NATURE OF ADVERTISING WRITING

Rules: Law: Objectives: Structure

Advertising writing is not a haphazard affair. It is crammed full of rules, laws, commandments, concepts, precepts, principles and savage opinions. It is all in a bid to be more organized as it is unthinkable that organized society could achieve any significance without media attention.

Therefore rules mean better advertising writing which in other words COPYWRITING.

Advertising writing begins with defining the objectives of the campaign, of the marketing programme and of the specific as. These objectives will be unique to you and your firm, to each campaign and to each ad. This process is a function of not only training, but skill, intelligence, imagination and a sound knowledge of English since it is the medium of communication widely used in Nigeria.

In advertising, advertising writing changes depending on the medium you are using. The long copy or short one depends largely on what space or time you have to deliver the message without losing the consumer.

The nature of advertising writing exists on several levels:

- The best advertising presents information to the reader or viewer in a form that will persuade them to act, to change their opinions or to maintain the opinions they already have. Therefore the best advertising persuades as well as informs.

- Some people (Manufacturers, Organisations etc) will pay other people (Advertising Copywriters) to write advertising. The want to see a return on investment. If the advertising does not work, the people who pay for it will not continue to do so. Clients don not pay for creativity; they pay for results.

- Advertising writing appeals to people in different ways. Key variables that influence such acceptance or non-acceptance are needs, demographic characteristics, products characteristics and benefits the advertising situation which present themselves in the way the advertising is written.

- Advertising writing is promotional using words and ideas to promote a person, business, opinion or idea. It differs from content writing which is just to build up information for an idea e.g Wikipedia on the internet.

- Those who are involved in advertising writing are called copywriters and advertising writing is called Copy. Worldwide a host of copywriters who founded major multilateral agencies abound. They have been inducted into the advertising hall of fame, have been recognized as having had considerable influence in the copywriting world. They are:1. Dan Abbot, founder of Abbot Mead Vickers BBDO.2. William Berabach, founder of DDB Worldwide.3. Drayon Bird, founder of Leo Burnett Worldwide4. Fairfax M.Cone, founder of Foote Cone & Belding (FCB)5. Bernice Fitz-Gibbon, 1982 Advertising Hall of Fame Inductee.6. Jo Fox, Key writer at McCann Erikson.7. David Ogilvy, founder of Ogilvy & Mather.8. Steve Slaunwhite, influential copywriting teacher and author.

- In Nigeria, many copywriters and conceptualisers have founded agencies or excelled as key concept persons in the agencies. The list includes:1. Bola Thomas, former ED, LTC.2. Julia Oku, former ED, SO and U Satchi & Satchi.3. Nkoli Ogbolu, former Creative Director, Rosabel Leo Burnett, currently MD & Founder, Stagecraft

Promotions

4. Yemi Lofindipe, Creative Director, Brand Believers.5. Akin Adesola, Creative Directive, Lowe Lintas6. Ekero Ajiamah, former Associate Director, Lowe Lintas.7. Tayo Suleiman, former Deputy Creative Director, Rosabel Leo Burnett.8. Ted Mukoro, former Creative Director, Lowe Lintas .

The nature of advertising writing includes:

Headline: Summarises the ad. Sub-head: Buttresses the headline. Body copy: Explains the headline. Illustration: Graphic description. Pay-off line: Wrap-up line.

- The nature of advertising writing must conform to a copy or creative strategy which is a guide of the thought processes that give rise to the ad.

COPYWRITING PRINCIPLES1. Developing a copy strategy is the first step. This is a guide that helps the copywriter to propel the ad in

the right direction.2. Use attention grabbing headlines

This encapsulates all you are trying to sell with your ad.3. Keep body copy to the point

If your headline and illustration has attracted the reader, he/she may decide to look at the small print- the ad copy. This is where you explain the headline, confirm the facts, and add extra selling points. Include the minor details; company name, address, telephone number. If you are selling packaged goods include pack shot.

4. Expand headline with lead paragraph Follow your headline immediately with a first paragraph, if you propose a thought explain it. Don.t leave them hanging too long otherwise you may end up hanging yourself.

5. Draw the Reader In

Avoid page and advertising layouts that are confusing to read, keep copy simple, clear and concise. Be straight and sincere with them.

Do not fall into the trap of ADVERTISINGESE which is trying too hard to be creative and not communicating. Your copy looks academic instead of persuasive and interesting. Advertisingese leaves your reader second-guessing your copy.6. Focus on the Reader, not the product

Use the reader’s needs, wants, desires, fears, weaknesses, concerns and even fantasies to sell your product or services more than you want to regale him/her with facts about your product or service.

7. Use the “That’s Right Principle Get your prospect to agree with you. Tell them something they know already. That way, your ads are on the same page. Get them to say to themselves “That’s Right”

8. More quickly from info to the pitch Don’t waste your reader’s time by trying to “warm them up”. People are busy. If you waste their time they move on.

9. Be Sincere People are scared of scammers. This accounts fir the number one fallback for sales on the web. The more sincere you are the better you can be part of a “selling” relationship.

10.Don’t contradict yourself Always double-check your copy. It creates suspicion and credibility issues when holes can be punched in your copy. Many copywriters are guilty of contradicting themselves in an attempt to forcefully yoke too many things in to the ad copy.

11.Keep your focus aligned Don’t try to sell to everyone. The more focused your target, the better your chances of meeting their needs.

12.Make your product irresistible Dress it up. Your product should be like the crème de la crème. Focus on your selling points: price, quality, and make it virtually impossible to compare it to any other.

13.Use fear as motivation

Both a weakness and a strength, fear is a powerful selling tool. Fear of injury, death or missed opportunity. If you sell a safety product you would use this fear to advantage. The same goes for missing a chance. It is a strong seller.

14.A little flattery goes a long way

Who doesn’t like a little flattery? The operative word being “little”. Flattery is not to be overdone otherwise your selling will elicit the “switch off” mood.

15. Integrity of the ad matters – the human touch Be personable with your ad in that it flows with kindness, honesty and a real person behind the ad. People would rather deal with people not companies, corporations and conglomerate which appear faceless. Add the human touch to your copy.

16.It is Guaranteed The Guarantee reassures your target that you are reputable and will live up to your promises. It lends credibility to the offering and spurs the target to act.

17. Share a Secret – The Insider Clique Almost everyone wants to be part of the inside story. I call it the Insider Clique. If you can convince them that you have an exclusive message for them, they are sold immediately.

18.Use “Powerful” words As a Copywriter, there is no way you can write successful copy without words that move buyers to action. It is the trick of the trade. Certain words have proven to be movers and shakers in the advertising world which is why they just will not go away. Exampleso New, Improved, Convenient, Wanted, Warning, Notice, On Sale, First etcWarning: superlatives like biggest, oldest if not substantiated should be guardedly used.

19. Keep it lively Copy should be lively and there are many ways to do so. Techniques include brief story format, separating and highlighting key information and facts, active rather than passive voice, personal pronouns like you, we and us will add warmth to your copy.

20. Let your copy flow Copy writing requires the ability to transit smoothly from one point to another instead of the “List” kind of copy which can be lazy and boring.

21.Check your spelling Nothing ruins copy like misspelt words and bad sentence construction; syntactic and grammatical errors render copy intellectual, insipid and trashy.

22.Use photos to demonstrate A picture is really worth a thousand words. Wherever possible use pictures to illustrate your copy ideas.

23.Use graphics to grab attention Instead of laying out the ad in text form, jse icons, arrows, buttons, bullet points to direct the reader’s attention. Properly used, they can help sort information into different categories.

24.Create a memorable logo A simple but memorable logo or custom graphic that your target can easily remember and relate with is very useful. Iconic logos rather than namestyle or acronym logos are better at communicating e.g Nike Swoosh, BMW, Mercedes etc.

25.Create an unforgettable slogan Some copywriters are better at coining award winning slogans while some get the headlines and concepts better. Slogans should be short and sharp and to the point. So may abound the world over- Nike---Just do it, Visa---Go get it.

26.Get a response There are many techniques for getting a prospect to respond. Spell it out for them. Tell them to respond. Tell them why they should respond. Give them a reason they should respond NOW. Offer a bonus of freebie if they respond. This can be done by spicing up your ad with words like Order Now, Order Today, For a short time only, Last chance, Going! Going!! Etc

COPY STRATEGYAccording to Procter & Gamble (P&G), a copy strategy is a document which identifies the basis upon which we expect consumers to purchase our brand in preference to competition. It is that portion of the marketing strategy which deals with advertising copy.The fundamental content of a copy strategy emerges directly from the product, and the basic consumer need which the brand promises designed to fulfill.A copy strategy should state clearly basic benefit which the brand promises and which constitutes the principal basis for the purchaseWhile not mandatory, the strategy may also include:

- A statement of the product characteristic which makes the basic benefit possible.- A statement of the character we want to build for the brand over time.

Purpose of a Copy Strategy- It provides guidance and direction for a brand’s advertising.- It should be considered a long term document’ not subject to judgment changes.- It provides guidance and direction for agency’s creative people. It prescribes the limits within which an

agency is to exercise its creative imagination while being sufficiently flexible to allow latitude for fresh and varied executions.

- It provides the client and agency a common basis upon which to evaluate and discuss the merits of an advertising submission in terms of intent and ideas content.

- A clear copy strategy can save a great deal of creative time and energy, because it identifies those basic copy decisions which we do not intend to review and rethink each time we look at a new piece of advertising.

Characteristics of a good copy strategy1. It is clear: The basis on which a consumer is being asked to buy out brand in preference to others should

be quite clear to everyone involved.2. It is simple: It pays to let the number of ideas in the strategy be kept to a minimum. This is very key.3. It is devoid of executional considerations: The copy strategy identifies what benefits we are to present

to the consumers, avoiding executional issues which deal with how these benefits are to be presented.4. It is inherently competitive: The copy strategy should provide the answer to the question, “why should I

buy this product rather than some other?”

COPY STRATEGY STATEMENTWhen preparing for an ad campaign, the advertiser usually prepares a copy strategy statement that describes the objectives of an ad campaign, support and tone of the desired ad.

COPY STRATEGY MODELSTo understand the strategy development process in order to develop a strategy system of your own. Let us examine some of the best models available from a number of advertising agencies and two marketers P&G and GE- The P&G Copy Strategy Memo- The original Memo- The original Y&R (Young & Rubican) Creative Work Plan (CWP) + Strategy Selection Grid (SSG)- GE (General Electric) Focus System- JWT (J.Walter Thompson) Brand Strategy/Creative Brief- DDB (Doyle Dane Bernbach)/Needham “R.O.I. System”

- Leo Burnett Strategy Worksheet- BBDO Philosophy & procedures

Others are:

- FCB Creative Brief - Ogilvy & Mather Creative Brief- Generic Creative Brief Strategy Worksheet- Beber & Silverstein 4-Step (Strategy Review)- CM-E Creative Blueprint- Isidore & Paulson Workplan (Y&R)- Noblelink (Dual Audience)- Tracy-Lock-6 Elements (P&G)- Chiat/Day & Account Planning

PROCEDURES

Most strategies and work plans offer similar values and vocabularies but one thing is common:

- A procedure is followed- The copy strategy forms part of a culture, it is a Very Important Document (VID)- Often the process requires a Strategy Review Board (SRB) to see that things are done accordingly.- The fact is the copy strategy or CWP are only pieces of paper. It takes smart people to make them work.- It takes clear, helpful, useful procedures and a lot of co-operation and participation to make it work.