, offering a rare window into one of advertising’s most enduring brand stories.
In a world where trends fade fast, De Beers didn’t just sell diamonds, it sold forever, and now it’s bound the proof in pages that will outlast even the hardest carat.
