Advertising copywriting
Want to be a successful freelance copywriter? Keep your work.
I remember when I started out in this business and I was working in – or looking to move to – leading advertising agencies, always keeping my portfolio in good shape and selecting only the best work to put in …
Volkswagen: the most toxic fallout of all?
“The most powerful element in advertising is the truth.” So wrote Bill Bernbach, one of the giants of advertising, and co-founder of the agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB). It was his business that was responsible for many of the …
Unique selling points – it’s all a question of perception
I wrote an article on LinkedIn about how two products in the same sector but which are seemingly polar opposites can still claim the same unique selling point. You can view the post at Perceived benefits: a tale of two soaps
Negativity in copywriting
I’m sometimes asked whether all negativity should be avoided in copywriting, particularly advertisements. I’m not talking about ‘knocking’ ads, where a negative aspect of a competitive product or service is highlighted. Depending on the circumstances, this can either be a …
What advertising people do when they no longer do advertising
Is there life after advertising? Many people fall into this business by accident, after chequered careers in dead-end and/or unsuitable jobs, or because nothing else really appealed after leaving school/university. (I was in the latter category – I had and still …
Advertising lookalikes, plagiarism and rip-offs – there’s nothing new under the sun
Here’s an interesting site (though for a professional copywriter a slightly depressing one). – Joe La Pompe It shows great advertising ideas that have then been reproduced a few years later (or sometimes just a few months down the line) for …
Clever advertising – or brilliant strategy?
A last word on this cleverness business. One way to get really, really clever (and effective) with your advertising is to be clever with your strategy. In the days when not many people had cars, Michelin had a problem. Not …
Should copywriting be clever?
Someone once entered this question as a search string and ended up at my site. They wouldn’t have found a direct answer there at the time, so I thought I’d give you my take on it now. My response is …
David Abbott – an advertising great
One of the great names of modern advertising, David Abbott, has just died. He was responsible for the iconic Economist posters. Like the one which simply stated: “I never read The Economist” Management Trainee. Aged 42. He wrote …
How to market your business – and how not to
Say aaaggghhhhh! I mean, would you visit this dentist? I took this pic near Kings Cross in London. I may be a copywriter, but sometimes words just aren’t enough. If you want business success, get your image and product …
