18 June,2011 08:20 AM IST | | Fiona Fernandez
The Guide invited KV Sridhar aka Pops, National Creative Director of Leo Burnett to turn reviewer for Don't Go Away. We'll Be Right Back, advertising veteran Indu Balachandran's no-holds-barred, witty take on the mad-ad world. His verdict? We love to LOL at ourselves!
Few pages into Indu Balachandran's book Don't Go Away. We'll Be Right Back will pique the imagination of the non-advertising fraternity (yours truly, included). "It reads like fiction, it's un-put-downable. The layman will get a good insight into our world. Indu has explained every side to advertising rather nicely, using simple, witty language," says KV Sridhar or Pops, who changed hats to turn reviewer for the Chennai-based adwoman's just-released title.
u00a0
It's a mad-ad world
"Indu and I worked together for HTAu00a0-- she was in Chennai, while I was based in Bangalore, so I can relate to this work," recalls Pops. He is excited that finally someone from advertising has taken up the challenge of writing about their crazy, warped and amusing worldu00a0-- "We understand satire and wit. We are aware that we are laughing at ourselves too." Quiz him about what this book means to veterans in the field and pat comes his reply, "For folks like us, the 40-plus generation, it feels like going down memory lane. It's a fantastic read for theu00a0 generation from our industry."
He has a note of caution thoughu00a0-- "If you give it to a 25 year-old advertising newbie, he/ she might collapse. The change has been so drastic in the last few decades. Today, young advertising professionals constitute 30 to 40 per cent of the industry; this book might be alien to this age group." The intelligent humour is intact too, which is typical of the archetypal advertising professional, Pops reassures us. No wonder then, that we needed time out at the office to recover from some of the witty headlines that Indu mentions in the book.
Pops' favourite parts are the initial sectionsu00a0-- "where Indu spells out the client servicing world; it's a terrific look into the advertising timeline in India. Sections about the copywriter, shooting an ad film as well as Paul Fernandes' quirky illustrations are bound to add to your laugh lines. And while you're at it don't forget to read between the lines.
Funny folk
"We love to have a good laugh. Only the advertising world has the courage to take potshots at themselves. Can you imagine this in Bollywood! It took our Indu from Chennai to spell it out so wellu00a0-- educate so many, with this fabulous book," says the National Creative Head, who began his career painting billboards. It was imperative to check with the ad guru about a dearth of good writing from his ilku00a0-- "All of them only threaten to write a book on advertising. Most are good at telling a story, but not at writing it. The creative guys prefer writing scripts for films. Others end up writing boring biographies, academic tomes about their achievements or research-heavy content," he rues. "The truth is that the film and TV world, where the big bucks lie, is where the typical copywriter ends up. I must confess there aren't too many around at the moment."
Laugh lines
> Outside a taxidermist's window: We really know our stuff.
> In a car repair shop: Best place in town to take a leak.
> In the front of a funeral home: Drive carefully. We'll wait.
> Sign over a gynaecologist's
clinic: Dr Jacob, at your cervix.
> Outside a cosmetic surgeon's consultancy: You can pick your nose here.
> At a sale of lamps: The second thing you can turn on, in your
bedroom.
> On a church's billboard: 7 days without God makes one weak.
u00a0- Extracted from Don't go away. We'll be right back. The Oops and Downs of Advertising
