Ernie Ross’ book “Intangience” is a gem of experience and advice

Dear Editor,
Ernie Ross and I were teenage friends. We lived a few houses apart in Prashad Nagar, and I visited his home frequently. Ernie called me by my nickname “Shully”, as those who were close to me back then did. In the early 1970s, many a Sunday evening would find us at the cafeteria at the Starlite Drive-In cinema at Montrose on the East Coast.
We multitasked: watched the movie, had a few drinks, and discreetly admired the pretty girls in and around the cafeteria.
Ernie had a creative streak. He was into music, literature, and the arts in general. I remember him playing the harmonica, or, as we Guyanese call it, the mouth organ. He was a perceptive observer and thinker, but not rigid or opinionated. He was open to the free and easy exchange of views and ideas. All of this was a foreshadowing of the man he would become.
Sometime after high school, Ernie left Guyana for Trinidad. Starting from scratch, he gradually built up an advertising business. Tapping into his creative abilities and keen insights into human psychology, his advertising business grew exponentially. His company, Ross Advertising, won numerous awards over the years.
He became an advertising, branding, and marketing star and practically a household name in Trinidad. He also worked on the successful political campaigns of President Janet Jagan of Guyana and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago. Additionally, he founded “ReThink”, a philanthropic organisation.
Ernie recently published a wonderful book entitled “Intangience”. The subtitle is “How Human Connection Creates Value Between People, Brands, and Ideologies”. “Intangience” is a portmanteau (blend) of “intangible” and “science” or – more fully – “intangible values” and the “science of human connection”. The book is beautifully written, engaging, and insightful. The first of its ten chapters is set in 1970s Guyana, a depressing period in our history.
In other chapters, Ernie relates real cases from his career that showcase the Intangience methodology in action and validate the effectiveness of the branding framework. In the tenth and last chapter, “How It All Started”, he goes back to relate the story of his arrival in Trinidad, the success he achieved, his quest for fulfilment and purpose, and how Intangience was born.
Something that really impressed me is actually not in the book. There is no ego in the book. No hubris, no boasting. Instead, Ernie shares his experiences in a straightforward, matter-of-fact way. His sure-footed writing and delivery are serene, almost Buddhist in tone. He was Guyana’s Honorary Consul General to Trinidad and Tobago for well over a decade, but there is no mention of that in the book. So modest.
“Intangience” is a gem of experience and advice. The book is available from Indigo (store and website) and also on Amazon. At this time, it is in hardcover format. Hopefully, a trade paperback will be released later. The Kindle electronic version on Amazon is reasonably priced.
This is good news for those in Guyana who may not be able to get the printed copy of the book. Those who have a Kindle device, or the free Kindle app on their iPad, can purchase the Kindle version from Amazon as an instant download. For those in Canada, Ernie is expected to be at the Indigo bookshop in Toronto’s Yorkville district for a book signing on May 23.

Yours faithfully,
Sieyf Shahabuddeen