|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1/28/2010Janet Barker-Evans, SVP, Group Creative Director, Draftfcb Chicago
I remember being in college and being so moved by the words of advertising writers. Inspired! Encouraged! Challenged, even! Some of my favorite quotes were typed up and posted on my desk so I would see them daily.
“There is no such thing as a Mass Mind. The Mass Audience is made up of individuals, and good advertising is written always from one person to another. When it is aimed at millions it rarely moves anyone.” - Fairfax Cone
“When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me that you find it ‘creative.’ I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product.” — David Ogilvy
“I have learned that any fool can write a bad ad, but it takes a real genius to keep his hands off a good one.” - Leo Burnett
“You can say the right thing about a product and nobody will listen. You've got to say it in such a way that people will feel it in their gut. because if they don't feel it, nothing will happen.” - Bill Bernbach
These four are just a few - but they all present or reinforce the fundamental truth about copywriting - our job is not to simply tell, but to sell. We need to engage, entice, incite, persuade and inspire.
A lot of the copywriting I see today is blech. Common. Uninspired. Boring. From banner ads to bus ads to tv spots, there is so much bad writing. Even worse is when you see a really great idea with really bad copy.
It seems as if too many writers have forgotten the back half of their job. First - the idea, yes. But then, the execution. I used to write a hundred headline iterations before I found the perfect one. And even then I would play with it until I got it right, or ran out of time.
Much of what I see out in the world today seems as though it is the first thing that came to the writer's mind. First out of the printer. I've even wondered if I were able to track down the writer of a bad piece of communication, could that writer show me a pile of previous drafts? Probably not.
In today's world of immediacy, 'good enough' seems to be accepted as... good enough. 'There's no time to be great,' seems to be the implication. And everything seems to be disposable, as well. If a banner ad only runs for 2 weeks, why care how well the copy reads?
And yet every now and then, I come across something so well written, so beautifully crafted, that I become giddy at the reminder of why I got into this business in the first place. Just knowing those gems are still out there gives me hope. Like diamonds, they're hard to find, but beautiful to uncover.
And so this year, my goal is to seek out the very best examples of copywriting in our industry - and to celebrate them. In doing so, I hope to improve my own skills, and inspire other writers to do the same.
Watch this space for updates on my crusade - and examples of what I find. And if you run into anything brilliant out there? Please send it my way.
The quest begins. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|