A Day in the life of Copywriter, Mridu Sahni

We caught up with Mridu Sahni as part of our ‘Day in the Life’ column to find out what life at Isobar is like and what her job entails.

Please describe your job: What do you do?

At Isobar, I am just a copywriter, sitting in front of the laptop, waiting for the words to come to me. Also, I am responsible for digital brand building through narratives and ideas.

What kind of skills do you need to be effective in your role?

You could be an engineer, history student, or a transponster like Chandler Bing and still become a copywriter. All you need is the ability to think, shape your thoughts into words, get the sense of the brand you work on, the will to research and study for your idea or brand, and congratulations; you are now a copywriter. But the most important thing is not to fear to be wrong. (I am still working on this one.)

Tell us about a typical working day…

Well, a typical day at work is not so typical anymore. Before 15th March 2020, my day at work looked something like this:

Reach office. It is almost time. Run. You have got to punch in before 10 AM. But I can’t run. Blame the heels (Oh! I miss the heels) The usual excitement of a good breakfast. Job list meetings. Wait! Was it the blue room or yellow?

Then began the day’s hustle. Typing…Typing…Typing… Brainstorming. Thinking while staring at the wall or thinking while accidentally staring at someone and making them uncomfortable. That was the typical day at work before the worldwide crisis hit us.

After 15th March 2020, my typical day at work looks something like this:

Login. Job list meetings. Oh, Wait! But is the call happening on Teams or phone?

Now begins the hustle. Align work. Get aligned. Setting timelines more than ever now. Typing…Typing…Typing…

But still thinking while staring at the wall. Well, some things never change.

What do you love about your job?

The best thing about being a copywriter is you get paid for making up stories, among many other things of course. My favorite part of the job is observing people, their behavioral patterns, picking up on the nuances, and using it to craft stories and ideas around it.

How did you end up at Isobar, and where might you go from here?

Accidently. Yes, that’s true. Advertising was one field I never thought I would be a part of. But it’s 3 years now, and I am still here to share this story. It looks like it worked out pretty well. I am an Electronics Engineer by degree, and after working for a year with Honeywell, I decided to experiment in the content field. A few bumps hits, and misses later, Isobar happened. So, we will call it a fortunate accident. Since then, it has been a great learning experience, so going somewhere from here is not currently on the checklist.

Do you have any advice for marketers starting a career in an agency setup?

Bring your original, stupid self to work. That is all we need. A fresh mindset. The saying, ‘Be yourself. Everyone else is taken’ fits aptly for those working in the advertising industry. It is your unique train of thoughts, which will not just make you stand out but help your team see things from a different lens.

Also, for copywriters, especially I have a list of advice, which has been in my drafts since forever. Whenever I have a bad day at work, be it because of rejections or creative block, this has always kept me going. So, here it goes:

HOW TO BE A COPYWRITER? (not written by the above-mentioned copywriter)

1. Swallow your pride.

2. Swallow a dictionary.

3. Grow a crocodile skin. Rowling’s work was rejected 12 times. Dr. Seuss’, 27 times. King’s, 30 times. Yours will be rejected 500 times. Every day.

4. Embrace migraine.

5. Reject self-doubt.

6. Lose all sense of time. Ideas show up like a thief in the night. They never thank God it’s Friday.

7. Find all sense of time. Deadlines don’t give a f**k about ideas. (Advertising will pardon your French, not your sloppiness.)

8. Know something, sorry, everything about everything.

9. Know what box to think outside of.

10. Be bipolar. Or tripolar. Or multipolar. The more the “poles”, the more electrifying your stories.

11. Have an eye for architecture. To sell ads, you’ll build rationales like Babylonians built monuments.

12. Be complex. Strategy demands it.

13. Be simple. Craft demands it.

14. Be mad. The job demands it.

Use it as you want or don’t. After all, what do I know?

I am just a copywriter, sitting in front of the laptop, waiting for the words to come to me.