- Copywriting, SEO and PR 

Advertising Copywriter,

Manchester, Cheshire, UK

Make Buzzwords your advertising copywriter

of choice for eye-catching ideas, benefit-led

headlines and persuasive body copy... 

Behind every ad you see or hear is an advertising copywriter.  Behind every ad you ignore or act upon is an advertising copywriter whose ability may influence your behaviour.  There are of course many other reasons why ads succeed or fail, but it's the responsibility of an advertising copywriter to make sure an ad doesn't fall at the first hurdle.

An advertising copywriter needs talent

Some say the skills of an advertising copywriter cannot be learned.  You either have it - or you don't!  This is true up to a point.  Top advertising copywriters have an uncanny ability to think 'conceptually'.  Many art directors in advertising agencies have this ability too.  So do 'visualisers' - an endangered species who perform amazing feats with a quick sketch and killer headlines!

The question is: were they born with a god-given talent?  Or did they work at it, practise, and practise some more until their 'talent' became a thing of wonder, an object of desire that appeared as if by some form of creative osmosis?

There's no doubt that the best creative ideas have a touch of magic about them.  How did they happen?  What was the trigger?  Can anyone get in on the act?

An advertising copywriter and the creative process

Like all high achievers in any walk of life, a successful advertising copywriter was probably blessed with a certain amount of innate 'talent'.  It was probably this flair that attracted them to advertising as a career in the first place.

Recognising this - and advertising being the competitive world it is - the embryonic advertising copywriter will work at it...

OK.  So you need a great concept?  A headline idea?  And persuasive body copy that wraps it all up with a beautiful satin ribbon?

 

Come back next week.  That'll give me time to wipe the blood, sweat and tears off the floor and hand over the goods - a word-perfect persuasive package that will knock everyone's socks off!

They call it talent.  To an advertising copywriter it's called hard work, dedication and understanding what makes people buy things.  Simple really.

How an advertising copywriter sources the ingredients

Behind every great copywriter is - a boring planning department, a meticulous client or a creative director who's been known to spit nails.  In all cases, a detailed brief is vital.

Great copywriting needs total preparation.  An advertising copywriter worth his salt won't write a word until he has as much information as possible about the target audience, the product or service being sold, and deciding how the audience will respond to the copywriter's overtures.

This is obviously critical with business-to-business advertising where procurement people can smell a donkey a mile away.  Equally, in the consumer marketing sphere, having a complete understanding of the product or service - and then going the extra mile to find out what would really fascinate the reader - will pay big dividends when it comes to creating an original and creative ad that still manages to embrace the unique selling point (USP).

Nowadays, what used to be called 'desk research' is available to an advertising copywriter at the click of a mouse.  Talking to clients or agency colleagues is also vital to gaining an understanding of the 'brand personality'.  Looking at the profile of the target audience, and the media in which the ad will appear, are other essential starting points.

An advertising copywriter and the media

For many products and services - B2B or consumer - the media mix will suggest itself.  The challenge for the advertising copywriter is to develop a writing style that best suits a particular medium.

For an advertising copywriter working in an ad agency, the type of work will be dictated by the agency's client list.  A freelance advertising copywriter, on the other hand, may be called upon to write anything from radio ads to off-the-page 'direct response' ads, from trade press ads to glossy magazine fmcg advertising! 

The demands of different media clearly place different demands on the advertising copywriter.  Direct response ads usually involve longer, descriptive copy with an all-embracing, benefit-led headline.  Trade press ads often rely on a clever headline that links in with the photographs used and minimal text.  'Consumer' ads, on the other hand, often look to brand development through a discrete campaign that may involve memorable or humorous headlines, powerful visual connections and an immediate emotional empathy with a consumer's needs.

How an advertising copywriter makes it work

What comes first?  The chicken or the egg - the words or the pictures?  An advertising copywriter will usually work with an art director as a team.  Whoever comes up with the best idea that also meets the brief (ie. relevance) will start the ball rolling.  Once a concept has been agreed, it is then fleshed out in words and pictures, firstly to see if it has wings and secondly, to see how it compares with other ideas for that particular project or campaign.

It's important to be ruthless with ideas that don't quite measure up.  Trying to 'force' an idea to work usually means it's a weak concept that should be rejected.  Selling your ideas to the client is always easier when you believe in them.

Choose an experienced advertising copywriter

Working under the Buzzwords' banner, Mike Beeson's advertising copywriting experience covers a 20-year period.  During this time, Mike has worked for hundreds of advertising agencies and design consultancies in Manchester, Cheshire and across the UK - not to mention a broad cross-section of direct clients ranging in size from international blue-chips to SMEs.

The scope of Buzzwords' work includes everything from corporate advertising to recruitment advertising, radio advertising to trade press ads, pay-per-click ads to direct response advertising.  Below are some recent ads written by Mike Beeson.  In all cases, the emphasis is on responding to the client's brief with something that is EFFECTIVE - and not merely memorable:

• BA ad

This Elegant Resorts' ad features British Airways' First Class travel to Mauritius which includes the luxury of in-flight beds.  (An advertising copywriter's dream - in more ways than one.)

 

• Krug ad - Elegant Resorts

The copy here works well with a series of upmarket 'Yes please' visuals which reflect the aspirational nature of the Krug champagne brand and, by association, Elegant Resorts.

 

• Elegant Resorts ads

Advertising copywriting for upmarket holiday destinations which incorporates the benefits of in-flight beds when you travel First Class with British Airways.

 

• B2B ad - 'Vision'

One of a series of ads for Secure Trading, a UK e-payments provider.  The challenge for advertising copywriter and designer alike was to respect the essentially serious nature of this security-conscious company.

 

• Trade press ad (1) - packaging industry

This simple B2B ad was highly successful in the packaging industry trade press.  A powerful headline relating directly to the product visual generated a strong flow of sales leads.

 

• Trade press ad (2) - packaging industry

A composite ad written for the packaging and materials handling trade press combined an eye-catching layout with benefit-led copy and an industry-relevant offer. 

 

• Radio advertising copywriting

Click on the link above for more details about Buzzwords' radio copywriting.

When you need more than an advertising copywriter

If you need a complete advertising package including a copywriter, designer (and maybe advice on media), Buzzwords can help.  We're talking about design and visualising, photography, creating media-ready artwork and media buying (as well as a total radio advertising package.)

Click the link to find out more about Buzzwords' advertising copywriting services.  Or, for the full story, contact Mike Beeson today.

Buzzwords Limited

Knutsford, Cheshire

South Manchester, UK.

Tel 01565 654023

e-mail: open@buzzwords.ltd.uk