NY Times Roundup: Baby Carrots and Girl Power

Over-focusing on school has sidetracked my blogging lately, so I'm trying to get back to it. In case you missed this week's New York Times Magazine, there were a couple of cool ad-related articles.

Baby Carrots

The first, "Carrot Talk" by Rob Walker, looks at Crispin Porter & Bogusky's baby carrots campaign, in which they packaged the veggies to look like junk food, put them into vending machines at a couple of schools, and created some ironically cliched ads. It's a cool campaign, and the article points to two reasons it works.

First, a human quirk: Marketing makes food taste better. Kids in a 2007 study preferred the taste of food (including milk and carrots) in McDonald's packaging than the same food in plain packaging. (This phenomenon was one of my marketing professor's more amusing examples for how marketing/advertising benefits people.)

Second, the satirical baby carrot ads appeal to teens' sense of irony in what Salon called "the dark art of reverse-reverse psychology." That's a tricky thing to get right, but if any agency could, it's Crispin.

Empowerment as a Selling Tool

The second column, Peggy Orenstein's "The Empowerment Mystique", talks about companies latching on to "girl power" in their ads without actually doing anything concrete to further the cause. She mentions Nike as a rare exception that supported girls' athletics with actual donations in addition to its awesome “if you let me play sports” campaign.

On one hand, ads that portray girls and women as powerful and smart and in control of their lives are a step in the right direction. Still, I'm glad someone is asking what these companies are doing to actually better the lives of girls and women.

Looking at it from an advertising perspective, I wonder how much consumers trust empowerment ads from companies whose actions do nothing to support their messaging. Can advertising without substance make us believe in a company? Luke Sullivan says no (and far more eloquently than I can) in his essay about authenticity in advertising, "Writing To The 2010 Customer". My favorite bit of his advice:

No matter how authentic your message, you cannot become X by saying you are X. You must actually be X. So, after you figure out what your brand needs to say, figure out what it needs to do.

This also made me think of a recent post by Simon Mainwaring, "What to do when good brands make bad things? Or bad brands do good?" in which he writes about the inherent contradictions that occur when big companies engage in cause marketing. At the end, he asks:

Do you agree that we should focus on positive brand behavior to enable others to do the same? Or should we take all brands to task for any behavior that has a negative impact right now?

But I'm not sure if it's a one or the other proposition. Like Mainwaring, I'm more inclined to focus on encouraging the good than criticizing the bad. But I think we have to look a the whole picture and do both.

Well, guys, that's it for now. Thanks for hanging in there.

Writer Wednesday — Mnawar Shourakaa — Working to make Arabic the “primary language of creativity” in the Middle East and North Africa

Each Wednesday I feature a fellow writer, and not just ad folks. I’m interested in anyone who makes a living stringing together words. Their answers are unfiltered, so I may not always agree with every last bit of advice. After all, what works for one writer may not work for another. But we all need fresh ideas and perspectives to keep growing. Interested? Please email leigh@leighwritescopy.com.

One of the fun things about opening up Writer Wednesday has been hearing from copywriters around the globe. Today, we’ve got Mnawar Shourakaa, a creative consultant/copywriter in Lebanon who writes in Arabic in hopes of helping boost the language’s standing in the creative world. (No worries though — this interview is in English.)

Website: http://lb.linkedin.com/in/arabiccopywriter

What’s your writing focus or specialty?

Well Leigh, I've been working as an Arabic copywriter for more than 7 years, through which I had the chance to work on many international and local accounts of different industries, such as: F&B, automotives, finance and banking and many others.

Writers often take winding career paths. What led you here?

It's an interesting question to ask, Leigh. Personally, I always knew that I would be working as a copywriter someday. When I was 13 years old, my English teacher asked us to create an advertisement. Believe me; through working on this advertisement, I discovered a huge passion towards advertising in general and copywriting in particular. I didn't have any single doubt about what should I major in college, I chose advertising and I got my BA after 4 years of study. Now, you would ask me: "Why did you choose to become an Arabic copywriter, why not an English CW, why not a bilingual one?" The answer is very easy: I didn't choose it, it chose me!

You have no clue, Leigh, about the huge shortage in Arabic copywriters in the MENA region [Middle East and North Africa]. In addition to that, it is no secret that Arabic advertising copy has nowadays fallen second to the compliancy and creativeness of its English counterpart, that's why I made a pledge to myself to create fluid Arabic copy and make Arabic once again the primary language of creativity.

Tell us a little about your creative process.

Listening, listening and listening! It's very important to understand the needs of your client before writing your copy. In my experience, I found out that copywriters don't give much attention to this step! Every piece of copy I produce is reviewed, analyzed and polished to perfection. The end result is a flawless, glistening masterpiece that also ticks all strategic boxes.

What do you do when you’re stuck? Any tricks for getting unstuck?

Well, Leigh, it's always helpful to check the material of your client's competitors. This has two advantages: First, it gives you an insight of what had been written before in order not to clone or repeat. Second, it gives you an inspiration to do something even better and more creative. It never fails!

Any side projects? If so, how do you make time for them?

Call me a workaholic, but I don't have time to side projects. Any free time I have I like to spend with my family and friends. You may consider it as a time out to energize myself, before moving on to the next writing challenge.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve been given?

Oh, there are so many advices that enriched my career. I consider the most important one is the golden rule that we all came to know: NEVER ASSUME!!! It's very important, Leigh, to check your facts thoroughly before writing a single word. Believe me, if you didn't do so, there will be severe outcomes.

What’s one thing you know now that you’d wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

That's an easy one, Leigh. In the beginning, I thought the key to success was to work hard. After a while in the business, I came to think that the key to success was to work smart. Now, after all these years, I truly believe that the key to success is to work SMART and HARD! If I embraced that from the beginning, I truly believe that I would've accomplished more.

Writer Wednesday — Amber Cleave — "Writing is a process based on progress, not perfection."

Each Wednesday I feature a fellow writer, and not just ad folks. I’m interested in anyone who makes a living stringing together words. Their answers are unfiltered, so I may not always agree with every last bit of advice. After all, what works for one writer may not work for another. But we all need fresh ideas and perspectives to keep growing. Interested? Please email leigh@leighwritescopy.com.

Amber Cleave does email marketing and customer retention for VerticalResponse in San Francisco (man, do I miss that city). Like me and more and more of the advertising and marketing folks I meet, she got her start in journalism before crossing over.


Copywriting Blog www.ambercleave.blogspot.com
Twitter:  @Gldnamby

What’s your writing focus or specialty?

My writing specialties are marketing, email, and web copywriting (mostly for games and software).

Writers often take winding career paths. What led you here?

In college I majored in English—mostly because I didn’t know what else to major in! Writing was always something that came naturally to me and that I thoroughly enjoyed. So English seemed to be the best solution. People always asked, “What are you going to be, a teacher?” And although I didn’t have any intentions of being a teacher, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my degree.

After college I moved back home to Half Moon Bay, CA, and literally walked into The Half Moon Bay Review Magazine and Newspaper office to see if they had any openings. I was in luck; they did! I contracted with them on and off for a few years, and then got a journalism internship at The Mountain View Voice.

From there I made a shift into email marketing at Electronic Arts, and loved it so much that I then went to an Email Marketing company in San Francisco called VerticalResponse. Although my direct title is Retention Marketing Specialist, I consider myself a sort of resident copywriter. I write everything from blog posts, to education guides, to web and landing page copy, to weekly newsletters and emails.

Tell us a little about your creative process.

My process varies a lot based on what type of piece I’m writing. Writing an article vs. a marketing email is very different, but I always begin the same way - brainstorming. I love a good brainstorm session. I write down everything that comes to mind, and essentially come up with a whole stream of consciousness. From there I cross off ideas that are way too out there, and narrow down my direction and scope. It helps me to view writing as a puzzle. It’s placing the right words together in the right order to most effectively communicate with your audience. In the case of marketing, it’s trying to compel the customer to act.

What do you do when you’re stuck? Any tricks for getting unstuck?

When I’m stuck I usually walk away for a while, and come back with a clear head later on. Writing can be very tiresome and mentally draining, so I can really only write well for a few hours at a time. Then I need a break.

Any side projects? If so, how do you make time for them?

Earlier this year I wrote for Suite101, and I also freelanced an article for
EatBetterAmerica.com. These are things I do after work or on the weekend.


It’s also important to me to continue my education and keep growing my skill set, so I’m excited to be attending the DMA’s Creative & Copywriting for Print & Web Certification in NY in November. Maybe I’ll see some of you fellow writers there!

What’s the best writing advice you’ve been given?

The best writing advice I’ve ever been given is that you don’t have to be a perfectionist to be a good writer. Sometimes a piece can be quick and dirty and still come out really well. Writing is a process based on progress, not perfection. It gets better with age!

What’s one thing you know now that you’d wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

No idea is a bad idea, but sometimes things need to be refocused or rewritten. I used to take edits very personally, but now I view them as constructive criticism that can turn something good into something great.

It's Sunday, and we could all use some inspiration before we go back to work or school or whatever it is we do on the days when having a Bloody Mary with brunch is frowned upon.

Apologies for being a slacker in the posting department — I'm still adjusting to back-to-school. Anyway, my favorite ad this week is... this Levi's billboard from Sagmeister Inc. (Their site is a little seizure inducing, but their design work is amazing.)



Also, if you haven't, definitely check out Stefan Sagmeister's Ted talks. This one about taking a year long sabbatical every seven years is fantastic.

The long and short of taglines

I'm not sure I'll ever be as definitive about anything as Al Ries is about most things. But I really enjoyed his recent take on slogans in Ad Age — Long Slogans Are Absolutely, Positively More Effective Than Short Ones.

I'm sure you get the gist just from the title. Ries argues that by fixating on the idea that shorter is better, copywriters are editing the emotion right out of our work. He compares "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken" to the fictionally truncated "Perdue, the tender chicken."

It's hard to disagree when you compare his list of modern shorties like:

• Ally Bank: Straightforward.
• Acura: Advance.
• FedEx: We understand.
• Ford: Drive one.
• Hertz: Journey on.
• Infiniti: Inspired performance.

To his list of longer classics like: 

• Las Vegas: "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." (7 words)
• M&M's: "Melts in your mouth, not in your hands." (8 words)
• The New York Times: "All the news that's fit to print." (7 words)
• Saturn: "A different kind of company. A different kind of car." (10 words)
• Secret deodorant: "Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman." (10 words)
• Smuckers: "With a name like Smuckers, it's got to be good." (10 words)

But I like some of the one he dismisses (American Express: Take charge is rather nice). And some that he likes sound like a mouthful to me (for example, Roto-Rooter: "That's the name and away go troubles down the drain"). 

Certainly, there are no rules, and Ries gives the only guideline that sticks at the end of his column. He writes that the tagline should be "long enough to reach an emotional connection in the consumer's mind." But I might shorten that to "long enough to connect." (After all, I'm an On Writing Well girl to the core.) 

Inspiration Sunday — Go ride a bike.

It's Sunday, and we could all use some inspiration before we go back to work or school or whatever it is we do on the days when having a Bloody Mary with brunch is frowned upon.

I don't ride a bike, but I dig the message and the clever phrasing. 

Stencil by Peter Drew of Adelaide, Australia
Photo by Carlton Reid
Originally posted on The Audiophiles (Enough said) and spotted on Daniel Pink's blog.

Writer Wednesday — Therese Pope — “...walk outside in nature and take a few deep breaths.”

Each Wednesday I feature a fellow writer, and not just ad folks. I’m interested in anyone who makes a living stringing together words. Their answers are unfiltered, so I may not always agree with every last bit of advice. After all, what works for one writer may not work for another. But we all need fresh ideas and perspectives to keep growing. Interested? Please email leigh@leighwritescopy.com.

Therese Pope is a freelance copywriter and marketing consultant in Northern California, a perfect location given her focus on wellness and holistic practitioners. Her company, Zenful Communications, takes what she calls a “wholistic” approach to marketing that looks at the whole of a company to find the heart of it’s message and branding.


Website: http://zenfulcommunications.blogspot.com
Twitter: @TheresePope

What’s your writing focus or specialty?

I've worked with a lot of different niches — some of them include: the hospitality industry, business, online marketing, and holistic/wellness and health

Writers often take winding career paths. What led you here?

I have a VERY different background than most copywriters who have traditional agency experience. I am a freelance copywriter and online marketing consultant with a BA degree in Journalism (option: Public Relations) from California State University, Chico. I've been a freelancer for three years. I worked as a special events director/fundraiser for public health non-profits (American Cancer Society and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation). I worked in publicity/PR for Barnes & Noble after college and also worked for a real estate trade association and small publishing company in the Sacramento, CA, area.

However, I've always been a one-woman marketing/PR "show" and wrote my own newsletters, marketing and event collateral. When I worked in non-profit, my co-workers joked that I was the in-house ghostwriter since I always edited co-workers and directors' writing. I have always loved to write (why I pursued a journalism degree) and was an English geek in high school. I did a bit of freelance writing on the side during my non-profit career but always pushed it to the side since I was so busy. I was drawn to starting my own business because I wanted to be a freelancer and have always had a strong entrepreneurial drive. It felt natural to move in the direction of copywriting and marketing consulting because of my strong writing skills and my flair for writing marketing-focused copy. 


Tell us a little about your creative process.

As for my creative process, I partner and work with a lot of amazing project managers and web and graphic designers. They are always involved in the creative process because we work together as a team (especially on web copywriting projects). We usually sit down and have a creative meeting and hammer out all the marketing goals and objectives related to the campaign/project - which also involves my role as the copywriter. 



They usually write a creative brief and I write a copywriting strategy that clearly outlines my copy goals and objectives of their project. Each project is different so it really depends on the scope of the project and what the client needs. Bottom line — I want the client to have a clear understanding of their copy goals and objectives so everyone is on the same page (and I also ask them to sign off on the directives so there aren't any surprise). 


What do you do when you’re stuck? Any tricks for getting unstuck?

I take a breather and do yoga (have been a student of yoga for 10 plus years). Yoga is a huge stress reliever for me and helps clear my mind and find my writing focus again. I think anyone who works in a creative field would highly benefit from yoga. Exercise is the best medicine for me and love to walk and hike. I highly encourage all copywriters to get away from their computers and walk outside in nature and take a few deep breaths. It does wonder to clear the tired brain — especially when you have writer's block! A glass of vino also does the trick (but after hours, of course!)

Any side projects? If so, how do you make time for them?

I'm always working on side projects since I'm a freelancer and always drumming up ways to earn income and promote my business. I'd love to teach more teleclasses about social media, and write more articles geared towards helping female entrepreneurs. I'd like to get my name out there and help more female small business owners - especially with their online marketing projects. I don't want to just be seen as a copywriter. Since my other specialty is online marketing, I want my clients to feel like they can trust me and come to me for advice about any online marketing problems or issues that arise. I sometimes feel like small female business owners are lost when it comes to marketing in general, and they really need help and support - so that's one of my biggest goals.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve been given?

The best advice I could give is DO NOT listen to the negative naysayers out there who tell you'll never make it as a writer (whether you're a copywriter or journalist). Forge ahead and learn everything you can about writing (even if you have to go back to school and take more writing classes). Stay positive and focused, and don't give into the negative self-talk that creeps into your brain (especially if you are a freelancer). Always believe in your talents and skills and stick up for yourself - you are a valuable asset! 


What’s one thing you know now that you’d wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

I wish I had taken the plunge to be a freelance copywriter/consultant years ago, but I don't regret my non-profit career path in the least. I learned a lot about networking and how to build strong relationship with my clients as a result of my fundraising/event planning background and working with my incredible volunteers over the years.

There's more to just copywriting than the actual writing part. You need to understand people and how they think and act. You need to be able to dig into their brains and psyche and get to the heart of their message and branding. Anyone can write copy but if you don't understand people, you'll be floundering. You have to be part psychoanalyst, part researcher and part salesperson. You also have to be VERY flexible, open-minded and roll with the punches. A sense of humor doesn't hurt either. You deal with all kinds of client personalities and backgrounds and you never know what to expect — just take each day as it comes (my motto!) 


Back to school — representing myself in a pop-up shop

First assignment of the semester: Represent yourself in some way via a non-traditional media form. 

I picked pop-up stores, and designed Word Play, a place where people could find words, make up their own, and string together stories out of them. 

I'm no artist and rather messy (seriously, I should have been more careful with the Gorilla Glue). So it's more about the idea than the presentation. But it was a fun start to the semester.

The overview shot... (It's a little wobbly as I used some warped foam board leftover from mounting ads for critique last year.)

Card catalog of all words...

Staff picks...

Make your own words out of loose letters, plus a trash can for jargon...

And, finally, a comfy place to string it all together (plus a crossword puzzle for breaks)...

Hope your September is off to as goofy a start as mine! 

 

Writer Wednesday — Vikki Ross of Virgin Media — Never present copy you don’t like.

Each Wednesday I feature a fellow writer, and not just ad folks. I’m interested in anyone who makes a living stringing together words. Their answers are unfiltered, so I may not always agree with every last bit of advice. After all, what works for one writer may not work for another. But we all need fresh ideas and perspectives to keep growing. Interested? Please email leigh@leighwritescopy.com.

Vikki Ross is a London-based copywriter who’s worked for two of the U.K.’s most well-known companies. She’s in-house at Virgin Media and spent the eight years before that at The Body Shop.

Website: crazywindowuk.blogspot.com
Twitter: @VikkiRoss7

What’s your writing focus or specialty?

The majority of my experience is in retail, mostly for the cosmetics and beauty industry.

Writers often take winding career paths. What led you here?

At 16 I thought I’d like to be a journalist so chose not to go to university after college. I wanted to get straight into it. My first job was as a receptionist in a serviced office block, which I hated, and one day I just walked out. I called my friend at work to tell her but she was off sick so I ended up speaking directly to her boss, a PR. I told her what had happened and she got me in for a short-term contract.

Her husband ran a marketing and entertainment company next door so I made my talents and desires known. Pretty soon I was writing reader offers for the national press. My first offer appeared in Camping & Caravanning magazine! Then I went on to write regular offers for the Daily Mail, TV Times, Sky, Ministry of Sound and Woman’s Own. I also wrote science fiction mail order catalogues.

After two years, I left work to travel the world for a year and a half. On my return to London it was very hard to get back into copywriting. Companies will always think they can do it themselves if they need to cut costs.

I got a job as PA to the Product Director at The Body Shop. She knew instantly that I wasn’t really a PA and after just three months I was writing internal communications. I then moved into the Design Studio where I wrote catalogues, in-store promotional materials, web copy and advertorials in Elle, Glamour and Marie Claire. I also went on photo shoots and enjoyed many a free haircut whilst learning the tricks of the trade, and interviewing make-up artists of course!

Eight years later, and I’ve moved back into the world of entertainment. I’m creating new Tone of Voice guidelines for Virgin Media now, but you can still see my copy in The Body Shop windows.

Working for companies set up by two of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs is inspiration enough but I’ve also got Space NK, The Post Office, Fat Face and Pizza Express to thank for freelance work that’s allowed me to expand my creative skills.

Tell us a little about your creative process.

I love reading magazines and books and watching television. Words inspire me so whenever I see or hear one I like, I make a note of it and try to incorporate it when I can. I have a bank of words and phrases to refer to whenever I’m in need of some inspiration.

What do you do when you’re stuck? Any tricks for getting unstuck?

I hate getting stuck! I’ll usually leave something difficult to just before the deadline. I’ve always worked like that. I could spend a couple of days trying to craft copy and just not getting it, so I’ll move on to something else until it absolutely has to be done. Working under pressure works for me as I’ll go back to it and just get it there and then, and then I wonder why it was so hard in the first place!

Another trick is to just take a quick break and have a flick through a magazine. Usually a word in a headline will just trigger something!

Any side projects? If so, how do you make time for them?

I started writing a blog a couple of months ago about store merchandising and general things that catch the eye when I’m out and about. I don’t have to make much extra time for it because I’m always out seeing things that inspire me. London’s a great city and I travel a lot too so there’s no shortage of content possibilities! Writing up my notes is no chore—I love writing.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve been given?

Never present copy you don’t like. It’ll always get chosen! Then you’ll end up with a catalogue headline that makes you cringe every time you see it!

What’s one thing you know now that you’d wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

Everyone thinks they’re a copywriter! It’s amazing how many people think they can do something that you have years of skilled experience in. And, more often than not, their grammar or spelling will be wrong, and they think you’re being picky when you tell them!