Cool Copy Cats’ blog

Leonardo da Vinci as Copywriter

nobody@vox.com(Cool Copy Cats) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:06:48 -0800

The letter below, which over time has certainly been casually translated demonstrates that Leonardo da Vinci - inventor, engineer, sculptor, painter, musician -- should also add copywriter to his skill set. The letter was sent to Ludovico Sforza - The Duke of Milan in 1482. Notice that right away Leonardo points out that he can up the ante on the competition. His letter is skillfully crafted and very persuasive. He stresses the BENEFITS of his services and finally, in closing, he makes the Duke an offer he can't (and doesn't) refuse -- a no risk trial. For the next 17 years, Leonardo, produced a wide array of projects for Ludovico Sforza.

Most illustrious Lord, having now sufficiently seen and considered the proofs of all those who count themselves masters and inventors of instruments of war, and finding that their invention and use of the said instruments does not differ in any respect from those in common practice, I am emboldened without prejudice to anyone else to put myself in communication with your Excellency, in order to acquaint you with my secrets, thereafter offering myself at your pleasure effectually to demonstrate at any convenient time all those matters which are in part briefly recorded below.

I have plans for bridges, very light and strong and suitable for carrying very easily, with which to pursue and at times defeat the enemy; and others solid and indestructible by fire or assault, easy and convenient to carry and place in position. And plans for burning and destroying those of the enemy.
When a place is besieged I know how to cut off water from the trenches, and how to construct an infinite number of bridges, battering rams, scaling ladders, and other instruments which have to do with the same enterprise.
Also if a place cannot be reduced by the method of bombardment, either through the height of its glacis or the strength of its position, I have plans for destroying every fortress or other stronghold unless it has been founded upon rock.
I also have plans for making cannon, very convenient and easy of transport, with which to hurl small stones in the manner almost of hail, causing great terror to the enemy from their smoke, and great loss and confusion.
And if it should happen that the engagement was at sea, I have plans for constructing many engines most suitable either for attack or defence, and ships which can resist the fire of all the heaviest cannon, and powder and smoke.
Also I have ways of arriving at a certain fixed spot by caverns and secret winding passages, made without any noise even though it may be necessary to pass underneath trenches or a river.
Also I can make armoured cars, safe and unassailable, which will enter the serried ranks of the enemy with their artillery, and there is no company of men at arms so great that they will break it. And behind these the infantry will be able to follow quite unharmed and without any opposition.
Also, if need shall arise, I can make cannon, mortars, and light ordnance, of very beautiful and useful shapes, quite different from those in common use.
Where it is not possible to employ cannon, I can supply catapaults, mangonels, trabocchi, and other engines of wonderful efficacy not in general use. In short, as the variety of circumstances shall necessitate, I can supply an infinite number of different engines of attack and defence.
In time of peace I believe I can give you as complete satisfaction as anyone else in architecture in the construction of buildings both public and private, and in conducting water from one place to another.

Also I can execute sculpture in marble, bronze, or clay, and also painting, in which my work will stand comparison with that of anyone else whoever he may be.

Moreover, I would like to undertake the work of the bronze horse, which shall endue with immortal glory and eternal honour the auspicious memory of the Prince your father and of the illustrious house of Sforza.

And if any of the aforesaid things should seem impossible or impractical to anyone, I offer myself as ready to make trial of them in your park or in whatever place shall please your Excellency, to whom I commend myself with all possible humility.

Leonardo da Vinci

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5 Tips for Writing More Effectively

nobody@vox.com(Cool Copy Cats) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:02:10 -0800

Based on the research of Rudolph Flesch -- Why Johnny Can't Read -- and co-creator of The Flesch/Kincaid Reading Ease Rating.

Tips for writing - more effectively

Use short sentences. The easiest sentence to read is an average of 8 words. Particularly when constructing body copy, do not ever use a sentence longer than 32 words – average of 16 words.
Put one thought in one paragraph. And make the paragraph short, especially the first one.
Use vibrant language. For example, don’t say purchase when you can say buy – don’t say complimentary breakfast --- say FREE breakfast.
Cut the fat! Useless fluff that doesn’t do anything but drag down the reading pace – start to notice how much you see useless copy that isn’t necessary (see??? – I could have left off “that isn’t necessary”) Red flags -- for free – knock off for – miss out on – knock off out on – emergency situation – you don’t need to say situation. Whether speaking or writing, train yourself to be mindful of language!
Unlearn the use of clichés and puns. They may have been cute in grade school – but they shout AMATUER for writers. At the end of the day, when push comes to shove, at end of the day etc etc etc.

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Don't forget the quiz on Wednesday - 1/23

nobody@vox.com(Cool Copy Cats) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:31:41 -0800

The quiz will cover the first two chapters of The Elements of Copywriting. It will be essay and fill in the blank. For the first quiz, I thought it would be helpful to you to have a study guide. See below.

Chapter One: The Fundamentals of Persuasive Writing

Copywriting is at its core persuasive writing. When you construct an ad or a pitch, you are trying to sell a person, a product – an idea etc. In short you are trying to hook your audience and motivate them to DO something – buy, vote, go to church, donate to a charity etc.

A successful ad contains the following 8 elements:

1. Gets attention

Sex appeal

Appealing Pictures – proven ones that work are puppies, babies – think hallmark

Ads that are specific stand out because so many ads are NOT specific

Free, low price

Bold lettering – 60% off TODAY like on retail signs

Ask a question – “why is Mrs. Stewart smiling?”

Inject news into your ad – or say a product is new and improved

2. Focuses on the customer

Always remember your product or service is secondary to your audience. In order for your pitch – whatever it is to be successful, you must get inside the head of your audience – understand their preferences, quirks and needs. One of the reasons there was so much ballyhoo about the iPhone was that in the cell phone market, the general consensus was that people did not like their cell phone. Apple found out why – exactly what was it about cell phones people didn’t like and moved forward to design a phone people would like.

Another good way to focus on your customer is to address them directly – like in a mail campaign Dear Home Owner or Dear Mrs. Smith –

TO understand the prospective customer – go to where THEY live. Like if you have been hired to write a brochure on fire extinguishers go to some trade shows, read some magazines about fire safety – build a focus group or study focus groups findings – subscribe to pertinent newsletters.

3. Stresses benefits

It is never enough to only stress features; benefits must be spelled out as well – what is the difference between a feature and a benefit – a benefit is saving money, looking better feeling fitter, being happy – a feature is a design element that may help to bring about a benefit for the customer.

4. Differentiates your product from the competition

Some famous examples:

“the breakfast of champions” – what does this advertise?

“melts in your mouth not in your hand” M&Ms -- Go to this link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%26M%27s) and be prepared to explain how this branding slogan came about.

-- the maytag repair man campaign –

“dr. pepper” - I drink dr. pepper cause I’m proud – I’m part of the original crowd

lexus automobiles

5. Proves its case

Back up your claims with evidence the customer can understand

State your track record if it’s good – case histories or testimonials – I’ve always thought testimonials were a little cheesy -- they work better in my opinion if the “testifier” allows potential customers to contact them for verification – in a way this is a core concept of eBay –

6. Establishes credibility

As far as convincing a customer that you have the product or service they want, your company’s story is of little importance to them – they simply want to know if you can deliver on your promise – sometimes when a brand is firmly established – the brand of the product does become a factor – apple, ford, levis, Gibson guitars, kraft – are all examples of companies that have firmly established brand loyalty.

Some commonly used credentials include: year founded, number of locations, number of units sold, awards, seals of approval, media coverage, number of customers.

7. Builds value

Convince the customer that what you are selling is worth more than what they are paying for it. If the initial cost of your product is higher – for instance for a pair of shoes, explain that the shoe comes with sole replacement for life – this builds value AND establishes credibility AND differentiates from competition.

8. Closes with a call to action

All successful copy in ads has an element that spurs the customer to DO something – and once again clarity plays an important role because you have to be specific about what you’re asking the prospective customer to do. A few examples:

Early bird special

Moonlight madness

Rebates

Other good examples of campaigns that frequently employ “calls to action” are political groups such as MoveOn – go to the site look around and be prepared to explain at least one “call to action” strategy used by MoveOn.

_______________________________________________________________________

Chapter Two: Headlines

Just like when you first meet a person, your initial impression of an ad, a commercial, a brochure etc. packs a punch. In many ways, this first impression will determine if the ad is a success or a failure. With an ad, the first impression is usually made with the headline and the visual. We will focus on the headline.

A Good Headline will:

1. Get inside the head of a customer and appeal to the interests of its target audience – Basically, potential customers want to know WHAT a product or service will do for THEM and how much they will have to pay for it or even better HOW much money will it SAVE them. Benefits should be stressed FIRST and features explained later. Headlines should REWARD the reader in some way and guide them into reading the body copy. Though it may be tempting to exaggerate benefits, beware of over promising in headlines. This will make your audience suspicious.

2. Get attention – remember to think about what your customer wants – and state what the product does using positive language like – “the perfect mate” – “we have the solution” – Another way to get attention is to use words like new and improve – design the headline like an announcement – something that generates excitement – a discovery. Other attention getting words are: free; bargain; easy; guarantee; proven –

3. Steer clear of gimmicks – look 10 years younger in 10 minutes, make a million with our cold calling techniques – etc. The Dermitage ad is a prime example of a gimmicky headline.

4. Appeal to its target audience. For example don’t try to sell underwire bras to men – don’t send Viagra coupons to women. Don’t be redundant: Penile enlargement for men – maternity clothes for pregnant women

5. Deliver a meaningful message – most people only skim the headlines of ads – so it is crucial to hook your customer here – the headline is the crux of what the product or service does – this valuable piece of advertising space is where you want to be clear and concise – and informative – it’s the place where you want to spell out in the simplest terms what the product is and why the customer wants it.

6. Lead the customer into the body copy – the most effective way to accomplish this is to arouse curiosity.

7. Strike the reader as compelling

8. Be creative but not at the expense of making your pitch unclear – if you have to choose between cleverness and clarity – choose clarity.

9. Work well with visual components – the headline and the visual components are the most important elements of an ad – they should work together and they should stand alone in getting your message across – a good way to remember this: when assessing the effectiveness of your ad, ask yourself if the headline and the visual could work all by themselves as a poster.

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A brief overview of the Client/Copywriter Project

nobody@vox.com(Cool Copy Cats) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:45:25 -0800

Objective
To give students a greater understanding of the different levels of product marketing as experienced by the copywriter AND the client.

Description
This project will run throughout the semester. Each student shall be responsible for a randomly chosen product. Students will pair off in a “role playing” fashion with one being the client and the other, the copywriter. All students will have a chance to play both roles.
________________________________________

Research: The beginning phase for each team should be spent on research. The owners (clients) should be able to demonstrate that they KNOW every facet of their product – what are the selling points, who is the target audience, who or what is the competition. What are the strengths and weaknesses of their product? Likewise, the “hired” copywriter should independently develop product research. Students should be able to show what kinds of research they’ve done and what sources they utilized.

TIP: When putting together product campaigns, a huge amount of time and energy is devoted to research. The importance of research cannot be stressed enough. Not giving research its due is a sure sign that amateurs are at work.

The Headline: After many hours of research, drafting and creative juicing, the copywriter should be ready to present three options for the product’s headline and explain their ideas.

TIP: Last year, Kenn Compton suggested learning how to write haiku would be excellent training for creating headlines. The more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right. Like headlines, haiku is written with clarity and without embellishment. Like a well-conceived headline, a good haiku has an emotional impact on the reader. Check out the link below for more information on what haiku is and how to write one.

http://shiki.cc.ehime-u.ac.jp/~shiki/

Body Copy: After the headline, the copywriter will begin drafting the body copy. If the main purpose of the headline is to hook the reader, then the body copy should reel them in.

TIP: The best copywriters understand the importance of clarity. Writing good body copy is not about being a clever wordsmith, it’s about being clear and concise.

Each of these stages will involve presentations, which should be conducted in a professional manner. We’ll work on that too. Finally, each student will have a chance to produce a brochure on their product and present it to the class.

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Assignment for Wednesday 1/16

nobody@vox.com(Cool Copy Cats) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:43:43 -0800

Please have your essays ready on Wednesday -- a 1-2 (or more if you're so inclined) page paper on you and something you are passionate about. This will help me get to know you better and give me some interesting reading material over the holiday. If you prefer, you may email the essay to me as long as I get it tonight.

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Syllabus for GRD 282 - Advertising/Copywriting (SP_08)

nobody@vox.com(Cool Copy Cats) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:46:27 -0800

GRD 282 Advertising Copywriting

Syllabus
Instructor: Deanna Lynn Campbell
Office Location: By appointment
Instructor email: deanna.campbell@cpcc.edu or deanna@editorialservices.net

Required Textbook
The Elements of Copywriting (Blake/Bly)

The Elements of Copywriting: The Essential Guide to Creating Copy That Gets the Results You Want

Suggested Books
Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great Ads (Sullivan)

Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great Ads, Second Edition

The Adweek Copywriting Handbook (Sugarman)

The Adweek Copywriting Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Powerful Advertising and Marketing Co

On Writing Well (Zinsser)

On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction (On Writing Well)

Prerequisites
ENG 111

Course Description
Welcome to GRD282 Advertising Copywriting. This course will focus on what why and how words make advertising successful. It will be tempting to veer into the lush world of icons and hip graphics and sometimes impossible to separate the two, but we will spend most of our time and energy learning how to use words to craft a message that is clear and memorable.

Copywriting is everywhere. And whether or not it casts a poor or favorable light on what or whomever it is spotlighting depends on how purposefully it is conceived and how well it is constructed. This goes for political posters, CD and magazine covers, newspaper ads, those irritating Sunday circulars, restaurant menus and electronic communications – even milk cartons. The list is infinite and fluctuating.

One of the first rules of copywriting is there are no rules. What is considered incorrect in English composition may be appropriate in copywriting. Perhaps the most famous example of this is Apple’s “Think Different” campaign. Nobody redlined that of course, and it went on to become one of the most successful branding slogans ever.

GRD282 will be a mixture of projects, presentations and quizzes. Class participation is encouraged and will be a sizable part of your overall grade. We will rely on The Elements of Copywriting as our guide, but we will also utilize important web resources and supplemental readings. No projects will be started until the class has covered and been tested on the first section of The Elements of Copywriting – Copywriting Fundamentals.

So once again, welcome. We are going to have fun exploring the power of words. I look forward to getting to know all of you. I am always accessible via email. Feel free to contact me anytime during the semester if you need anything.

Requirements
Students are expected to attend all classes for which there is no mutually agreed upon adequate excuse for absence. Attendance at all exams is required and make-up opportunities are allowed only for absences specifically excused by the instructor in advance. The student is always responsible for any assignments, new material, lecture notes or other work or grade opportunities missed due to absences.

Students are required to purchase the textbook for the course. Assigned chapters must be read prior to class meetings.

Division policy states that any instance of cheating, plagiarism, or other form of academic dishonesty may result in a grade of F (failing) for the course. Unless designated otherwise by the course instructor, all work on exams or any special assignments is expected to be done independently, with no illicit assistance from any other person, in appearance or in fact. For any questions concerning what constitutes academic dishonesty, make-up work, or attendance, consult the course instructor. A division policy statement is available concerning these issues.

(1) The grade will be determined in the following manner:

4 Comprehension Quizzes, 100 points each = 400 points
Semester Long Client/Copywriter Project Parts A & B, 500 points each = 1,000 points
2 Projects, 100 points each = 200 points
1 Midterm Exam, 200 points = 200 points
1 Final Exam, 300 points each = 300 points
Class Participation, 300 points = 400 points
Total Points: 2400

(2) A "W" (Withdrawal) grade will be given only if the student officially withdraws prior to the last 25 percent of the term. While withdrawing from a course is sometimes necessary, the student should know that the instructor would like an opportunity to discuss the withdrawal with you. CPCC's Academic Learning Center offers free individualized and small group tutoring, computer tutorials, and strategies for improving learning skills for those have academic difficulties. Before withdrawing, consider whether:
(a) this course is a prerequisite for another course you will want to take
(b) the course will be offered again in the future
(c) withdrawing will delay your plan to transfer or your graduation
(d) withdrawing will affect your eligibility for honors designation, your health benefits, or other financial arrangements.

(3) An "I", (Incomplete) will be given if the student's attendance is satisfactory, and the student has completed at least 90 percent of the work required for passing the course.

(4) Students also have the option of auditing a class. College credit will NOT be granted for an audited course, and the grade will be AUD. To audit a class, the student must:
(a) register for the course
(b) obtain from the Department Office, Registration Center, Welcome Center, or Area Learning Center an Audit Agreement form which must be filled out by the student and signed by the instructor and student. The form must be processed in the Registration Center prior to the 30% date for the quarter.

Grading Policy
The following grading scale will be used:
A = 100 - 90
B = 89 - 80
C = 79 - 70
D = 69 - 60
F = Below 60

Special Services Certifications
Students who have a documented disability or who think they may have a learning problem may contact the Office of Services for Students with disabilities. Instructors will provide the necessary accommodations upon the advice of the Office of Services for Students with disabilities.

Important Dates
Jan. 14 – Class begins
Jan. 21 – No class (Martin Luther King Day)
March 10 – No class (Spring Break)
March 12 – No Class (Spring Break)
May 5 – Final Exam

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