Funny, difficult, heaven, hell, happy, sad, beautiful, meaningless, meaningful, confusing... everyday I look at life, everyday it seems different!
A young old couple
My immediate neighbours were the ‘there’s something good about everything’ types. Each of them held a walking stick. The one with the uncle sitting besides me was spanking new. Once he realised they have started getting bored and his beloved will feel the pain all the more, he started some soft conversation. He drew her attention (and mine too, unknowingly) towards his walking stick… oh he really appeared to love this one!
How she told him it was a cat’s face (the wooden handle), how he corrected her that it was a dog! How they both started adoring and analysing it together, “Oh see these are the eyes, and these cuts here… these are the mouth lines… oh see they have not marked the ears…”! So innocent, so much like second childhood, so inspiring, so much love!
Some time later, the vivacious receptionist started chatting with almost each one of us. We realised that after my turn (the next one) it’s my favourite couple’s turn. We also realised that the couple had arrived before me. When I was tired sitting already, they sure must be. So I decided to tell them that they can proceed, once my name was called. But before I could, the sweet uncle told me that his beloved is having problem sitting for so long. I said they can go before me. But then his self esteem resisted, “No, no, it’s ok, you go ahead.” And after my strong convincing, for the sake of his love, he agreed.
Together with their sticks they walked to the ortho, together with their walking sticks they came out, together they thanked me. While aunty gently held my hand, “I hope we didn’t take too long, thank you,” uncle said everything without saying a word.
And then slowly supporting each other and taking the support of their sticks they disappeared out of the corridors. Well, their walking sticks, the one with a dog face and the other one too, sure are a support that assists them while they walk… the life, together and gracefully!
Men are from mars? Women are from venus? People are from earth!
Sweet as some appear to be can be really ruthless. Those who you find unapproachable can be great fun after some time. I tried to figure out at least the basic categories as I mention below.
A. I know a guy who appeared to be quite unapproachable. He used to be terribly unorganised. His huge build, tall frame and ‘oh-I-am-so-cool’ look made me feel – God, will I actually interact with this man? Today, he’s one of my closest friends and my rakhi brother too! I know I can confide in him and he’s my guide and role model in certain circumstances that life throws upon me. He’s one of the sweetest people I know (yes Jitesh it’s you!).
B. And then, there are those ‘always-a-smile-on-the-face’ people. These are the ones you meet and feel ‘oh-so-nice-of-them’. But as the hourglass continues its work, these people come out of their camouflage of goodness. They become memories that make you wary of trusting people and their appearances.
C. But then, real people too exist, those who are as good or bad (alright it’s a relative term) as they appear to be. Thankfully, these people by their sheer existence and sweet / harsh deeds make our existence meaningful and interesting.
I see it this way: men are the way they are, and so are women. Count men and women together and you’ll see different individuals. Hold on to those who fall in the A and C categories. And the left out category, well don’t you have a delete contact in your cell phone? Simply erase them from your memory and you’ll have more space for better people!
It's a new life!
Is it the special four-letter word in my life now or my new job? Well, who cares! All I know is I am content now, in fact quite happy! And while you are reading this, please touch wood.
The word ‘committed’ has transformed from ‘just another word in the dictionary’ to ‘The Word’ in my life. I never realised the depth of its meaning until I used it as an adjective for myself. It may sound filmy but yeah flowers do seem more beautiful than ever, red is the colour that catches my attention, I indulge in shopping more than ever, I take more care of myself, I have contacted long lost friends recently, I love the moon, the stars, the sunrise, the weather … I hardly miss noticing love birds around, I have a more positive outlook towards life and I love to tell the world that I am in love with the sweetest person in the world!
About my new workplace, well I was a bit apprehensive when I made a shift from mainstream advertising. The idea of ‘no more ads’ made me skip a heartbeat at times. But, until now, the work seems to be pretty interesting here. I am learning a lot and have made new friends here. Also, my recent campaign (from my previous workplace) got released and I can see my hoarding everyday while commuting. Can’t explain the feeling in words!
Another new thing in my life is that I have become a Maasi again! Congratulations Varsha and Kishore, am so happy for both of you.
I hope life remains good for ever. I will try my best to keep it so. Trust me, life’s really good, it’s just that we see the not-so-good things more often.
And yes, “Smile and the world smiles with you” – this is really true!
Guess who collects money while my advertising speaks!
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| SIA Art Jeweller: Launch ad created by yours truly |
But guess who else did I see collect money in one of my works. One fine day, I was in a hurry, as usual, to reach office. My rickshaw stopped and I could see the regular beggars trying their ‘selling’ skills. Among them was a tiny tot, a 3-year old girl clad in a ‘must-have-been-pretty’ frock, who was looking into a polythene bag and checking how much coins has she earned yet.
The bag was the one we designed for one of our good clients. While it clearly advertised the logo and the positioning line created by us and did the sufficient ‘visibility’ magic for the client, it sure did some magic for the girl who could ‘make’ some money in it. For once, I felt somehow, somewhere, something that I worked on is remotely (very remotely) of good ‘monetary’ use to someone.
What's with the football?
I never understood one thing about football (apart from the rules of the game). How can people watch some 22 players kicking a football for it to eventually enter some rectangular net? And all this for over a good (boring) 90 minutes. Okay, I can understand about the players, they are busy defending / hitting the football, and so they do not get bored. But the spectators… where do they get all the patience from. I always feel like a patient if I watch the game for over 5 minutes.
I mean cricket is fine, someone is scoring a run or taking a wicket or getting caught or whatever, almost at every ball (that too I find bearable for a one-day match, test matches are still unbearable for me). But soccer!!!
But things changed a bit recently. Thanks to my being in advertising. Got a brief for an ad that had to do stuff related to soccer. Now what… soccer-ignorant Annu had to do some basic research to understand the basic fundas! So I went to the FIFA site. Edgar, Ravi and Chintu, like some football experts, explained me the basics. I discovered some unknown-to-me facts. Like the yellow, red and green cards. Like the historical goals. Like there are millions of soccer-crazy people. Like 36 countries are participating in the World Cup and people are trying really hard to get a hotel booking. Man… people do have great deal of patience.
And now, I am getting impatient to watch a match or two and see if I can be more patient in life. Who knows tomorrow I will become a soccer fan too, who knows I won’t. In any case, advertising helped me learn something new, once again.
How to write stress free copy!
To write stress free copy, type: S – T – R – E – S – S – F – R – E - E – C – O – P - Y
Ok sorry for the bad PJ. On a serious note, to write a bad copy (oops!), I mean to have complete peace of mind, follow 2 simple steps:
STEP 1: Agree. Agree. Just agree.
Whoever said, “Clients can’t write copy!” Of course they can. You never realise but they are your copy helpers in disguise. And the biggest thing is that they APPROVE what they write (or should I say what they make you type)! Imagine them doing their own work and you earning big bucks for that!
STEP 2: Listen. Follow.
Listen to what the servicing person thinks will be approved. Pay complete attention to this genius’ remarks, follow the instructions, blindly. His comments are an effigy of the client’s needs. You are a loser if you disagree.
Bas, these 2 steps, followed regularly and you will survive as the most stress free person on Planet Ad! And more than anything, the title of ‘the bad copy guru’ comes as an incentive!
A lovely gesture
We know each other for some ten years now. We were classmates in college. A whole gang that used to maintain a good balance between serious studies and good times together. As years passed, we dispersed. Feel happy about the fact that most of us are still in touch, some frequent and some occasional interactions.
All of us studied science, chemistry major, except Kalpana. And almost all of us are in non-science professions! Some are in
Today, Chaitanya came home, for the first time in all these years. And guess what, he’s getting married! Am so happy for him. It was so nice of him to come over and personally give me his wedding card. In this busy life, small things like make such a difference. His is an arranged marriage and the fact that he has converted into a love one is so beautiful!
I remember how much fun he used to be in college. How we used to play ‘kaafiya’ on our way to classes. How much we enjoyed at
Life has taken its turns, and we all are reaching places, realising our dreams. Sweet gestures make the journey so beautiful!
A day in the life of a Copywriter
It’s raining heavily. You don’t get the bus. The trains - they have to be late today! You think about the headline all the way. You eavesdrop (You never know from where you may get inspired!). “Know what, she told her that and the whole office now knows about it!” “My God! It’s so difficult to get in at Goregaon. And this Bandra ka public will always block the door!” Those funny mobile ring tones – your biggest enemies when you are trying to think. “Hello. I can’t listen...in the train…ya…at Dadar now (give me a break, it’s not yet Jogeshwari!) …call me after 10 mins”. No clues for your headline. These people in the train are useless. Don’t they have anything interesting (read: inspiring) to talk about! The time too seems to be running fast today!
Finally, the train approaches your destination. You manage to get out of that useless clutter. Optimism is the key. You will definitely crack it during your 5 minute walk to the agency. You observe everything keenly – hawkers, traffic, hoardings, shops, school kids, your umbrella (another useless thing to ‘protect’ you from the rains!) and roads. Splash! A heavy Toyota and a pothole filled with that rain water ‘tie-up’ to add colours to your white dress. The perfect way to start your day!
You finally reach office – all drenched and coloured! Time: 10 a.m. The visualiser welcomes you “Hey, give me the headline yaar. My layout is almost ready. And keep the copy short. I don’t have space for your bhaashan.” You ask for half and hour’s time. You start scribbling. Noise. Everyone has to be in this room at this moment. You try to concentrate. A cup of tea does the magic. You are ready with a headline and you are already in love with it. And the copy, as per the ‘instructions’ you have kept it really short. And then the ‘drama’ starts.
Scene 1:
You show the copy to the visualiser. Time: 11 a.m. “Headline makes sense. It gels with my visual.” You smell something fishy, and you smell right. The visualiser continues “Is this subhead necessary?” You stare at him / her. The message is taken. “Ok, ok, now don’t make that face. Look at the copy! It’s so short. I’ll just need two full pages. Now can you please reduce it! I need some white space. You are murdering my layout. Let the client do it.” And who’s murdering the copy? It’s just 5 lines. Your regular convincing business begins now. On your mark, get set, go.
“See, I need to say all this to support your visual. I have already edited it. Earlier there were 3 paragraphs. If I reduce it any further, this beautiful (???) visual will fall flat. If you still want me to…” The visualiser asks for the file path. Mission successful.
Scene 2:
Entry of the client servicing executive. You need special skills to convince this person. And you better be good at it. This ‘intelligent’ person in the agency may commit time to the client and then ask you how much time you would require (or would simply declare an impossible deadline!). Time: 12 p.m. “Is it done? The client was asking about it. I told him half an hour. What’s the status?” This time the copy-visual becomes a great team. “Can’t you understand it takes time? You gave that useless brief last night. How can you commit without consulting us? Minimum 1 hour. Inform your dear client.”
If the servicing guy is actually helpless (don’t forget, he is the only person who has to hear from all – creatives, seniors, media, accountant, office assistants and clients), he would make this typical bechaara face. “Please yaar. Try to understand. The media needs the material by 4.”
Time: 2 p.m. Finally the ad is mailed to the client. After incorporating all the inputs by the servicing and seniors. Not many changes. Just some ‘necessary’ alterations in the headline, copy, fonts and layout. Those necessary ingredients to help the client buy (read: help them sell) the ad. And those necessary ingredients to help the copy-visual team lose interest in it. But don’t lose hope. There are still some chunks in the ad contributed by the creative. You should be optimistic. The client would definitely love the ad. And might even go for multiple releases!
Scene 3:
Did you forget something? You take over all other regular / repeat ads, you had been postponing to proofread because of this new one. You must finish all these before the servicing comes with the changes given by the client.
Time: 3 p.m. You get a call from your boss. He is waiting for the new script. Yesterday, you had committed a deadline of 3 (that was the second time you postponed it). How could you forget it? You try your convincing skills. These don’t work much here! You manage to buy just an hour. “Sharp 4:00”. You recite the optimism mantra again. “Yes I can do it. This time the script will be great. He wouldn’t need to suggest a single change.” You refuse to accept any other ad and concentrate on the script. In one hour’s time the script is almost ready. You learn that the boss has gone out and won’t come before an hour. It’s one of your lucky days!
Scene 4:
Copying and writing! Meanwhile, the servicing comes with ‘some’ changes by his dear client. “Not many. Just the headline needs to be crisper. And these 5 points to be added. You just have to copy the matter as it is (that’s copy-writing!). And search for a different visual. He is not clear exactly which visual, but not this one.” You were right. It’s really one of your ‘lucky’ days! This time, even the media is standing on your head. Of course, he is having one of those ‘sweet’ exchange of words with the servicing guy “Tera hameshaa ka naatak hai. I don’t know. I spoke to the publication. The material should reach maximum by 5. Otherwise tell your client this ad won’t come. And they will be charged for cancellation.”
You pity the servicing guy. You try to help him by not quarrelling much with him today. Time: 5 p.m. Finally the ‘final final’ approval has come and everyone is seen rushing to send the material. Some more ‘sweet’ words between – you and servicing; servicing and media and seniors.
Scene 5:
Temporary change of your job profile. Time: 7 p.m. You have completed the script. And for the last 2 hours you have also been incorporating changes suggested in the other regular / repeat ads. You try out hand at being a client servicing exec. You try to convince one of those clients over the phone “See you can’t use an ‘is’ here. It’s plural. It has to be an ‘are’. It’s wrong and people will notice it.” The client buys it. It’s not that difficult to sell to these guys!
Scene 6:
What about the script? For a change, all your work is over by 7 today – 1 new ad, 4 adaptations, 3 regular ads and a new script. Boss didn’t come yet. You are all set to escape as your intercom rings. “Can we see the script now?” You agree. You are used to such flop shows of leaving office ‘early’. Optimism is your best friend for life and he is there with you. “At least, if he loves the script, the day will be great. I will get a goodnight sleep (a good late night sleep!).”
You go. Read out your script and wait for his reaction. “Good.” He suggests few reasonable changes. Well, you are happy. Something good at the end of the day. You take a break to fill your stomach with some junk. Time: 8:30 p.m. You are back to your seat and start making the changes. You can concentrate well this time. There are just 4 ‘hardworking’ people in the agency now and pin drop silence. You complete the script by 9:30 and are ready to escape. And this time you really do escape.
The end of the day? Perhaps not. Sometime during the drama, you had been given a new brief. The deadline is tomorrow (as usual). And this time you have not even brainstormed any idea. But there is certainly a storm in your brain. Tomorrow will be another day. Hope it will be better. Optimism is the key!
