// Copywriting for noobs.//

When it comes to understanding Copywriting, most people have only cracked the tip of the iceberg. They know it plays a pivotal role in screenplay and in advertising. Delve a little deeper, and you’ll understand that it’s what dictates the tone of what we read and hear, how messages are projected, and what emotions people are left with. Once you’ve grasped what it is, you’ll be ready to understand how it’s written. Here are 10 tips, tidbits, and golden rules to live by when understanding how great copy is written:

1) Be able to describe your idea in one sentence. Think of this as the shortened “elevator pitch”, as if that wasn’t short enough already.

2) Give your ideas/problems the overnight test. Meaning, leave them alone come back to them the next day. Your brain and your boss will appreciate it.

3) Always write down your ideas. Even if you know it sucks or that you won’t do anything with it. It serves as one of the best mental exercises you can do. 

4) Don’t reveal, imply. Nobody likes it when the cookie is given up without a fight. Tease your audience. Leave them wanting more.

5) In executing ideas, start literal, finish lateral. Come up with something obvious. Put a twist on it. Make it original. This is how the best copy is succeeds.

6) Think of how you can flip things. Make them so obvious that they’re simultaneously brilliant and funny.

7) Never directly say your product is the best, unless you enjoy bad copy and pissing people off.

8) Bad puns are considered to be the lowest form of advertising. They are dissolute, like bad “yo mama” jokes and Metta WorldPeace.

9) There are up to six elements in a print ad: headline, sub-headline, visual(s), body copy, tagline, and logo. Not all are required for the ad to be complete. This is known as Reductionism.

10) Try to build your ad around the USP (unique selling proposition). If you can’t find one, it doesn’t mean your product sucks – it means you do. Kidding. It means your not looking in the right places or using the steps highlighted above.

So, there you have it. 10 ways to ensure that the copy you write won’t end up being something people want to rip their heads off over. If there’s any impression you should be left with after having read this, it’s not that these tips are strictly for copywriting — it’s that they’re for creating and executing ideas. Think of them the next time you’re asked to create something. 

Many of the tips highlighted are found in The Advertising Concept Book: Think Now, Design Later, by Pete Berry. If you’re thirsty to learn more, I’d highly recommend reading it.

// Advertising Reading List. //

The advertising industry is one of those that always has something to say — whether it be on what it does, how it does it, or who is doing it. Since there is so much content being put out by so many people around the world, it may be hard to keep up with. Luckily for us, there are books that we can refer to if we want to keep ourselves engaged in this wonderful industry. Here is a compilation of books that are worth checking out if you’re interested in learning, joining, or already in advertising

The Advertising Concept Book: Think Now, Design Later. By Pete Barry. 
Idea Industry: How to Crack the Advertising Career Code. By Brett Robbs & Deborah Morrison.
The Idea Writers: Copywriting in a New Media and Marketing Era. By Teressa Iezzi.
Hey Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great Advertising. By Luke Sullivan.
The Creative Process Illustrated: How Advertising’s Big Ideas are Born. By Glenn Griffin & Deborah Morrison.
D&AD: The Copy Book. By D&AD.
Hegarty on Advertising. By John Hegarty.
Breaking In: Over 100 Advertising Insiders Reveal How to Build a Portfolio That Will Get You Hired. By William Burks Spencer. 

All of the listed books can be found on Amazon for reasonable prices. Give them a chance and leave feedback if you have read them or have any other recommendations! 

// Pin-pointing success: Pinterest//

The following excerpt is taken from an independent study project. The question asks is Pinterest replaces a curent communication method. Let’s take a gander:

Pinterest is entirely unique in its approach to social media. It allows for the ease of connectivity and content sharing that is found on Facebook and Twitter, while providing an openness and space for self expression that is found on blogging sites such as Tumblr and Wordpress. On top of this, and more importantly, Pinterest’s operates through imagery, similar in concept to Instagram but entirely different in execution. In this sense, Pinterest sounds like the ultimate social tool, does it not? By combining abilities and functions that have already proven successful into a unique, user-friendly platform, Pinterest has taken the “art” of sharing and connecting into a new realm of connectivity and creativity. It’s no wonder why it is the fastest site to ever reach 10 million unique visitors. 

// Marketing [Success] 101 | Pt.3//

Twitter, like Facebook, is another major media platform that allows for a sense of success. This can be determined by how much people are talking about you (mentions) and communication (responses), whether that be for feedback or to address a consumer complaint/question.

A social media campaign is much like any other campaign — they must be aware of how they align their brand and who you’re aligning it with (image and target audience). The marketing formula doesn’t change that much. More so, what changes is how direct the communication is between the two ends.

“Getting them in the door is just the first step, though. Convincing them to stick around is harder. Getting them to engage and share is even harder.” Think of this as the levels off success behind a brands social media presence. You want them to like you, continue liking you (or, better put, avoid un-liking you), communicate with you, and spread your content to their peers. This should, in theory and if you’re doing it right, become a cycle that puts a brand on top.

The golden question to ask when it comes to social media is, “How much awareness is my campaign building?”

Source.

// Google+ Infographic. //

// Marketing [Success] 101 | Pt.2//

Facebook is a medium that is used to tell people about your brand. Not necessarily sell them on it. That’s where your ads come into play. This touches on the above process (AIDA). Affective awareness towards the right audience should result in action. Or, at least, a more likely one.

“When you earn yourself a Facebook Like, you’ve successfully opened up a line of communication with a potential customer and his or her friends. What you communicate after that is where we should look for real lasting success.” GOLD! It’s about establishing that relationship and not letting it go to waste. Afterall, the impression you leave a consumer develops an attitude in his or her mind. This is the attitude they’ll carry over to their friends when they tell them about your brand/product.

Social selling, or F-Commerce, which is a push for a bigger, maybe less familiar audience, is a more traditional CRM approach that strive for a large following.

Facebook is not a “campaign platform”. It’s a platform for ongoing conversation. It’s your attempt at inviting the public to become comfortable with your brand, and maybe even engage in ways they’ve never experienced. Remember that the most important thing to focus on is the impression that they’ll be left with. If everyone is chewing your brand/product out on a Facebook page, that’s probably a (bad) sign for how the greater public feels about you. Be aware of the attention that’s being drawn to your page.

“Success is defined by objectives.”

“Influence + mentions = second degree followers.”

How many times your link (or related links) is shared/spread is a great way to measure success. It’s contributes greatly to the awareness, engagement and traffic. Think of it as a popularity contest. Who’s talking about you? What are they saying when they do? Word of mouth spreads fast. This is equally true for sharing content online.

Source

// Marketing [Success] 101 | Pt.1//

“The goal of every marketing effort is to affect a specific outcome, such as a sale or a change in behavior.”

Thus, the end goal of marketing is to get the consumer to react.

Awareness -> Interest -> Desire -> Action. See? Marketing isn’t such a complex puzzle after all. This process is key in understanding and measuring the success of the marketing tactics. It’s like a domino effect. One must be aware enough to take interest. One most be interested enough to desire. Lastly, one must desire enough to take action. Unless you’re an entirely impulsive shopper who has never been exposed to an ad before, these are generally the steps you (sub)consciously go through when making a decision to buy something.

Measurements are found through:
-       Phone calls
-       Response cards
-       In-store traffic generated
-       Website hits
-       Emails
-       Online conversion forms
-       Primary research
-       Google Analytics
-       Google Adwords
-       Microsoft AdCenter + Campaign Analytics

Source

// Internship | Opus Creative | Day 1 Takeaways //

Agency life is freer flowing than it is structured. Not necessarily a bad thing. It’s something I find I prefer. You receive your tasks and carry them out as you wish. That doesn’t mean do whatever you want and blow shit out of your ass for a whole day. What it is does mean is that there is a heightened sense of responsibility, organization, and commitment to your work.

This is equally true for my internship. It is an idea + task that Scott Klemp assigned me. But that’s about it from there. The rest is on me to decide. I have to give it direction. I’m the one that has to make the most out of it. I’m the one that ultimately decides what it’s going to include and how it’s going to look. Incubation will soon become development, and development proud work. 

This is day one. Let’s see where day two takes me.