Whither (or should that be wither) copywriting?
December 12 2012, 1:54 pm | | 2 Comments
Writing for UK’s The Guardian, RG/A London associate creative director, Sanam Petri, fears the craft of copywriting – writing copy – is being lost.
She says “…because today’s advertising world is largely driven by accolades and awards, many communication schools are churning out kids who think like creative directors, not kids who just love to write. Students are coming into the agency with their sights trained on one thing: being the one to come up with the one game-changing idea that puts them on the map.”
(Our thanks to Rare’s Steve Brown – Copywriter – for the link).
2 Comments
Learning to be a decent writer starts when you’re around 6, creating your own chapter of Harry Potter/Enid Blyton/Stephen King and seeing where imagination and a love of language can take you. It shouldn’t start in an agency at 23, shitscared to show your incoherent misspelt ramblings to the CD thus confirming his misgivings at hiring you. Lord help the industry.
I’m not a copywriter or a creative director. I think there is nothing wrong with setting your sights on being a game changer, so long as it sells the product. Never forget, advertising is about shifting units, that’s it. I don’t think you have to love the art of writing to be a copywriter, I think you just need to know what sells. Obviously I didn’t see the work her students produced, but if a simple cliche call to action sells a product why shouldn’t it be in the copy? Now if the concepts they where coming up with where boring, then that would be something to be worried about. After all isn’t the idea the most important part of advertising? If you love writing, then pursue a career in screen writing or aim to get your novel published (whilst working in the bar as your day job). Advertising is about selling, too many people forget that.