Better Copywriter, Better Writer
by: Victoria Gaudin
I don’t know about you, but I never used to think much about advertising. A majority of the ads I saw were terrible—nothing but promotions for new medications, including a side effects list a mile long trying to solve problems we will never be able to fix. Even the ads that were decent still never sold me on anything.
It took my first advertising class at SCAD to realize how ingenious and influential advertising can be. From the iconic Volkswagen “Lemon” print ad that changed America’s view on small cars to the Tide Superbowl LII ads that completely re-imagined the mentality of a Superbowl fan, brands actually do have a say-so in society.
For those who don’t know, Volkswagen’s “Lemon” or “Think Small” print ad came at a time when America valued gigantic American-made vehicles that could take a hit and keep on going. They didn’t want some tiny imported nothing that came from Germany no less. But advertisers at DDB were on a mission to convince America that there were many benefits to driving a small car, and to do it tastefully. You and I both know that it’s hard to persuade Americans to do anything much less change their way of thinking, so I’ll let you discover the magic of this ad.
As for the Tide Superbowl LII ads (which are one of my favorites), it influenced people in an extremely psychological way. Several 15 second spots were staggered throughout later ads in the Superbowl to complement the first 30 second spot. In the first spot, David Harbour mentions that every ad that features clean clothes could be considered a Tide ad, so “Does that make every ad a Tide ad?” Saatchi & Saatchi even went as far as to hire the same actors from the Old Spice and Mr. Clean ads, which is a big deal in the advertising industry. For the rest of the game, the audience would eagerly lean forward to see if the next ad would be a Tide ad; and would therefore be disappointed if it wasn’t. It was genius. It was the only ad that got an entire crowd to think about laundry detergent for several consecutive hours . . . and enjoy it.
But let me stop gushing about my favorite advertisements and get to the point. Most people I’ve talked to don’t understand the importance of a writer, and to be honest, I didn’t think we were that important either. But one day, my professor lit up my world when she said that copywriters were extremely sought after in the advertising world. We do everything from concepting, to the actual writing process, to producing our own work. And it’s all just as fun as writing on your own.
Now, I’m not here to convince you that you should become a copywriter (I am), but copywriting makes you a better writer. It kicks your butt. It forces you to think way, way, way outside the box. It might even make you doubt your writing abilities sometimes. But it will make you better for all the reasons I said above. But if you’re anything like me, you’ll love it because it presents you with a challenge. You have to say something clever and you have to say it fast. I’m talking split second fast. It’s the ultimate writing test. It’s almost like a puzzle; a really messed up puzzle, but a puzzle. Just twist the right word until it fits.
And voila, you have a masterpiece.
Photo sources:
https://connorjv2.wordpress.com/second-essay-page-anticipate-the-wait/
https://www.thewrap.com/tide-old-space-david-harbour-procter-gamble-supe…