Detailed Contents

Preface xviii

1. Copy, Design, and Creativity: The Nature of Our Business 1

Who Wants to Be a Creative? 1The Golden Age of Creativity 3The Creative Team 4

Co-captain of the Creative Team 4So, What Else Does a Writer Do? 4

Controlling the Creative Process 5Where Do I Go From Here? 7Creativity and Online Media 10What’s in It for Me? 10

Knowing the Rules and When to Break Them 11You Don’t Have to Be Crazy, but It Helps 11

Before You Get Started 12Advertising, MarCom, IMC, or What? 12

MarCom (Marketing Communications) 13IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications) 14

Advertising’s Role in the Marketing Process 14Knowing What Makes the Consumer Tick 15

Creating From the Consumer’s Point of View 15Who’s Who? 18Exercises 19

2. Strategy and Branding: Putting a Face on a Product 21

Creative Strategy in the Marketing Mix 21Mad Men Versus Reality 21

Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics 21Accounting Planning—Solving the Client’s Problem 22Get the Facts 23

Where to Look for Information 24Secondary Research 24Primary Research 24

Ethnography—Immerse Yourself in Their World 26Projective Techniques—Eliciting Inner Feelings 26Interpreting Research Findings 26

Who Is the Target Audience? 26Features and Benefits 26

From the Inside: Features 27From the Outside: Benefits 27

Assembling the Facts 28Copy Platform 28Creative Brief 29Consumer Profile 30

Tone: Finding Your Voice 33What Do You Want Them to Do? 34Putting It All Together 34Think Like a Planner, but Write Like a Creative 35Branding 36Brand Image 36Branded Storytelling 38Brand Agents 39

Assume the Position 39Repositioning and Rebranding 40

Positioning Redux 41Resonance: Did You Just Feel Something? 41Extending Your Brand 44Who’s Who? 47Exercises 48

3. Legal and Ethical Issues: Doing the Right Thing 49

Corporate Social Responsibility 51Ethical Challenges Within the Advertising Industry 53Making a Difference 54Legal Concepts That Really Matter 57

Stake Your Claim 57Copyrights and Copywriting 60Use of Archive Photos 61Photography-for-Hire 62Voice Talent 62Music 62Copyrights in the Digital Age 62Using Celebrities 62Libel 63Trademarks 64

Who’s Who? 65Exercises 66

4. Issues: The Times They Are A-Changin’ 67

It’s All There in Black and White 69Can You Hear Me Now? 69Tapping Into the African American Market 70Music Is the Rhythm of Life 71

¿Cómo Se Dice Diversity en Español? 71Spanglish: The Blending of Cultures 74Dígame Más (Tell Me More) 75Tapping Into the Latino Market 75

You’re Never Too Old to Buy Something 76Connecting With Boomers

and Matures 77Tapping Into the Boomer and Mature Market 78

Don’t Ask. Don’t Tell. Just Sell. 79Just Do It 79Tapping Into the Gay and Lesbian Market 80

Children: Walking a Fine Line 81Engaging Kids 82

Women in Advertising: Have We Really Come a Long Way, Baby? 83

Hey, Big Spender, Spend a Little Time With Me 83

Tapping Into This Influential “Niche” Market 84Respect Women. Reap Rewards. 87

Did We Miss Anyone? 87A Humble Disclaimer 89

Who’s Who? 90Exercises 91

5. International Advertising: It’s a Global Marketplace 92

Geographic Context 92Cultural Dimensions 93Global Growth 95

BRIC Nations 96MIST Nations 99

Global Survival 102Strategic Approaches 103

Globalized Approaches 103Standardized Approaches 104Strategies for Success 104Strategy in Action 105Lost in Translation 106

Good-bye, До свидания, and Adiós 107Who’s Who? 108Exercises 109

6. Concepting: What’s the Big Idea? 110

How to Be Creative (Concepting Strategies) 110Working Backward: There’s Got to Be a Strategy

in There Somewhere 110Concepting by the Book 111

Concepting Approaches 112Show the Product 113Show the Benefit 113Show the Alternative 114Comparison 114Metaphors 116Borrowed Interest 117Testimonials/Case Histories 118

The Concepting Process 118Say It Straight, Then Say It Great 118Brainstorming 119Idea Starters 119Ten Tips for Better Concepts 120

Concept Testing 121Self-evaluation 121Creative Director/Account

Executive Evaluation 122Client Evaluation 122

Do the Twist 123Finding the Edge 123Does Sex Sell? 123Before You Get Edgy 124

What to Do When You’re Stuck 125Crowdsourcing: Curse or Salvation? 126Who’s Who? 128Exercises 129

7. Design: Worth a Thousand Words 131

Why Every Creative Needs to Be a Designer 131So You Want to Be an Art Director 132

Don’t Throw Away Your Pencil 132Basic Design Principles 133

Proximity 133Alignment 134

Repetition 136Contrast 136

Some Essentials 137Typography 137Color 139Selecting Your Visuals 141Finding Your Visuals 143Design and Campaign Continuity 144

Better Print Layouts 144Layout Patterns 144Layout Considerations 145

Basic Web Design 147Designing for the Web 147Designing Mobile Advertising 149

Parting Thoughts on Social Media and Nontraditional Advertising 149Putting It All Together 150

Thoughts on Software 150Evaluating Your Work 150

Who’s Who? 152Exercises 153

8. Campaigns: Synergy and Integration 155

What Is a Campaign? 155Campaigns and IMC 156

Campaign Components 156How to Enhance Continuity 157

Continuity Does Not Mean Conformity 157Extendability 158Repeatability 158How to Maximize Extendability and Repeatability 158

Consumer-Generated Campaigns 163Integrated Digital Campaigns 165Putting It All Together 166

Campaign Tips 167Who’s Who? 168Exercises 169

9. Headlines and Taglines: First Get Their Attention 171

Why Have a Headline? 171Types of Headlines 172

Proven Styles of Headlines 172Creating Headlines From Product Information 174

Writing Headlines With Style 174Ineffective Headlines 176Evaluating Headlines 178

Headline Checklist 180Subheads 181

Subhead Traps 181Preheads 182Why Have Taglines? 183How to Write More Effective Taglines 185Creating Taglines From Product Information 186Taglines Need Your Support 189Who’s Who? 189Exercises 190

10. Body Copy: Writing for Readers 192

Who Needs Body Copy? 192You Never Know When You’ll Need It 192Ads Aren’t the Only Place You’ll Need Copy 192What You Need to Know . . . and Use 193Why Do We Need Copy in Ads? 193

The Case for Long Copy 194Writing Structure 195

Types of Copy 195Writing Style 198

Advertising Is Not English (Even in English-Speaking Countries) 198

Persuade, Don’t Impress 199The “Seven Deadly Sins” of Copywriting 199Power Writing 204Checklist for Better Copy 205

You’re Not Done Yet 207Who’s Who? 208Exercises 209

11. Print: Writing for Reading 211

Magazines 211Why Magazines? 211Magazine and Campaigns 212Where to Find the Best Magazine Ads 212

Newspapers 216Why Newspapers? 216Retail Advertising 217National Newspaper Ads 218Newspapers and Campaigns 218Making Your Newspaper Ads Work Better 218

Collateral 220Who’s Who? 224Exercises 225

12. Radio and Television: Interruptions That Sell 227

Radio 227Why Radio? 227Streaming Music Services Versus Local Broadcast Radio 228

Production Considerations 229It Takes Talent to Cast Talent 229Timing Is Everything 230Is This Funny? (Comedy in Commercials) 231

A Word or Two About Dialogue 232Problem: Consumers Become Salespeople 233Problem: Stilted Language 233Problem: Gaps in Conversation 234Give Me a Jingle 234Tips and Techniques 235

Television 237Changing Standards 237Why Television? 238Limitations of Television Advertising 238How to Solve Those Special Problems 239Technology and Trends That Affect the Creative Process 240

How to Show Your Concept 240Script 240Storyboard 241Key Frame 241Scenario 241

Styles of Commercials 241Slice of Life (Problem-Solution) 241Spokesperson (Testimonial) 242Celebrity 242Story Line 243Vignettes 243Musical 244

Humor in TV 244What Makes It Funny? 245What Makes It Good? 246

Tips and Techniques 246Power Writing for TV and Video 247

Checklist for Your TV Commercial 247Presenting Your TV Commercial 248Beyond Television 250Who’s Who? 251Exercises 252

13. Digital: Second Screen, Third Screen, and Beyond 254

Our Predictions Came True: We Didn’t Know Anything! 254The Three Things 255Digital Advertising 256Web Content 258

Content Management Systems 258Microsites 261Widgets and Apps 262Writing Web Content 262

Writing for a Worldwide Web 263Web Copy and SEO 264Bounce Rates 265Branded Entertainment 265Web 3.0 and the Future 267Who’s Who? 271Exercises 272

14. Social Marketing: Creating Communities That Buy 274

Social Media Versus Social Networking 275Word-of-Mouth Marketing 276

Social Media and Word of Mouth 278Viral Marketing 279Writing Company Blogs 280Social Network Platforms 281

Facebook: The Rise of “Likenomics” 284Facebook’s Impact on Retail 285Beyond the Brand: Social Networking for Social Good 286Twitter: Tweeting Its Way Into the Mainstream 286

Keeping Up With Social Trends 289It’s Not About Technology—It’s About Engagement 291Who’s Who 292Exercises 293

15. Direct Response Marketing: Hitting the Bull’s-eye 295

Direct Marketing Defined 295Why Direct Response Marketing? 295

Components of Direct Response Marketing 296Database Marketing: Using the List 297Where to Get Information to Build Your Database 297

Customer Relationship Management 297Direct Mail 297

Envelope Mailers (Letter Package) 298Flat Self-Mailers 299Dimensional Mailers 300The Fine Art of Writing a Cover Letter 300Customization and Variable Printing 301

PURLs: Where Direct Mail Interfaces With the Internet 303E-mail 305

Writing More Effective E-mails 306Subject Line 306E-mail and Integrated Marketing Communications 307“Mocial”—Integrating With Social Media and Mobile 308Future of E-mail 308

Mobile: The Third Screen Has Come of Age 309QR Codes and Tagging 311Take One Tablet and You’re Hooked 312

The Changing Face of Direct Response Marketing 313Who’s Who? 314Exercises 315

16. Beyond Media: Everybody Out of the Box 317

Out-of-Home Advertising 317Why Out-of-Home? 317

Posters and Bulletins (aka Billboards) 318Digital and Interactive Out-of-Home Media 321

Tips and Techniques 322Transit 322Posters 323Ambient Advertising 323Guerrilla Marketing 323Out-of-Home and Campaigns 327Sales Promotion 328

Why Sales Promotion? 329Why Not? 329Types of Sales Promotions 330Promotional Strategy and Tactics 333Components of the Promotion 333Tips and Techniques for Promotion 334

Promotional Public Relations 334Event Marketing and Sponsorships 336Product Placement 337In-Game Advertising 338

Social Gaming and Marketing 338Hybrid Marketing 339Who’s Who? 340Exercises 341

17. Business-to-Business: Selling Along the Supply Chain 343

B2B: Challenges and Opportunities 343Why B2B Is Different 344Why B2B Is the Same 344

Don’t Forget Those Wants and Needs 345Agricultural Advertising: It’s Another Animal 345Professional Advertising 347

B2G: A Specialized Target Audience 347B2B and Campaigns 348Online Marketing Tools for B2B 351

Online Events 351B2B and Social Media 352

Who’s Who? 356Exercises 357

18. Survival Guide: Landing Your First Job and Thriving 359

How to Build Your Portfolio 359Inside a Junior Copywriter’s Portfolio 360Inside a Junior Art Director or Designer’s Portfolio 360What Not to Put in Your Book 361How Should You Format Your Book? 362

How to Write Your Cover Letter 363How to Write Your Résumé 363

What Not to Include 365How to Get That Entry-Level Job 366

What Agencies Are Looking For in Entry-Level Creatives 366How to Survive as an Entry-Level Creative 367What Every Junior Woman Creative Needs to Know 368

How to Talk the Talk 369How to Sell Your Work 372

How to Make It Memorable 373How to Handle Questions 374How to Think on Your Feet 375

How to Get That Next Great Job 376How to Get More Information 376

Trade Publications and Creative Magazines 376Books 377Digital Resources 378

Who’s Who? 379Words of Wisdom 380Exercises 382

Appendix 383Copy Platform (Creative Strategy Statement) 383Copyediting and Proofreading Symbols 385Radio Production Terms 386TV and Video Production Terms 388Digital Production Terms 392The Whole Book in One Page 394

Notes 395

Index 411

About the Authors 420