Big Little ThingsThe problem with copywriting
Let’s get right to it: copywriting sells everyone short. The going perception is that copywriters merely execute on someone else’s vision. This is no good for the writer, because when writers are excluded from the big thinking, they are forced to become mind-reading automatons, and that makes the job much more difficult and much less fun. This is no good for the client either, because hiring someone to execute means the project will never be more than the client imagines it to be.
So if you’re a writer and you care about creativity, be very careful with what you let others call you. Don’t let yourself get labeled as a copywriter.
And if you’re looking to hire someone to work with words, ask yourself if you want an automaton or a thinker.
May 2nd, 2007 at 6:53 am
Well said.
May 3rd, 2007 at 5:58 am
Got it in one, Josh. Unfortunately, too often what clients really want is an automaton, who they believe can work some magic with words. Having a thinker on board can be very disturbing, because it may push them into a position of having to think for themselves rather than relying on formulas or habits. if you can find clients, who recognise that writing can be a useful and creative form of thinking, hang on to them. In my experience they are very rare.
May 3rd, 2007 at 8:56 am
True that, Richard. They’re also the only kind of client where the work almost always turns out better than anyone could have imagined. And those are the only kind of clients we engage with.
July 25th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
This is a great post. One our Creative Director’s favorite not-so-passive-aggressive things to say at brainstorming sessions with the “suits”, is “do you want us to make it “edgy” too?” - with a straight face. You’d be surprised to hear all the “Yeah - yeah’s” from the uninitiated. Always cracks me up. I have to excuse myself often times.