THE LIFE OF A FERGUSON

COPY INTERN

By Jennifer Cohen

“GOOD COPY CAN'T BE WRITTEN WITH TONGUE IN CHEEK, WRITTEN JUST FOR A LIVING. YOU'VE GOT TO BELIEVE IN THE PRODUCT.”

Who said this?

A) John Nosta – Ferguson Creative Director

B) David Ogilvy – Father of Advertising

C) Matt Giegerich– CEO of Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide

June 23, 1911–July 21, 1999 The Theory and Practice of Selling the

AGA cooker“finest sales instruction manual ever

written” Springboard to his advertising career:

Mather & Crowther in London The birth of direct advertising Started his own agency called Ogilvy,

Benson, and Mather with $6,000

OGILVY: A BRIEF HISTORY

FAMOUS ADVERTISEMENTS WRITTEN BY DAVID OGILVY

Research Professional discipline Creative brilliance Results for clients

WHAT DOES A COPYWRITER DO?

Creates language to enhance the image of a

product or instill a desired mood Goal=promote product sales and product

awareness Collaborates with other team members Researches the product and discovers

even the smallest nuances and advantages Writes headlines, eyebrows, body copy, etc. Diligently checks for mistakes in copy Adds annotations and completes referencing Sells ideas to clients

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD COPYWRITER

Creativity The ability to think under pressure Works well with others Relatable to the audience Curious, observant, and thorough Writes unique copy or strategy Good public speaker and listener Able to paraphrase, re-word, and rewrite Not afraid of research Sees the bigger picture of the brand,

not just the one advertisement

HOW DOES A COPYWRITER FIT INTO THE CREATIVE PROCESS?

1. Creative Brief (CB)2. Work Order

Copywriter meets with teams at an input meeting

3. Estimate4. Manuscript

Generates copy based on the CB. Must also reference and annotate the manuscript

5. Layout Collaborates with art team

and offers suggestions on visuals, design, copy placement, charts, etc.

Signs off on this and makes necessary changes

6. Med Legal Review Incorporates LMR for

art team

7. Mechanical Piece routes through

whole team as changes are made

8. Disk Release Piece routes through

whole team

9. Matchprint Piece routes through

whole team

10. Final piece

THE DOS AND DON’TS OF COPYWRITING

(ACCORDING TO THE INTERN) DO:

Think in pictures Push the envelope creatively Re-word and re-think until it sounds perfect Edit and edit again Reference EVERYTHING and keep it up-to-date

DO NOT: Use cliches, which include:

Bridges, lock & key, puzzle piece, bird cage, rainbow, swiss army knife, etc. (if you must, make it your own)

Hold back!

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE

COPY INTERN

BRANDS I WORKED WITH:

REFERENCING

VALCYTE PI (PHYSICIAN’S INSERT)

ANOTHER PART OF COPYWRITING:

MARKET RESEARC

H

WHAT IS MARKET RESEARCH?AND HOW I HELPED WITH IT Market research is a technique to find out

how doctors view certain products, diseases, the competition, etc.

It occurs in big cities/states such as Chicago, NYC, Texas, Los Angeles, etc. Goal: to see geographical differences in

opinion so that the results are representational of the whole U.S., despite the small sample

Copywriters travel to listen and gain insight from the interviews

Transcriptions Watching and listening

PHARMACEUTICAL MARKETING LINGO 101

HCP

B2B

JOB BAG

PI

DOF

POV

OTC

Consumer vs. professional

Advertisement vs. brand

QUESTIONS?

Thank you for a great summer and

this wonderful opportunity!

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