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The Power of Words.

Words truly have a magic quality. They are so powerful. They mean many things and they can take you on journeys and draw out your emotions that you sometimes don’t expect. Words can help us transcend time and space. They remind us of the past, they drive us into our future. They make us laugh … and cry. They can inspire the best and worst in us, and empower a generation to … not just do good, but strive for greatness. Words are addictive, playful and they help us communicate. They get stuck in our heads and are with us to the end.

 

In advertising we have many ways and lines to sell or communicate your message. We have; punchlines, headlines, sub-headlines, qualifying lines and words, throw away lines, catch phrases, corporate taglines, calls to action, sign off lines, Branding statements, positioning lines, flashes, price points, copylines, pull-out headlines, quotes, testimonials, terms and conditions, plus just plain old informative copy and text – It’s a lot of things to consider.

So with all these tools and fancy terminology, how do clients and creatives team up, partner with the agency and write great copy.

So like great movie writing, a great comic strip or a great novel Advertising writing is about delivering it in one knock out round! So how do we write great copy within the framework of an 30 sec TV commercial or a poster selling a product. We Storyscape it! Find the hero the villain and the story that holds this communication together so it’s memorable and punchy and delivers an idea that resonates with your target audience.

Below Wildfire demonstrates 9 ways clients can master the basics of Copywriting:

 

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1. Be Confident At All Times and Be Singleminded!

Over the years, Wildfire has done a lot of catalogues, billboards, print and posters. Clients always seem to have tonnes to say and often front up with seven or eight premises and benefits that are all underlined “MUST HAVES” in the brief. So with the target audience loathing the amount of messages and the amount of advertising that they digest daily, why do marketers what to highlight so many benefits? My question to this is … Wouldn’t you just put your “best foot” forward?

The other little analogy here we’d like to illustrate at Wildfire, comes from the recent rise in the online dating websites. Prospective dates don’t like too little small talk and shallow first impressions, but they also don’t like too much about a person in the first few “meet and greet” introductions. They have seen your profile, they like you, but if the first few things that burst from your mouth or your text interactions are endless waffle of how good you are then really it’s awkward, creepy, a little unbelievable or there is not mystery or intrigue to entice the person to want to date. So when marketing a brand you have to think how do you win your prospects over with confidence? It reminds us of an old saying.

“Confidence is silent. Insecurity is loud!”

This saying speaks volumes.

If you are a confident market leading brand, you don’t need much to sell your product. But if you are a brand that is competing with a market leader then why look insecure? Why demand benefit lists as long as your arm? Truly the sub-plot of what you are asking an intelligent copywriter to do is go against their training. So put your best proposition forward and “fake it until you make it” … keep to your single minded propositions.

But yes if there is a compelling argument and a need to be informative, educational, instructional and highlight the benefits in longer copy, flyers and brochures. Yet be to the point, so often clients and marketers believe that you can and should write a novel inside this material. This is long form copy and it has to be light and conversational do its job well.

 

 

2. The Basic Hierarchy of copywriting and it’s Use In Design.

We at Wildfire suggest you resist the urge to look insecure. Unless the writing is highly relevant or requires specific detail that elevates the brand and the product. There is always exceptions to every rule.

But really within these editorial designs copywriters, journalist have a arsenal of tools at their disposal to create great effective copy and carry the reader through this information engaged and inspired by the client or author of the communication.

There is a Hierarchy to copywriting and Storyscaping in modern design communications. Writing with these principles in mind confidently delivers brand story, benefits, employs product history or back story, can evoke emotions and create a page turning brochure or a engaging flyer with the perfect tone of voice and call to action.

The Classic Structure

• The Headline: This is the most important opener. This is where you “break the ice” with the audience and it must have; and idea, a promotion, a premise, hook, punchline or proposition. Ask a question, be exciting, solve a problem, but do something more than just present “a Title” a brochure or flyer.
• The Sub- Headline or Qualifying Line or Deck:  This is where you elevate your hook or underline your premise with some justification, authority, further premise or ground braking statistic. An Award reference or explore something more emotional that drums home the punchline.
• Intro/preamble: More for longer copy, but a pert preable or introduction can be good if you need your reader to wade through some technical details. It’s a good way to entice them into taking the time to get behind you and your product.
• Optional titles/creative headlines to paragraphs: Breaking paragraphs up is often important in reports or annual reports or long copy brochures when explaining a complex and dynamic product. Like chapter headings titles help readers navigate long copy and can really guide them through what’s relevant or exciting to them.
• The main copy or text: Either keep it short and sweet or if you have to go for longer copy try to find some relevant and entertaining stories to infuse within your copy. Examples that demonstrate your point, analogies, idioms and humour are all great ways to keep the reader interested.
• Optional Quote/ testimonial or Pull out from the main Copy: Magazines do this all the time. They take a great point out of the text and highlight it graphically on the page. Sometimes statistics or at other times a grand quote. But something big, juicy or just really damn interesting is a great way to hook your reader into your article. Wildfire’s tip after all the magazine editorial is that you always design the “Quote” or “Pull out” in the layout either exactly where the quote is in the story or design the quote so you read it first and then find it shortly after in the copy. Anyhow this is just a personal preference.
• Lists or Bullet points: Not a great fan! Because, we believe and think they get overused. The design often takes up a lot of layout space and people could write better more creative powerful writing in a sentence than just presenting laundry lists of benefits. It can come off as lazy writing so be mindful of their use. We mention them here just as a guide and yes as part of our big list within a list![insert big smile here.]
• Optional price points, boxes and panelled text or flashes highlighting extras: Using graphic tools to highlight copy can really engage your user. Design these elements can be great fun for a designer. Finding balance in a layout and finding relevance is important. Don’t ever just use one as a gimmick. They are very powerful tools on the right advertising material and often using them unexpectedly is really clever too. “Spoof the flash!” Wildfire suggests and always looks deep into this when clients flipantly ask for flashes and tables and infographics. Research your competition, research your design trends, beg the question “are you just following or are you leading?” What is the use of these elements overtime in the same advertising arena? And be very clever with their use. Make the call! Great use of graphic elements will always elevate your story and copy if done well in the right time and place.
• A Punchline or Conclusion or Closing line: Every single minded proposition has a few ways to say it. Sometimes you have a killer punchline but you need to set it up and surprise the reader. Sometimes this is best saved until the final line. So if you liken your punchlines to a boxing combination and go for a knock out round and a strong combination of ideas punchlines can be killers!Lets take this little combo:

1. A headline can be a powerful hook to get the reader in.
2. The copy in a few quick sentences can highlight a few more benefits and qualify your products premise. Prime the punchline and up the excitement.
3. The Closing line seals the deal and slams home the punchline delivering a combination of call to action and confidence that resonates with the audience.

• A Call to Action: A super cool tool to use. It can also be done well or done with out the client even knowing it. It’s often how you set up and stage your words. like a great performance copy can sweep you of your feet and in the end have you rising in the stalls applauding the writing. It doesn’t always have to be … “call us on this number today!” Be innovative be clever. Think long and hard over how you want to sell yourself and how you create action out of customers.
• Optional terms and conditions, folios on pictures/graphics or footnotes: More an editorial thing to do but don’t discount this in advertising and marketing brochures. Educated people are accustomed to formalities and legal requirements because it demonstrates the quality and importance of the document. Get it right, do it well and allow for this in your designs. Or find other ways to house the information like direct your reader to the website for a policy disclosure document. At any rate Wildfire have mentioned it hear as part of a complete list. When it comes to design if companies need this on documents we want to know about it upfront in the briefing so we can design the UX or the UI according to the either the client or find a innovative way of maybe keeping this information accessible but out of the main thrust of communication.
• Company Tag line: In our Brand essence workshops we often come up with great tag lines that elevate your company or products. But because this is more of an umbrella for what you stand for or the essence of your company it often stands alone from the day-to-day copy, headlines and marketing push of the advertising. So great to include with formal corporates, but in a lot of cases you can just leave them off depending on the type of brands you are advertising.
• Contact information and social media considerations: All import these days is how you connect with your audience or customer. There are so many ways so be mindful of how much stuff, and I mean ‘Stuff’ you put on the base plate of your advertising.

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2. Set Up, Turn and Punchline.

 

“Setting up” combinations. Creating suspense and intrigue, or presenting a problem to be solved is a great way to “turn” the clients mental thoughts to their needs. The deliver your Knock out “Punchline!”

Copy writing is an art. You have to move like a butterfly and sting like a bee! Surprise your audience! Suspend their disbelieve! Take risks and create some character and personality in your writing. Then you become engaging. Then your deliver your cleverness and they get it! Because they have been entertained, given something, you haven’t made it boring and they love to unwrap your idea as they move through your story.

Set up your premise. Lay on some charm and humour or tell your story with some punch and then take the set up from earlier and deliver your winning lines! This combination is like a great cartoon, a great joke, a three act movie script or the use of triplets in music. The human experience and peoples senses are always looking for resonance with patterns, rhythms and synergy of life. So when writing your need to be aware that you just can’t beat your audience or readers over the head with a baseball bat! Hide your cleverness in your copy and find rhythm and pause and them engage.

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3. Copywriting That Delivers 1:4.

 

The concept of writing an idea that has the power ratio of 1:4.

It’s a little hard to describe, but here goes! When you are writing copy you are looking for the right combination that gives you “goose-bumbs”. The words tickle your imagination and give you the feeling that you have “cracked and idea.”

The copy-lines should have a surreal quality about them. They communicate something bigger than you could have ever imagined. This is the power of 1:4.

When I was first introduced to this concept it was explained to me like a maths equation or an economics problem. It’s funny then, that an ex-accountant turned creative director was explaining it. But go with me on this.

If your marketing and advertising spend equates to a concept that ONLY just sells through and doesn’t elevate the brand or the promotion then you have a 1:1 or 1:2 advertising concept or copy-line. The if the idea is a “20% Sale” then you are underselling your creative even more! Because of the discount factor in the Marketing. Think retail now you are going to spend all this money backing an idea that has NO return on Investment … It’s a 1:1 idea! Plus you client is going to discount the products by 20% too! That’s not helping your client stay in business and it’s not really giving your client great advertising premise.

Just saying “Hey Guys this month everything is 20% off” is retail suicide.

The 1:4 concept demands that you create a concept that has a call to action or a creative line of thinking that elevates your brand or client or promotion. Like creates a new platform to sell the same old tired products that everyone wants or needs but in a whole new way that no one expects. A recent idea that did very well and was a 1:4 idea was the “Western Australia Tourism, DUNDEE spoof at the American Super Bowl.” In the past, although over done now, was the invention of “Brand Power” Advertising and before that the invention of “The Stocktake Sale” or “Clearance Sale”. These sales don’t sell on price they sell on an idea and the fact that they are a limited time only event. But even if they do discount they also have items at full price so when people get in a shopping frenzy they buy, buy, buy like crazy. Hence they have a 1:4 effect on the sales rather than a 1:1 effect damaging margins and profits.

In Advertising we are in the game to make our client’s money not waste it on bland and dumb ideas. Sure the client has to take the risks, but better to offer 1:4 ideas and get lucky several times than offer 1:1 and have to break even every time to stay relevant as a creative.

At wildfire we like to “Think Big!” We love chasing the idea of 1:4 concepts and writing lines that have big appeal. It’s it time you bought a piece of our thinking to spark your next campaign ideas?

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4. Legibility, Typography and Understanding That ‘Less is More’.

Legibility is so important and readability too. Copywriting can sometimes lack in both. Infusing ideas into copy editing and rewriting, well you can lose the thread of the idea or lose the plot along the way.

This is why less is more and keeping to singleminded propositions. It’s best to stick with one key concept and drive it home in 1, 2, or 3 simple acts across a poster, flyer or brochure. If it’s a billboard people are driving by so you need to get your message across in under ten words. Images can help with conveying your message, so deliver your copy so that the words evoke a response in your audience quickly and without any confusion to what you are alluring to.

People have to get the message. It has to be legible. It has to resonate! It has to be right on the money and concept must be poignant and elevate the brand so that the reader or customer or audience “get’s it!” It has to evoke a response. If it doesn’t or if it falls short in anyway (and there are many ways an idea can flop like a b-grade movie at the box office). Then as a creative you aren’t really doing your job.

Make sure the writing carries your idea. Conveys your concept well and if you can say it better stay up late and rewrite it a thousand ways until you find that magic moment where the idea comes to life like never before.

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5. Write With The “Big idea” or The “Billboard Slogan” in Mind!

I’ll keep this one to a few quick lines. All great big ideas should be “short and punchy.” The english language is so diverse. In saying this, a  good copywriter should find “The line” that rolls of the tongue and makes such a poignant point that it has that profound quality that makes you think twice. This is how you express your big ideas! This is how you create your “Billboard Slogan!”

Like a billboard, keep it to 10 words or less!

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6. Write As If Using “Verbs” Not “Nouns”.

Professionally, one of the biggest mistakes you can easily make in advertising is when a copywriter is either forced to or just uses or writes a straight up “marketing premise” or “marketing line” with no real vernacular or fun to it.   It’s bland, has no poignancy,  and is lazy writing. I guess you can if the marketing line grand and relevant and has some sparkle. If it’s pure strategic gold, then do employ it straight up.

But normally marketing direction and development are “the products”, “the benefits” or “the nouns” of marketing a product (The 5 or 7 “p’s” of Marketing). Advertising takes a different view or direction. Advertising strategies try to put these in action, demonstrate the premise, engage the imagination. Advertising copy is about elevating the idea making it “a verb” putting the product into scenario that highlights marketing strategy and by putting these “nouns” in action “adds value to it” creates the magic and taps into the customers psyche. Marketing should be the subtext and underlying strategy that everyone gets from your entertaining, profoundly clever and engaging copywriting.

I like to think that marketing and advertising strategies are both powerful entities in their own right. But they have duel purposes. Combined and working in partnership they have explosive chemistry. If Marketing has powerful “nouns” and advertising has the right “verbs” the combination of the two makes a “powerful sentence.” A volatile cocktail of imaginative fire-power, that will catapult your products to “the top of mind” in the imagination of your consumer or your target audience.

 

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7. Employing ‘Concrete Poetry’.

Back in design school I was given an assignment to do what was called “Concrete Poetry”. This was employing either fonts and typography to create a creative feeling around my poem. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about think of the sex pistol posters and writing. Using random tore from the pages of a newspaper to illustrate the destructive commentary and anarchy of “Punk Rock”.

Another way people create concrete poetry is by using emoji’s or illustrations instead of words. Like classic stickers “I love NY” using a love heart and now the very common place use of smilie faces in text messages. Concrete poetry is the graphic combination of images, font use, words and graphics to create a headline that has character or gives the reader an artistic sense of the premise or sets the tone of the advertising or communication.

Use words like “Visual Poetry!”

Concrete, as in employing a pattern, or shaping the typography of the words and  poetry into an arrangement of linguistic style. Using elements in which “the typographical effect is more important in conveying meaning” than verbal significance.

It’s just an idea, and it’s pretty out of the box! But as designers, art directors and copywriters strive for “originality” and  “conveying meaning” and “graphic impact” the art of concrete poetry has a real thought provoking aesthetic. It’s true to both art directors and copywriters but as it relates more to the visual than to the verbal art, then there is a considerable overlap in the kind of product to which it refers this style of writing and you could say it truly “marries both visual and written together”.

Many advertising creatives and Television commercials have employed a style of Concrete Poetry over the years and animated graphically, headlines, and punchlines, and tag lines to explore the visual vernacular of ideas it was an art that for my personal interest didn’t want to leave out of a copywriting list.

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8. Using The Vernacular.

Using speech to convey your premise. Nothing is catchier than a great “one liner!” they stand out in movies, go viral, get reused and spoofed and last for years in people’s imaginations. If you are just telling a person about your product you are lecturing to them. If you are propelling the product or the premise or the idea in the vernacular or in the language that the audience relates to and they are taking up your language and engaged in the words then they are doing the advertising for you. If you can attach the ideas and concepts to your brand of product so much so that people adopt your copy lines as their vernacular to describe their want or need then you are on a winning advertising line. Tag lines are great for this and even product names can become household names. Think of “Hoover” vacuum cleaners, “Coke” is and always will be Coca Cola. American Express “Don’t leave home without it!” or like when CUB’s Victoria Bitter (VB) expressed thirst “For a hard earned thirst there’s VIC! That big cold beer is VIC! Victoria Bitter! Matter of fact I’ve got it now!” Anyway I think you get the picture. Writing has to be as friendly as your mate, your friend your lover or pet dog. You have to speak to people with emotion and passion and sometimes it doesn’t seem to make sense until you put all the pieces together.

Yet, putting a casual spin on a serious marketing proposition is a surefire way to get your message across. Finding a spoken rhythm to your language will get your message out there and into the language of the day. It get your copywriting used and reused time and time again. It helps position your brand and helps you quickly climb the ladder of competition in the customers mind to build brand loyalty and awareness. It also builds confidence and shows you speak from a place of confidence rather than coming across as patronising.

It’s about finding a “tone of voice” too! It’s like creating a subtle body language with the context of your words to deliver the emotive premise of your idea. There is an art to this, but if you only write with nouns and facts and stats and don’t get into the abstract nature of creative copywriting then you’ll never elevate your brand to great heights. It will always be run of the mill.

 

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9. Telling Your Story.

Finally, copy writing is all about telling a story. So you have to be setting a scene, exploring the problems people face and using your product to become the solution. There are many approaches to storytelling: Use of contrast, conflict resolution, juxtaposition, opposites, quality, timelessness, risk, courage, talking about supporting a cause or charity. An emotive story with compassion, love, action, graphic impact, suspense, horror, thriller, mystery and intrigue, sagacity and sarcasm. Use a cinematic story or history, character stories, presenters, sponsorships, use of associations and authority or credentials, Awards, celebrations and anniversaries, Milestones and accomplishments. Highlight partnerships and takeovers, innovations and science, breakthroughs or science fiction, fantasy, parody, analogies, humour and comedy. Take your pick, find your story and tap into your audience.

Not all, but a lot of marketers and clients these days, don’t seem to want either spend “the time” or “the money” exploring their product’s story. Is it because they don’t know how? or they are too caught in the “sales”, “discounts” and “gimmick” trap?

Developing these stories and investing in them over the long term. Consider the stories I have highlighted above. They bring emotions, personality and abstract ideas that bring to life products and services as if they were human. There is a connection then that a target audience can relate to and believe in. There is a communication that underpins the brand to the consumer.

It has nothing to do with ‘price’ or ‘discounts’ or ‘selling short’ your brand or product in any way shape or form. If a client can’t see the value in these stories and doesn’t want to invest in their brand story only their sales and discounts then really they are just acting like followers not leaders of industry. I guess in a way their story isn’t worth selling. But every product has a story and every premise has a way to better it’s position in the market using stories. So we hope to inspire this within our clients.

At Wildfire we hope to prove that copywriting is about “value adding through story” and writing. What these stories do is create a ‘depth of character’ that truly over time “endears your market” to the brand and gives your brand ‘value’, ‘self worth’ and ‘pride’ in the product that you as clients stand by.

Copywriting is about telling all of these stories and more. Employing all of these in our ideas and our strategies to harness the human emotions in our audience to see your products being used and desired in their everyday lives. At wildfire we understand this human attraction to brands and products that’s why we like to call our perspective on advertising “Creative Storyscaping.”

We hope these nine ways have inspired you to think differently about the power of words and copywriting in the future. Invest in your brand story and you will create certainty of your marketing and advertising outcomes.

 

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