Insight
Personality|Barry Owen Obituary
Barry Owen: Artist, Humorist, Ad Man Remembering one of the true pioneers of Thailand’s advertising industry
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TheBigChilli
■ BARRY Owen, a legendary figure in the Thai advertising industry passed away last month. Barry had lived in Thailand for 40 years, and was fondly known throughout the industry by his Thai nickname of ‘Pah Barr’ or Papa Barry. He was 70. Born in Melbourne, Australia, he moved to Thailand in 1971 to work on a campaign for the fledgling Thai Airways. The campaign slogan was ‘Get Into It!’ and he took those words as his cue for life in Thailand over the next 40 years. After a brief spell running his own agency in the 1970s he started working for InterAsian – then owned by an ambitious young entrepreneur William Heinecke – which was later to become part of the Ogilvy & Mather Network. Under his leadership Ogilvy Thailand became a creative powerhouse, winning countless awards both domestically and internationally. Barry is credited with introducing a new style of advertising that was uniquely Thai. Some of his most memorable early work was done for Singha Beer, and he was instrumental in building the brand’s distinctive Thai image and identity. This was to become his trademark. And his work for the Oriental Hotel, Siam Commercial Bank, Shell and American Express testified his love and intuitive understanding of Thai ways. He was also a talented designer, and also collaborated with American, Bangkok-based author Steve Van Beek, on the design of a number of books including ‘Slithering South’ and ‘Bangkok Then and Now.’ Barry was widely known and had many friends in the expatriate community. He was a regular among the ‘crazy gang’ – that included his close friend and photographer, Shrimp – who frequented the legendary Mississippi Queen bar in its heyday during the ’70s and ’80s. And latterly he was a founder member of the Bangkok Cheese Society, a monthly dining club that allowed him to indulge in his love of fine wine and good conversation. But perhaps ‘Pah Barr’s’ greatest legacy are the hundreds of young Thai designers, art directors and copywriters he mentored during his 30 years in the business, many of whom now occupy senior positions in the industry or run their own agencies. He influenced and inspired a generation of young Thai creatives to be the best they could be, and many paid moving tributes to him on hearing of his death. At the end of his career he received the Chaweewan Award, the Thai industry’s equivalent to a lifetime achievement award, the only expat to ever receive this honour.