Where are all the future copywriters?

There is no doubt that lots of people want to be a writer. They love words and stories and dream of being a published author. Or perhaps a controversial columnist with thousands of Twitter followers. And yet there aren’t a lot of people aspiring to become a copywriter.

Or at least that’s what the numbers are saying.

Every year fewer and fewer school leavers and university graduates are applying for full-time copywriting courses. This is a trend that is being experienced by all the leading advertising colleges in South Africa, with the number of applications dropping every year.  

Blame it on the costs

Of course, an obvious reason for this trend can also be found in the numbers. Completing a course at one of these private colleges is undoubtedly a serious investment for any parent, especially in our current economic climate. A degree through a university is likely to be considerably cheaper. Money is always a factor, but then why isn’t the same issue affecting the design or marketing courses?

The problem is in the name

Most people don’t know what a copywriter is. The common assumption is that it is in some way related to legal “copyrighting”. How far from the reality of the job! The title is not an accurate description of what we do. Yes, we do write copy, but it is so much more than that. A conceptual writer would be a more fitting title, and a great deal more inspiring too. In her brilliant book on future advertising trends, Teressa Lezzi referred to people in this role as "The Idea Writers” (http://www.theideawriters.com/). That’s getting closer, but there is certainly an educational job to be done to communicate the actual role of the copywriter. 

There are no role models

It’s easy to aspire to becoming a great novelist, we are constantly exposed to poignant and enlightening literature from writers around the world. Great advertising is also being created, there is no doubt about that. And when it is great, advertising is a remarkable art form which has the power to touch people and influence society in unique ways. Unfortunately, most of the stuff of excellence is only found in art director’s annuals and awards showreels. Where would the average high school kid who loves writing ever get a chance to see it? Most of the advertising he is exposed to is not just uninspiring, but also blatantly insulting to his intelligence. Now why would he choose a career in an industry that everyone berates and ridicules around the braai?

There is work out there

This is where the paradox lies. There is an increasing demand for copywriters in the industry, not just in advertising agencies but the entire communications industry. This is not surprising considering we are living in the Communication Age, where ideas are crucial and content is king. There are plenty of English majors and journalism graduates out there, but they don’t offer the same skills as the conceptual writer.

Turning writers into copywriters

The advertising colleges play an important role in supplying this demand for the industry. The type of thinking and skills required to be an effective copywriter can be “taught”. By facilitating a collection of creative briefs in a constructive way, with the appropriate encouragement and guidance, the colleges can, and do, produce young copywriters who are able to make a positive contribution to an agency from their first day.

So the question is; where are all the future copywriters? Or perhaps it might be better to ask what the industry can do to ensure we attract new talent, and the right talent, to this role.

It is a great job, after all.

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

Radio wins awards, and the respect it deserves

I am always pleased to see radio advertising succeeding at the award ceremonies. It feels a bit like David overcoming Goliath in the context of television and other big budget integrated campaigns. Radio is so much simpler in many ways, although in no way easier. We all know it takes a great deal more time, money, people and toasted sandwiches to create a television commercial. And yet the reality is that a winning TV ad gets the same trophy on the night. 
A great radio ad can be created with one great writer, one recording session and one voice artist. It says a lot about the craft.

Radio can make you famous

There is no doubt this is a space where copywriters can shine. If you do it well, you get all the glory; and very often your name on the door of an advertising agency. But there is also nowhere to hide. Mediocre copy cannot be disguised with expert typography or given an undeserved veneer through the finesse of a talented cinematographer. It is just your idea and your words that are brought to life.

Now, young writers get a taste of fame

On this note, it is with great pride that three copywriters from my class of 2010 have experienced the small, but grand power of a few smart words on a piece of paper. And, of course, a vision of how to translate them into sounds. These young writers received a bronze award at the Loeries this year, which is not bad for the first radio script they ever produced.

These spots won’t be flighted on air as they were only created as an exercise for our radio workshop. I thought it would be a shame, however if no one else gets to hear them, as we certainly had fun working on them.

Clorets "Space prawns" by Charn Neethling
http://soundcloud.com/mandatory-read/clorets-space-prawns-radio


Clorets "Aliens" by Ameer Saban
http://soundcloud.com/mandatory-read/clorets-aliens-radio


Clorets "Roaches" by Jean Bramley
http://soundcloud.com/mandatory-read/clorets-roaches-radio

Note: Special thanks to recording studios; Milestone, B&S and Spaced Out Sound and the voice artists who are always so generous with their expertise and time in helping students with the production of their first radio commercials.

If we can't win awards, can we at least not annoy people?

While watching the proceedings at this year’s Loerie Awards I realised that I hadn’t actually seen or heard most of the ads which won awards. This means, therefore, that most of the advertising which I am experiencing is not winning any awards. Of course this is a logical reality; only the best of the best is awarded in any field. But that’s where there seems to be a gap in the logic. We can accept that not everyone is able to produce advertising that wins awards, for a multitude of reasons that aren’t always the fault of the creative team.

But why is it that most of the adverts we see and hear are of such a low standard that they actually become insulting? Is there nothing in between?

Every day I hear radio ads that shout at me, “You need to come down to our showroom now!”  “Well, actually, No, I don’t need to do that at all, and don’t tell me what to do”, is my reaction, just before I frantically change the channel. There is also the popular conversation between two friends, one of whom suddenly knows so much about the product that he is even able to recite the toll-free number and website address off by heart! And, there has to be mention of the infuriating trend to use clients as voice over artists. They might be auctioneers, lawyers or car dealers, but, hey, they saved on that artist fee.

These are just a few radio examples, but there are many others to be found in other media. And yet there are often easy ways to avoid this irritation. A sincere, straight announcer read would be preferable to a commercial that is trying to be creative, but in fact, just creates a negative feeling towards that brand. It’s not that difficult to create average advertising. So why is there this enormous gap between award-winning and downright annoying?

This reality is giving advertising a bad reputation, which has an impact on the future of our industry. Where will young aspirant copywriters and art directors be exposed to work that inspires and excites them? Most of them won’t be fortunate enough to watch a showreel of great television commercials or page through a creative advertising annual to discover the art of advertising craftsmen like Bill Bernbach or David Abbott. Instead, they will be exposed to the mass mediocrity which pollutes our media. And the result is that they will instead choose to become lawyers or auctioneers. And maybe even eventually voice their own radio ads.

This lack of basic respect to consumers is not coming from young students entering the industry. I know firsthand that young copywriters who graduate from my course have better work in their junior portfolios than most of the advertising that is actually produced, and broadcast. So what is the reason for this dismal standard of work, and how can we raise the bar just a little closer to the stuff that wins awards?

Getting the conversation started

It seems appropriate that I am writing my very first blog post just after our Digital Workshop at the AAA School of Advertising in Cape Town. This post feels long overdue, especially when I soon realised that the unwritten theme for this year’s workshop was engagement. (It was all about Google two years ago, Facebook last year.) But now it’s all about starting conversations, and so here I am.

Our final year copywriting and art direction students spent the last few weeks listening to some of the Cape’s big minds in the world of digital communication. And that included a few of my very own alumni, who were satisfyingly inspired by previous workshops and are now making their mark in the world of digital advertising.

It’s the 4^th year we’ve run this workshop at the college and there is something new to be discovered every year. The workshop featured 16 speakers on topics such as Social Media, Digital Design, Online Writing and ORM. We are very fortunate to be living in such a dynamic era, especially if you work in the field of communications.

A consistent message that was shared throughout is that the real advances in technology are not necessarily more technical, but in fact, more understanding of human behavior. Digital communications essentially maximize the meeting point between technology and humanity. It’s about so much more than websites and search engines, but talking to people respectfully and actually listening to them. In fact, exactly the way any good conversation works.

What excites me, is that is goes back to the very reason I was initially inspired to make advertising a career. It is a form of communication which, if done well, reflects an understanding of how people think, feel and experience their world. And what we learned over the last few weeks, is that it is now even easier to engage with people in a way that shows a genuine understanding of these feelings. 

Thanks to all the guest speakers involved in our workshop!