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 it. Both then and now, if you’re wanting to get into a good ad agency, … Want to be a successful freelance copywriter? Keep your work.
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
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 good or a counter-productive approach. No, in most cases, the person is referring to the … Negativity in copywriting
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 have a good friend in the business, saw what he was doing, and thought that was something … What advertising people do when they no longer do advertising
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 another client by another agency. Now, no advertising copywriter or art director worth their salt … Advertising lookalikes, plagiarism and rip-offs – there’s nothing new under the sun
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 enough people were buying their tyres. So did they run ads extolling the virtues of … Clever advertising – or brilliant strategy?
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 no, not really. Not at the expense of far more important attributes. It’s much more … Should copywriting be clever?
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 great ads for, among many others, Volvo, Sainsbury’s and the RSPCA. He was also the … David Abbott – an advertising great
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 or service right first, and only then advertise it. If you’re looking for a freelance copywriter, whether … How to market your business – and how not to
I was watching The Outlaw Josey Wales, one of the great westerns, for the umpteenth time the other day. One of the minor characters was a huckster going round from town to town selling his miracle elixir which he claimed did everything from cure any ailment to clean your clothes. Snake oil salesmen they called them. It … Honesty in advertising – why we’ve come a long way since the Outlaw Josey Wales
How my copywriting has made a big difference to results and profitability
