As you are no doubt well aware, copywriters are, of course, some of the brightest, kindest and most imaginative people walking this planet. Indeed, when God was busy spooning out the talent, he took a particular shine to the marketing wordsmith – particularly folk like Joseph Heller, Terry Gilliam, William S. Burroughs, Salman Rushdie, Don DeLillo, and Fay Weldon who all received second helpings.
Posts Tagged ‘copywriter’
10 great copywriters’ blogs (That avoid the subject of copywriting)
Monday, April 16th, 2012Room 101 – ten things to hate about TV advertising
Thursday, February 9th, 2012
If you look to the left, you’ll notice this is the one hundred and first column I’ve written for Creativepool. I must admit I let my century pass by unnoticed, which is rather typical of my lack of attention. But it does allow me the opportunity to pinch an idea from the BBC and consign ten aspects of TV advertising to a virtual dustbin with a yank of a handle and a sickening thud. Should you wish to disagree, I’d heartily encourage you to use the comments facility at the foot of this piece, rather than hunting me down like a frightened hound. Now, if it’s all the same to you, I’ll begin …
We’re all writers now. How recession damages copywriting.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
There are many signs that something is going wrong. The scarcity of invitations to join the staff of a particular agency; the lack of requests to pencil out dates in your diary and the distant memory of those top-dollar, overnight emergency briefs.
Only fool wouldn’t come to the conclusion that the industry’s finances are sinking faster than Simon Le Bon’s yacht. Still, any seasoned freelance copywriter has seen all this before. Recession follows boom as surely as a belch follows a can of cola and things will surely come right. And they will.
Creative copywriting – the rude approach
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
Work at this time of year often slows down, which can make things tough for freelancers who don’t have a steady stream of work from a steady stream of clients. So sometimes one needs to get a bit creative in order to win a pitch…or even pitch for work which doesn’t actually exist. However outstanding the CV, it seems to me that employers often simply don’t have time to scour it or read the carefully worded covering letter, or click through to online links to one’s work or portfolio. So how can you grab the attention of a potential new employer instantly? Well, there are many ways, but a golden key to it lies in your creativity. And, if you want to be a creative copywriter, you should be brimming with ideas.
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What a pair.
Thursday, October 20th, 2011
A great philosopher once said (or perhaps it was Kylie, now I think about it), “Better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t”. Whoever, to my mind, it was the winning principle behind the classic, advertising agency creative team.
Take one copywriter, find an art director of a similar standard and level of experience, and introduce them to each other. Ensure they stand a reasonable chance of exchanging the odd civil word, bung them a couple of briefs and if the resulting work is on target – or at least, shows some promise – bingo! You have yourself a creative team.
Paperback for good.
Thursday, October 13th, 2011
I’ve always been a huge admirer of The Big Issue. Not only is it a thumping good read, its purpose is both uplifting and completely unique. It strikes me that handouts, while obviously helpful in the very short term, rarely address the problems which cause and perpetuate desperate situations. The Big Issue is very different. By giving the vendor an income and a useful role it restores self-esteem, hope and something of which to be proud.
In short, when a creative endeavour meets a good cause the outcome is often far more productive and satisfying than a straightforward cash donation. And so it is with the new book by Alex Pearl.
What to wear when addressing a client.
Friday, May 27th, 2011
Yesterday we had a few sniggers in the studio. The reason being our favourite Flash designer Pabs had to attend a client meeting. Now Pabs is from Cuba so he doesn’t have a firm grasp of the correct dress code for client meetings. In truth he doesn’t really get clothes much at all. In default mode his typical wardrobe would be a smiley face t-shirt, low rider jeans and trainer laces running around the floor like roots from a tree. So yesterday morning, to our surprise, he walks in with a striped white shirt, eye-wateringly tight slacks and on the waist a ‘statement’ belt covered in gunmetal pyramid studs. He wasn’t at all happy about wearing this particular attire. Pabs is his own man and as he grimly walked past my desk, under his breath he muttered something about “selling out to The Man.”
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Copywriting: not quite what it says on the tin?
Monday, May 16th, 2011
Earlier on this year, you may have read Magnus Shaw’s excellent blog posts So you want to be a copywriter? and the sequel, So you still want to be a copywriter? If you haven’t read them and you want some straight-talking advice about the pitfalls, pros, cons, difficulties, requirements and endurance of will needed to be a copywriter, go read them. But now I’m going to add something else into the mix too. My recent experience of talking to recruiters has demonstrated that, unless you want to focus completely on being a copywriter in a creative agency or you are happy to take your chances freelancing for whoever comes along, then you need several other strings to your bow.
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So you still want to be a copywriter …?
Thursday, March 31st, 2011
Last year I wrote an article for CreativePool called ‘So You Want To Be A Copywriter?’.
The intention was to provide a very basic guide for anyone considering a career in … well … copywriting. I thought it might attract a modest response, but the feedback was astonishing. In fact, the piece still generates enquiries – I had an email from someone who had read it only two days ago.
But perhaps the most impressive outcome was the success one reader has had in pursuing her writing ambitions. I am absolutely certain it has been her determination and talent that have carried her forward, but if the article gave her a bit more confidence or helped things along in any way, I couldn’t be more delighted.
Heads up. The best advertising headlines in the world?
Friday, May 11th, 2012For Sainsbury’s: “We say ‘hello’ to good buyers”.
A recruitment ad for security guards: “Who says you can’t have a successful career after the police? Look at Sting.”
These are some of my favourite headlines. But they never ran. It happens. An unappreciative client or account manager, a change of brief – not every great headline makes it to the target audience. Happily, many of them do. So below, allow me to present a few of the very best.
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Tags: Advertising, blog, cancer aid charity, copywriter, Copywriting, David Ogilvy, headlines, Magnus Shaw, Peperami, Ronseal, Volkswagen
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