Transcript copywriting

Copywriting
Part 4: Principles: Creativity and Breakthrough
Advertising
Chapter 13
Prentice Hall, © 2009
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CHAPTER KEY POINTS
Questions We’ll Answer
• What basic style of writing is used for
advertising copy?
• Which copy elements are essential to a print
ad?
• How can we characterize the message and tools
of radio advertising?
• What is the best way to summarize the major
elements of television commercials?
• How is Web advertising written?
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COPYWRITING: THE LANGUAGE OF ADVERTISING
Ads Where Words Are Crucial
1. If the message is complicated
2. In ads for high-involvement products
3. Information that needs definition and
explanation
4. If a message tries to convey abstract
qualities
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COPYWRITING: THE LANGUAGE OF ADVERTISING
The Copywriter
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Copywriter
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The person who shapes and sculpts the words
in an ad.
Marketing, English, literature background.
They love words, have a sense of “voice” and
tone, and are versatile.
Copy
– The text of an ad.
– Words people say in a radio or TV
commercial.
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COPYWRITING: THE LANGUAGE OF ADVERTISING
Advertising Writing Style
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Copy should be as simple as possible.
Write the way your target audience thinks
and talks, using direct address.
Effective copy is succinct, single-minded,
and tightly focused.
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COPYWRITING: THE LANGUAGE OF ADVERTISING
Writing Effective Copy
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Be succinct
Be single-minded
Be specific
Get personal
Keep a single focus
Be conversational
Be original
Use variety
Use imaginative description
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COPYWRITING: THE LANGUAGE OF ADVERTISING
Advertising Writing Style
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Tone of Voice
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Write to the target audience, as if in
conversation with one person
Grammar
– Sometimes use incorrect grammar for effect
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Adese
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Clichés, superlatives, stock phrases, and vague
generalities that violate the guidelines for
effective copy
Brag and boast copy—“we” focused and
pompous
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COPYWRITING FOR PRINT
Two Categories of Copy
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Display copy
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Elements readers see in their initial scanning
Headlines, subheads, call-outs, taglines, and
slogans
Body copy
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Elements that are designed to be read and
absorbed
– Text of the ad message, captions, call to action
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COPYWRITING FOR PRINT
How to Write Headlines
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They convey the main message, get attention, and
communicate the concept.
They must also:
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Attract only prospects
Work with the visual to stop and grab readers’
attention
Identify product and brand; start the sale
Lead readers into body copy
Good headlines interrupt readers’ scanning and
get their attention.
Prentice Hall, © 2009
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COPYWRITING FOR PRINT
Two Categories of Headlines
1. Direct action (straightforward and
informative)
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Assertion
Command
How-to heads
News announcements
2. Indirect action (draw reader in, build brand
image)
– Puzzles
– Associations
– Also, “blind headlines”
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COPYWRITING FOR PRINT
How to Write Other Display Copy
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Captions
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Subheads
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Lead reader into copy
Larger than body copy
Taglines
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Second highest readership
Provide information
Short, catchy, memorable
Complete or wrap-up creative idea
Slogans
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Repeated from ad to ad
Reinforce brand identity
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COPYWRITING FOR PRINT
Techniques for Creating Slogans
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Direct Address: “Have it your way; “Think small.”
A startling or unexpected phrase: the NYNEX campaign
used, “If it’s out there, it’s in here,” which is an example of
a twist on a common phrase that makes it unexpected.
Rhyme, rhythm, alliteration: uses repetition of sounds, as in
the Wall Street Journal’s slogan–“The daily dairy of the
American Dream.”
Parallel construction: uses repetition of the structure of a
sentence or phrase; Morton Salt’s “When it rains, it pours.”
Cue for the product: Folgers’ “Good to the last drop;” John
Deere’s “Nothing runs like a Deere,” Wheaties’ “Breakfast
of Champions”
Music: “In the valley of the Jolly, ho-ho-ho, Green Giant.”
Combination (rhyme, rhythm, parallel): “It’s your land,
lend a hand,” is the slogan for Take Pride in America.
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COPYWRITING FOR PRINT
How to Write Body Copy
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Body copy
Maintain interest
of reader
Persuasive heart of
message
Sales message,
argument, proof,
explanation
Lead paragraph
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Closing paragraph
Writing styles
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First paragraph of
body copy
Catches the
reader’s attention
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Straightforward
Narrative
Dialogue
Explanation
Translation
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Last paragraph of
body copy
Refers back to
creative concept
Wraps up the Big
Idea
Includes a “call to
action”
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COPYWRITING FOR PRINT
How to Write Body Copy
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Body copy
Maintain interest
of reader
Persuasive heart of
message
Sales message,
argument, proof,
explanation
Lead paragraph
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Closing paragraph
Writing Styles
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First paragraph of
body copy
Catches the
reader’s attention
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Straightforward
Narrative
Dialogue
Explanation
Translation
Prentice Hall, © 2009
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Last paragraph of
body copy
Refers back to
creative concept
Wraps up the Big
Idea
Includes a “call to
action”
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COPYWRITING FOR PRINT
Print Media Requirements
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Newspapers
– Less intrusive medium
– Ads more straightforward and informative
Magazines
– Better ad production
– More informative, longer copy
Directories
– Focus on service or store personality
– Little space for explanation; keep it simple
Posters and outdoor advertising
– Creative concept marries words and visual
Product literature
– Detailed copy about a product, company, or event
more informative with longer copy
Prentice Hall, © 2009
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HOW TO WRITE RADIO COPY
Writing for Radio
• Short: 10, 15, 30, or 60 seconds
• Simple enough for consumers to grasp;
intriguing enough to prevent switching
• Creativity is key to breaking through clutter
• Theater of the mind
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HOW TO WRITE RADIO COPY
Tools for Radio Copywriting
• Voice
– Announcer or character
• Music
– Creates a mood, establishes a setting
– Jingles are catchy, “hummable”
• Sound effects (sfx)
– “libraries,” CDs, online
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HOW TO WRITE RADIO COPY
Guidelines for Writing Radio
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Keep it personal
Speak to listener’s interests
Wake up the inattentive
Make it memorable
Include call to action
Create image transfer
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HOW TO WRITE RADIO COPY
Planning Radio: Scripts
• The script contains the words, dialogue,
lyrics, sound effects, instructions, and
descriptions to help the producer create the
commercial as the copywriter imagined.
• Sources of audio are on the left.
• Words, dialogue, description of sound
effects and music are on the right.
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HOW TO WRITE TELEVISION COPY
Writing for Television
• Moving images makes TV more engaging
than print.
• The challenge is to fuse the images with the
words to tell a story.
• In great television commercials, words
and pictures work together seamlessly to
deliver the creative concept through sight,
sound, and motion.
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HOW TO WRITE TELEVISION COPY
Tools of TV Copywriting
• Video
– A key frame summarizes the main idea
• Audio
– Music, voices, sound effects
– Voice-over
– Off camera
• Other TV Tools
– Setting, casting, costumer, props
• Talent
– Announcers, spokespersons, character types or
celebrities
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HOW TO WRITE TELEVISION COPY
Planning the TV Commercial
• Copywriters plan
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:10, :15, :20, :30, :60
Number of scenes; shots in each scene
Key visual: the image that sticks in the mind
Where/how to shoot
• How much product info?
• Pace: fast or slow?
• Level of controversy and intrusiveness
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HOW TO WRITE TELEVISION COPY
Planning the TV Commercial
• What’s the Big Idea?
• What’s the benefit and who benefits?
• How can you turn that benefit into a visual
element?
• How can you gain the viewer’s interest in the first
three seconds?
• How can you focus on a key visual?
• Is the commercial single-minded?
• Observe rules of good editing
• Is the product identified and shown in close-up at
the end?
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HOW TO WRITE TELEVISION COPY
Scripts, Storyboards, Photoboards
• Script
– The written version of the commercial
– Prepared by the copywriter
• Storyboard
– The visual plan or layout of the commercial
– Prepared by the art director
• Photoboard
– Uses photos instead of art for images
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WRITING FOR THE WEB
Web Writing Basics
• More interactive than any other mass medium—
more like two-way communication
• The copywriter’s challenge: to attract people to the
site and manage dialogue-based communication.
• The advertiser’s challenge: to understand the user’s
situation and design messages that fit the user’s
needs.
• To write great copy for the Web, copywriters must
think of it as an interactive medium and open up
opportunities for interaction with the consumer.
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WRITING FOR THE WEB
Banner Ads
• Ways copywriters make ads stand out amidst the
clutter and grab attention.
– Offering a deal like a discount or a freebie
– Using an involvement device like a challenge or
contest
– Changing the offer frequently, even daily
– Keeping the writing succinct for surfers short
attention
– Focusing surfers’ attention by asking questions or
offering knowledge they can use
– Use the ad to solicit information and opinions
• Banner ads can remind or invite viewers to click.
• The product or brand should be immediately clear.
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WRITING FOR THE WEB
Web Ads
• They create awareness and interest in
a product and build a brand image.
• Good copywriting works well in any
medium, including the Internet.
• Other Web ad formats include games,
pop-up windows, daughter windows,
and side frames.
Prentice Hall, © 2009
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COPYWRITING IN A GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
Global Copywriting Challenges
• Language affects the creation of the
advertising.
• Standardizing copy by translating for a
foreign market is dangerous.
• Solution—use bilingual copywriters
– Use back translation (from the foreign language
back into the domestic one)
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mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.
Publishing as Prentice Hall
Prentice Hall, © 2009
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