His friends describe him as an introvert, a reluctant talker. But thats Birdy the man, not Birdy the copy writer. His career demands that he know whatd touch a chord amongst todays folks. For he might be required to write copy on, well, absolutely anything. I keep in touch just observing people, he says.
And he loves his profession. I love ads the way people love theatre or the movies. Ads turn me on, says Birdy solemnly. He joined the circuit when boutique agencies were mushrooming all over Trikaya, Enterprise, Contract... The big stables like HTA and Lintas were turning out the same safe, standard stuff. But these smaller agencies had a different tack their work did not read like ads; they actually talked to the reader. It was witty, funny and somewhere, real, says Birdy. And I wanted to be part of it.
The Indian ad scene was coming of age. Birdy remembers his favourites of the time the Arvind Denim comic strip series and the Charms ad celebrating the young, fresh, modern, upbeat mood. His all-time favourite is the Thrill ad that used full copy against a red background, very catchy and unusual for its time.
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Birdy had set his heart on making a career in an area that demanded little work and lots of fun. But following family dictat, he was apprenticing to join his fathers chartered accountancy firm. He stole time to enroll for an advertising course at Mumbais Xaviers Institute. It suited my non-intellectual, non-intelligent, temperament. Its all so superficial. No hidden meanings, nothing running deep, he explains.
Then came the big opportunity. Enterprises Mohammed Khan called him for a test he was to write a campaign for a soap. Now for a name for the soap. Without giving it a second thought, he asked his doctor mother to suggest possible names, which she rattled off effortlessly. One of them sounded good Cameo. And it got him his break.
But the self-professed disgrace of the family was in for a mild shock when he went to inform his CA tuition teacher that it was time for adieus. I thought Id break the news to him gently I was afraid he would be teary-eyed, devastated. And here he was telling me it was the best thing he had heard in all his life, exclaims Birdy, enjoying the retelling of the little drama he had set up that boomeranged.
His launch campaign did not take off. He was to do a series for a new restaurant, Caravan, involving the world of celebrities. There are a million things that can go wrong. Only one in thirty-odd pieces of work actually sees the light of day, he volunteers by way of an explanation. Clients may suddenly find themselves strapped for cash, or they want to exploit a concept that has already been flogged to death.
Over the last ten-odd years in the profession he has worked for Rediffusion, Trikaya, Ambience and now Mudra after Enterprise. You just keep moving for more money, better creative possibilities... he says.
A great deal goes into the ad campaigns inspired by Birdys grey cells. A lot of copy writers tend to look to another ad for inspiration, but anyone worth his salt wouldnt be caught dead doing that, he says, uncharacteristically forcefully.
Conceptualisation involves the team, and Birdy has been working with visualiser Naved for more than four years now. The line between art and copy has blurred over the years, he says. He enjoyed working on the Polo campaign, but sounds irritated discussing the Minto counter-campaign. Competitive advertising is an easy and childish way out. Minto is nowhere today, you cant sustain a brand on that kind of a campaign, he says.
The reclusive ad man has been dabbling in some social advertising too. The Indian Express campaign for the elderly was his brainchild, and for the first time he began taking his own photographs too. When I feel lonely at my age, I can imagine what it might be like for the elderly, he says. But his own age is a well guarded secret. I am ageless, mysterious, he smiles. Well, I am 103. I dont look it only because I have my face all plastered up and I have these invisible strings holding me in place. Age immediately slots a person, you see.
He tried another campaign, this time on masturbation as a safe alternative to sex and AIDS. But no one was willing to buy it, he says ruefully.
Where does his inspiration come from, apart from observing people? He gets up with alacrity, digs into his pocket for a key, and opens a cupboard in a corner of his room in the Mudra office. You can have a peep show into what sustains me, he says. Inside are stacked piles and piles of magazines, everything from Vanity Fair to Home and Garden and Gourmet. I dont touch Indian magazines. The most creative and varied styles of writing, photography, typography its all in magazines.
And theres modern American writing, mostly humour. Fran Liebowitz, Nora Ephron, Bret Easton Ellis... No Indian favourites? Shobha De. I love her column in Midday that kind of bad Hindi-English kind of writing, gossipy writing appeals to me, he says.
So, how would you sum up Freddy Birdy? His own words should say it all: Its so much more interesting being seamless. n
I love ads the way people love theatre or the movies. Ads turn me on, says Freddy Birdy