The art of long copy - reignited

It is not often you find print advertising with long body copy anymore. Perhaps a paragraph or two or a few short lines, but nothing to inspire the real reader like those classic Timberland ads from the seventies. Some people might say the art of long copy is dead. 

And yet we are reading more than ever. 

The reality is that good content is very much alive, and in great demand.

Writing long copy is what many digital writers are doing every day, in blogs, articles, web copy, newsletters and online editorial. And people are reading it. (Although, in reality they are probably scanning more than reading.) 

I am therefore very pleased to share a campaign of ads that featured in the local Cape newspapers recently, which could most definitely be described as “long copy ads”, in the traditional sense.

Birdlife of South Africa.

The campaign featured, among other elements, three newspaper ads, which were initiated by Birdlife of South Africa. They present, in fascinating detail, the reasons for the plight of different birds in our country, ending with a plea for greater understanding among the general public, and an invitation to join Birdlife. After reading them, I am certainly more informed – and even inspired to learn more.

What’s more, after reading them, I also felt just a hint of pride.

The reason for the latter response is that these ads were written and researched by two of my past copywriting students, while they were working at The Jupiter Drawing Room, Utopia in Cape Town. Just one year after completing their diploma in copywriting, and they have produced a piece of advertising that celebrates the art of copywriting in its truest form.

As a wise adman, Harry Gossage, once said, "Nobody reads advertising. They read what interests them, and sometimes it's an ad."

Copywriters: Gerhard Pretorious, Jonathan Pepler