Advertising Copywriter Re-launches ‘Creative Concepts’

When I set up Buzzwords in the 1980s, creative concepts were at the forefront of every advertising and marketing campaign in which I was involved.  Now, with the dominance of online communication, the opportunities to put ‘creative concepts’ into practice have all but disappeared.

What I mean here is visually-related marketing ideas – linking a persuasive and benefit-led headline with a relevant and eye-catching visual.  By overlooking this potentially huge aspect of commercial creativity, online communication has lost something along the way.

The comeback of creative concepts is long overdue I say.  There’s already been a resurgence in transforming web pages into something more persuasive than mere information vehicles for SEO purposes.

What we’re seeing is a return to a direct response ‘sales letter’ copywriting approach.  With Google’s out and out drive for quality content, surely it’s inevitable that real creativity will return to the mix?

What we have at the moment is an undue emphasis on words for their own sake.  Having the right words in the right place are fine from an SEO viewpoint.  Whether this will thrill or persuade the end user to take action is another issue.

The satisfying (and therefore persuasive) harmony that a well-crafted concept creates in the mind of the reader is the ultimate ‘quality’ experience that Google hitherto has failed to articulate.

Keywords are currently king because they are the most easily measured element on a page for SEO purposes (the other main measurable element of course is the number and quality of inbound links that a web page and website has).

Measuring the effectiveness of a web page’s creativity and how ‘useful’ this is in satisfying a searcher’s need for information is probably not relevant.  However, if the notion of ‘quality’ is ever going to move forward, there will have to be some means of measuring the link between quality and creativity.

This could take the form of people ‘voting for’ or ‘re-Googling’ a page in such a way that it contributes towards the quality score within the total search engine algorithm.  There’s little doubt that ‘creative quality’ would make a page more ‘sticky’ and it would very likely reduce ‘bounce’ rates.

These factors are already part of Google’s criteria for ranking pages.  What is needed is a new way of assessing what is an exciting dimension in asserting a web page’s ‘value’.

As far as is practicable, I will certainly be advocating the creative concept approach for all Buzzwords’ clients.  The potential and significance of this simple yet powerful idea should not be overlooked.

It made the name of advertising in the 1980s as a quasi-cultural art form that paid huge commercial dividends.  This could easily be repeated profitably today.

Is Advertising Still the Great Persuader?

Back in the 70s, the advertising of Saatchi & Saatchi and a dozen other London advertising agencies ruled the marketing roost.

It was the age when ITV was the only commercial channel.  Ads shown in the prime-time Coronation Street slot, for instance, would be seen by millions.  Back then, TV advertising was powerful – and ad agencies were sexy.

Today, there are dozens of TV channels (and many more commercial radio stations).  Advertising budgets are spread much more thinly so the ads themselves rarely become part of the national consciousness in the way they once did.

With no Internet, newspapers had far higher circulations, so press advertising was much more influential.  They were the perfect medium for ‘direct response’ off-the-page mail order ads – and ‘corporate advertising’ was always a good way for a big company to reinforce its brand advertising activities on TV.

This was the golden era of mass persuasion.  Nowadays, marketing has taken on a far different persona.  Now, it’s more a case of ‘mass collusion’.  Audiences can no longer be targeted as passive recipients of mass marketing messages.  ‘Persuasion’ was hardly necessary back then.  Mass hysteria and/or hype ensured that stock would shift and bums would be placed on seats.

Persuasion is now a tad more difficult – and that’s not entirely due to economic recession.  Audiences are fragmented.  The Internet – and social media in particular – has empowered individuals and consumer groups.

Big companies nowadays are no longer the Great Persuaders.  They have to watch their step.  They know that one false move could bring a brand to its knees.  Reputation is everything.  Customer service and value is being carefully observed by the eyes of every mouse in every house that has a computer.

Back in the day, advertising was a powerful  force.  In some ways, it was an art form.  Interestingly, the art of persuasion is now in the hands of patrons whose powers of persuasion are rooted in an entirely different marketing culture.

Top Ten Advertising Slogans of all time

The power of slogans is often overlooked when we think of advertising, it is only when we compile a list of famous slogans (like below) that we realise how impactful a great slogan can be.

Slogans can conjure up images of in our minds, influence us and even impact upon our every day language! So what makes a great slogan? Is it humour? Is the logo important? Should we keep it simple? Here is a list of what we think are the greatest slogans of all time! Feel free to share your top 10!

10. “Every little helps” – Tesco

Britain’s number one retailer came up with this genius slogan, it’s obviously been effective, Tesco is now the third-largest retailer in the world.

9. “The best a man can get” – Gillette

This famous line belongs to Gillette. Back in 2010 Gillette was obviously the not the best Tiger Woods could get, when they dropped his 20 million pound “best a man can get” endorsement.

8. “If Carlsberg did…” – Carlsberg

Carlsberg series of “If Carlsberg did…” adverts have become almost iconic, combining humour and laddish banter, to form a slogan worthy of a place in the top 10.

7. “It does exactly what it says on the tin” – Ronseal

“It does exactly what it says on the tin” was originally an advertising slogan used by Ronseal back in 1994, which has become a common idiomatic phrase in the British vocabulary to this day!

6. “It’s the real thing” – Coke

Need I explain, but this is obviously one of the most iconic slogans ever written. Coke came up with this slogan to fend off fierce rivals Pepsi.

5. “Keep calm and carry on” – British Government

“Keep Calm and Carry On” was a propaganda poster produced by the British government in 1939 at the beginning of the Second World War, intended to raise the morale of the British public in the event of invasion. Seeing only limited distribution, it was little known. The poster was rediscovered in 2000 and has been re-issued by a number of private companies, and used as the decorative theme for a range of other products.

4. “Make Love not war” – Gershon Legman

“Make love not war” is an anti-war slogan commonly associated with the American counterculture of the 1960s. It was used primarily by those who were opposed to the Vietnam War, but has been invoked in other anti-war contexts since. Gershon Legman claims to have discovered this famous slogan.

3. “Have a break have a Kit Kat” – Kit Kat

Since 1957, the slogan for the Kit Kat has been “Have a break… have a Kit Kat”.

2. “You either love it or hate it” – Marmite

My personal favourite, this slogan is almost bigger than the actual product now. Marmite realised there was a polarised opinion regarding their product, so in the 1990s came up with the love hate concept and still stand by this today, genius.

1. “Just do it” – Nike

Iconic, legendary, genius – these words cannot hope to sum up this slogan. According to Nike company lore, one of the most famous and easily recognised slogans in advertising history was coined at a 1988 meeting of Nike’s ad agency Wieden and Kennedy and a group of Nike employees. Dan Weiden, speaking admiringly of Nike’s can-do attitude, reportedly said, “You Nike guys, you just do it.” The rest, as they say, is (advertising) history.

Buzzwords’ Copywriting Rates – 50% Off Until April 2012!

For all those people out there who think they can’t afford a top copywriter – here is a great opportunity!  Until April 2012, Buzzwords is offering all new clients an amazing discount of up to 50 per cent on typical copywriting rates.

For as little as £250 per day, companies of all types and sizes – including advertising, design, PR or digital agencies – can avail of the copywriting services of Mike Beeson.  That means you can finally get that website written, you can dip your toe into the waters of SEO copywriting, or maybe have those ads, brochures or case studies written to a standard you never thought was within your reach!

Of course, I exaggerate slightly – but, hey, isn’t that what copywriting is all about?!  To find out more, contact Mike Beeson today on 01565 654023 – or visit Buzzwords’ website at buzzwords.ltd.uk.

Advertising Copywriting: Do Drugs Enhance the Creative Process?

I’ve been following a LinkedIn forum about whether drugs help give better results with advertising copywriting projects where ‘creativity’ is an important element.

The word ‘drugs’ was used loosely to include everything from heroin to alcohol, marijuana to coffee!  Amazingly, the discussion became totally bogged down in deciding whether coffee is a drug or not!

Because it alters one’s mental state, it could certainly be called a ‘drug’.  From a copywriting point of view, it’s a drug that can be used (or abused) without it totally impairing the creative process.

Of course, the question was whether drugs actually ENHANCE the creative process.  It’s arguable whether stimulating the central nervous system in the way coffee does is in any way beneficial. 

Conversely, the intense highs of heroin or LSD are virtually incapacitating from a creativity standpoint.  Alcohol in small doses leaves the user  in control but, as many people would testify, what we think is earth-shattering creativity – even under the mildest influence – usually turns out to be mediocre or pretentious stuff in the cold light of day! 

There’s no doubting that ‘drugs’ are useful in taking us away from the mind-numbing routines of everyday life.  So when it comes to wanting to look at life from a unique perspective, it’s hardly surprising that so-called creative types seek out the mental excitement of drugs.

That said, to be creative in a field such as advertising requires preparation, practice and discipline.  If this is occasionally overlaid with the mental changes experienced through alcohol, illicit drugs - or even coffee! – then at least the insights involved with adding another dimension to a creative solution are thoroughly grounded.

There are many people who would disagree with this.  Why upset the natural sharpness and clarity of the mind by introducing foreign substances, they would ask.

It’s all about personal preferences.  It’s also about vulnerability in the face of temptation, and whether one believes that indulging in ‘drugs’ of any type is worth the inevitable hangover. Creativity may get a shot in the arm, but at what long-term price?

Freelance Copywriting – How to Get Ahead (Part 5)

The 21st century route into copywriting requires little in the way of qualifications, or even – dare it be said – very much in the way of writing ability.

The negative result of this ease of entry into what once a respected profession has seen an explosion of self-styled copywriters who arrived as if out of nowhere to meet an insatiable need for online content.

As we all know, ‘content’ is basically basic information that’s arranged logically – web pages, articles, that sort of thing. The more traditional skills of copywriting such as advertising, direct response and sales letter writing demanded a persuasive writing technique.

In the case of advertising – and to a lesser extent with other collateral like brochures and mailers – it also placed an onus upon the copywriter to dream up relevant and creative visual concepts that allowed art directors to have a field day.

Online copywriting is predominantly a low-skill form of writing that can be handled relatively easily without too much writing talent, business experience or ad agency work-outs on creative concepts.

An exception to this is search engine optimisation (SEO) copywriting which has added a new level of expectation of a copywriter’s ability to write succinct, attractive copy that also scores with the search engines.

SEO copywriting aside, it’s good that clear, simple writing is still seen as important (it was ever thus!). In a society where the profusion of marketing messages is daunting, the new emphasis on laid-back clarity is encouraging – a factor given additional momentum by the power of social media.

So how easy is it to survive in a sea of ‘information writers’? Is this type of copywriting that much different to what’s gone before – and does it matter what labels are applied? If we’re all speaking and reading David Ogilvy’s lingua franca, surely everyone – including businesses – should be happy!

Freelance Copywriting – How to Get Ahead (Part 4)

Marketing training is but one route into a copywriting career. The fact that it took me into an ad agency world was useful and relevant in the 1980s when freelance copywriters were a rare breed.

For reasons I’ve never fully understood, graduates in English featured frequently among my competitors in those days (and probably still do!). As the great David Ogilvy pointed out, however – and he was no intellectual slouch – a copywriter has to use the language of the people. To which I would add: ‘With a business slant if you want to keep your client’s smiling’.

A university education is of course priceless as a preparation for any walk of life, so I’m not decrying a degree in English as a route into any business-oriented career. On the other hand, so many of the ad agency people I’ve met over the years have had very little in the way of tertiary education – but it never held them back in what must be one of the most egalitarian occupations around!

(To be continued… )

Freelance Copywriting – How to Get Ahead (Part 3)

In some ways, it was inevitable that the happy coincidence of formal marketing training and the zappy world of advertising created a personal ‘big bang’ that ultimately led to a career in copywriting.

In the beginning, my conception of marketing was all about why people ‘consumed’, research, psychology, accountancy, case studies and guru-worship.  Academics love gurus, thought leaders, didactic types who’ve immersed themselves in their subject to create that ineffable ‘crustiness’ you can sniff at twenty paces.

In subjects like marketing, this is offset by regular contact with ‘industry’ and the academic’s own consultancy clients.  The fact remains, however, that – almost by definition – they lack a certain ‘worldliness’ that can only come with the school of hard knocks, the ‘university of life’ and all those other chip-on-the-shoulder epithets that practical types love to lean on.

Nevertheless, ‘marketing’ proved to be a good introduction to at least some of the business insights needed to become an effective copywriter.  As an academic subject – and certainly in the day-to-day practise of copywriting – marketing doesn’t become involved with pricing and risk-taking.

This may come later, of course, in the tentative world of ‘brand management’ – which in turn precedes the commercial realities of profit and loss.  That’s not an apology for the shortcomings of the copywriting function – more a celebration of its freedom from the iron grip of economic reality.  In a unique way, copywriting exists in its own commercial warp, in the sunlit uplands of delusion, dreams – and dreaded deadlines!

Copywriting Rates – Get Real, or Get Out?

This post about Copywriting Rates follows on from my recent introduction to a perennially popular theme. It doesn’t drill down into the way other copywriters see Copywriting Rates (that’s for later!). What it does is take a general, ‘soap-box’ view of what is a big subject, in copywriting terms at least!

So where to begin? Let’s start with plain old-fashioned market forces. Copywriters want to maximise their earnings without pricing themselves out of the market; clients want professional copywriting work that doesn’t break the bank. Somewhere in between, there’s a match made in heaven for everyone involved.

There’s no doubt that the Internet has muddied the waters. On the one hand there’s a vastly increased demand for commercial words. On the other, it’s opened up the floodgates to an army of so-called copywriters who primarily provide ‘content’ at ridiculously low rates.

The ease of entry to copywriting as a market where the inexperienced (and often untalented) can earn a crust has devalued – nay commoditised – what was once regarded as a skilful, creative occupation.

Fortunately, creativity and quality copywriting are still needed by big companies, ad agencies and those clients who appreciate the value of sparkling, persuasive words and ideas. Even better, they are willing to pay realistic rates for a copywriting job well done.

This is looking at copywriting rates from the client end of the telescope. For weaker copywriters in the market place, there are still plenty of opportunities to be gainfully employed, especially if the rates offered are along the lines of $10 for a 500-word article (and this, apparently, is the going rate on some of the ‘Dutch auction’ bidding sites out there).

Whilst offering rock-bottom rates may bring in work, it has the unfortunate knock-on effect of devaluing the copywriting profession for those who are serious about perfecting the craft and providing clients with a professional, cost-effective range of services.

The provision of mass, optimised online content has its place in a fast-moving world that consumes words and advertising messages in the blink of an eye. It’s important to be realistic and accept that the world has changed. Being ‘precious’ about creativity flies in the face of what copywriting is all about, namely: providing a hard-hitting commercial service that helps clients sell or persuade.

What needs to change is either the description of differing types of copywriting which obviously involve enormously different skillsets - or (and this is more difficult) there needs to be a shift in perception among clients that copywriting is a ‘catch-all’ service where, for example, dozens of optimised e-commerce descriptions are seen in the same light as writing persuasive sales letters, web pages or ad copy.

There’s no mileage in denigrating the role of content writers, however. They provide a valuable service. The danger of course is where the term ‘copywriting’ overlaps to include skills of a totally different nature and, arguably, of greater commercial worth. The downward pressure on copywriting rates has prompted many old-school copywriters to question whether freelance copywriting is still a viable occupation.

The sequel to this looks at what other copywriters’ views are on Copywriting Rates in general. Visit: Copywriting Rates – What Copywriters Say

For tips on setting and negotiating Copywriting Rates, see: Copywriting Rates – Sell the Sizzle, Reap the Rewards!

I was a financial copywriter. I still am a financial copywriter!

When it comes to adding relevant content to Buzzwords’ website to support my claims to being a financial copywriter (among many other things!!!), it doesn’t help that a large body of my work has disappeared.

This is because freelance work I did as a financial copywriter in the late 1980s onwards for companies such as Girobank and Royal Insurance – not to mention the Manchester Evening News – were all written before I recorded my work on a PC.  In other words, the only surviving record I have of some really good stuff is in either typescript form (and a bit mouldy round the edges after all that time in a cardboard box!) or – in a few cases – as printed ‘proofs’! 

(buzzwords.ltd.uk/financial_copywriter.htm)

This is true of other aspects of copywriting work done over a long period.  My computerised files ‘only’ go back to 1996 which effectively means that over ten years of my work has been consigned to oblivion.  Admittedly, much of what was written then would seem hopelessly out of date now, but there are some aspects of copywriting such as advertising and direct mail which don’t date as much.

As this type of work made up a big slice of what I was doing in those days, it’s a shame it’s all gone to waste.  Just think of  all those SEO links!  Buzzwords would be top banana in so many Google searches, based on ancient texts!

These are merely observations and I do have 15 years of more recent work to use as examples on Buzzwords’ website!  Yes, I am still a financial copywriter - as well as being a copywriter in areas I never would have dreamt of  in those early days!

Radio Copywriting page now on Buzzwords’ website

There’s a new Radio Copywriting page on Buzzwords’ website.  I’ve taken a novel approach by using a radio script for some of the page content. 

Radio advertising is an oft-maligned medium, but the proliferation of stations makes it an interesting avenue for a freelance copywriter, especially when a complete production and media package can be created alongside the copywriting input.   

It’s always good to see a script brought to life and – unlike TV – radio is the only broadcast medium where a copywriter still has a measurable creative contribution to make.

Former copywriting client Royal Doulton goes bust

Sad to see one of Buzzwords’ major copywriting clients from the 1990s – Royal Doulton – go into administration today.  Its mainstay was the USA market, and I guess the exchange rate difference with the Euro didn’t help. 

The fact is, events in the financial markets over the last three months have damaged many companies.  Companies which were already weak – and Royal Doulton was one of them – never stood a chance.

It’s all a huge pity because the company’s products were of the highest quality – and the promotional products were marketed with great aplomb.  The social ‘collateral’ (ie. the fallout) of all this is, of course, the highly-skilled workforce (1,900 lost jobs in the UK, plus another 5,8000 jobs overseas). 

There’s a faint hope that a buyer may be found.  In the current economic climate, however, who’d be bold enough to take on a company whose product portfolio belongs to another, more genteel, age?

An SEO copywriter’s dream – Buzzwords’ new CMS website…

As an SEO copywriter, I’m having a morning of barely contained orgasms as I look at my new content managed (CMS) website!!! (see: buzzwords.ltd.uk)

 I was always sceptical about CMS from a search engine optimization (SEO copywriting) point of view until I noticed that a fellow copywriter was ranking very well with the search engines thank you very much. 

What I like about the new CMS site is being able to add new content as and when I want to.  No longer do I have to go to my website coding man and wait an age for him to upload my new content – and then send me a bill!

Now, I’m free to add new pages, photos and files of almost any description as and when I choose.  It’s an SEO copywriter’s dream!

Freelance copywriting and the client perspective

The dynamics of client relationships have always fascinated me.  Apart from the usual inter-personal and ‘personal chemistry’ aspects (which are part of life in general outside the business world!), for freelance copywriters – and anyone else who provides business services – this is overlaid with another all-important perspective.

The simplest way of putting it is to say that the work of clients involves many aspects of a single business.  For a copywriter (etc), their work is about a single aspect (providing copywriting/PR/etc) of many businesses. 

We then have a situation  where client and copywriter are calling up questions which basically focus on ‘respect’.  How many times have you heard the question (inferred or actual): ‘Does this guy really understand my business?’

And from the copywriting/supplier side, we hear: ‘These people don’t understand what’s involved in (preparing a brief/valuing my services/working out a sensible fee/etc)’. 

The best grounding for the best relationships is for both client and copywriter to have experience of working on the other side of the fence – although the likelihood of this happening isn’t great.  Some clients have worked in ad agencies or the marketing departments of other companies.  Likewise, some copywriters have worked in ‘proper’ jobs too!

Given that this blend of experience on either side is a rarity, it’s all down to understanding (and respecting) the scope of the other person’s skills and job demands.

It just so happens that before becoming a copywriter, I worked in several other fields outside of advertising and journalism.  Add to this a background in academic marketing and you have the ingredients for potentially harmonious client relationships. 

Clients who’ve always worked ‘client side’ will inevitably be sceptical about the business know-how of ad agency types who’ve never been exposed to market pricing, workforce issues or working within a departmental budget – to name just three elephant traps!

I raise these points because I feel there’s no magic wand that can solve client-copywriter-agency relationships.  It’s more a case of thinking out loud and counting to ten before criticising the other side.

Trying to understand the differing demands that exist on both sides of the fence is a good starting point.  The intellectual demands are probably similar in extent in that both clients and agency people have to juggle with numerous challenges – and, dare I say it, clients often need to bring as much problem-solving ‘creativity’ to the table as the self-designated creatives in the agency world.

If anything, any lack of understanding probably rests with creatives.  Clients have the the multiple demands of focusing not simply on marketing issues, but also on how they fit in with every other department in a company.  This calls for skills which go way beyond the inter-personal.

Offline copywriting- it never went away!

Copywriters like Michel Fortin are predicting the comeback of offline marketing in 2008 but, in reality, it never went away. Of course, there was a time not so long ago when I was writing press ads like there was no tomorrow.  All that time spent on ‘creative concepts’ now seems like a lost world.

Display ads are still with us, as are in-your-face news releases in the trade press and crude mailshots by banks trying to persuade us to do all things financial.  So offline never went away.  It just kind of got lost in the online maelstrom. 

Economic conditions notwithstanding, it now seems like there are opportunities to make a killing with astute offline marketing.  You could say a gap exists in the market.  I would say it’s more a question of carefully combining online with offline. 

Markets and media have fragmented that’s for sure.  Whichever way you cut it, this is a permanent feature in a new marketing landscape which should be seen as an opportunity to which we can all easily adapt.  Online marketing merely adds to the options available.  We overlook ‘offline’ at our peril.

Freelance Copywriting Offline – Buzzwords’ Skills

Offline copywriting skills are alive and well at Buzzwords!  There are two ways of looking at your needs for this type of copywriting: by specific skill or by business sector.  In this blog posting, we’ll look at ‘skills’:

SPECIFIC SKILLS

I’m sometimes surprised just how many offline skill-sets I have floating around in my head.  Maybe I should call them ‘skull-sets’?  And when it’s said that ’yesterday is another country’, I’m beginning to think that ‘copywriting yesterdays’ are more like another planet.

Brochures – These are still going strong, and probably always will be.  Most popular right now: ‘corporate’ brochures with a wallet at the back for half-a-dozen leaflets or data sheets.

Advertising – Used to be a mainstay – but no longer so.  The marketing dollars have moved on.  Most of them online – or into PR.

PR – News release writing  is a specific strength of Buzzwords.  Crafting a good release is quite an art.  Try me and see! (Mike Beeson MCIPR – Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.)

Newsletters – Harking back to my five years as a freelance writer with the Manchester Evening News, newsletters are an interesting exercise in news gathering, organisation and journalistic licence.

Sales Letters – I love writing sales letters.  Not the American ‘killer copy’ types.  Nor even the four-page Readers Digest model. I CAN actually write long sales letters, but my approach tends to be to make the letter as long (or short) as it needs to be – and cut the crap and convention that strangles a letter with underlinings, red ink, capitals and PSs (pee-esses!).

Catalogues – Having worked for all the UK’s largest catalogue companies (Grattan, Empire, GUS etc), I know about volume writing, at speed and with a certain economy of words.  If you need a hired hand (or three) for mega catalogue projects, call me, Mike Beeson, on 01565 654023.