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Copywriting

Copywriting

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Page 1: Copywriting

Copywriting

Page 2: Copywriting

MODULE Outline

I. Chapter Key Points

II. Copywriting: The Language of Advertising

III. Copywriting for Print

IV. How to Write Radio Copy

V. How to Write Television Copy

VI. Writing for the Web

VII. Copywriting in a Global Environment

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Key Points

• Explain the basic style used for advertising copy

• Describe the various elements of a print ad

• Explain the message characteristics and tools of radio advertising

• Discuss the major elements of television commercials

• Discuss how Web advertising is written

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Copywriting: The Language of Advertising

• Four types of ads in which words are crucial1. If the message is complicated

2. If the ad is for a high-involvement product

3. Information that needs definition and explanation

4. If a message tries to convey abstract qualities

• Copywriter– The person who shapes and sculpts the words in

an ad

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Advertising Writing Style

• Copy should be as simple as possible

• Should have a clear focus and try to convey only one selling point

• Every word counts; space and time are expensive

Practical Tips• Be succinct• Be single-minded• Be specific• Get personal• Keep a single focus• Be controversial• Be original• Use variety• Use imaginative

description

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Advertising Writing Style

• Tone of voice– To develop the right tone of voice, copywriters write to the

target audience as if they were in a conversation

• Grammar– Copywriters must know the rules of grammar, syntax, and

spelling, though they will play with a word or phrase to create an effect

• Adese– Formulaic advertising copy

– Brag-and-boast copy

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Copywriting for Print

• Display copy– Elements readers see in

their initial scanning

• Body copy– Elements that are

designed to be read and absorbed

The Headline• Key element in print

advertising• Conveys the main

message• Works with the visual to

get attention and communicate creative concept

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How to Write Headlines

• A good headline will attract those who are prospects

• The headline must work in combination with the visual to stop and grab the reader’s attention

• The headline must identify the product and brand, and start the sale

• The headline should lead readers into the body copy – Direct-action headlines

– Indirect-action headlines

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How to Write Other Display Copy

• Captions– Have the second-highest readership and serve an

information function

• Subheads– Sectional headlines used to break up a large block

of copy

• Taglines– Short, catchy, memorable phrases used at the end

of an ad to complete the creative idea

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How to Write Other Display Copy

• Slogans– Repeated from ad to ad

as part of a campaign or long-term brand identity effort

– Can also be used as taglines

Slogan Techniques• Direct address• A startling or

unexpected phrase• Rhyme, rhythm,

alliteration• Parallel construction• Cue for the product• Music

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How to Write Body Copy

• Body copy– The text of the ad– Primary role is to maintain the interest of the reader

• Lead paragraph– The first paragraph of the body copy– Where people test the message and see if they want to read

it

• Closing paragraph– Refers back to the creative concept and wraps up the Big

Idea– Call to action

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Print Media Requirements

• All media in the print category all use the same copy elements

• The way these elements are used varies with the objective for using the medium

Newspapers• Copy does not have to

work as hard to catch audience’s attention

• Straightforward and informative

• Writing is brief

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Print Media Requirements

Magazines• Better quality ad

production• Ads can be more

informative and carry longer copy

Directories• Use a headline that

focuses on the service or store’s personality

• Little space for explanations

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Print Media Requirements

Posters and Outdoor• Primarily visual• Words try to catch the

consumer’s attention and lock in ideas

• An effective poster marries words with visuals

Product Literature• Also called collateral• Used in support of an ad

campaign• Typically a heavy copy

format

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How to Write Radio Copy

• Must be simple enough for consumers to grasp, but intriguing enough to prevent them from switching the station

• Ability of the listener to remember facts is difficult

• Theater of the mind– The story is visualized in the listener’s imagination

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How to Write Radio Copy

• Voice• Music• Sound effects

Radio Guidelines• Keep it personal• Speak to listener’s

interests• Wake up the

inattentive• Make it memorable• Include call to action• Create image transfer

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How to Write Television Copy

• Moving action makes television so much more engaging than print

• The challenge is to fuse the images with the words to present a creative concept and a story

• Storytelling is one way copywriters can present action in a television commercial more powerfully than in other media

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Tools of Television Copywriting

• Video• Audio• Voice-over• Off camera• Other TV Tools• The copywriter must

describe all of these in the TV script

Talent• Announcers• Spokespersons• Character types• Celebrities

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Planning the TV Commercial

• What’s the Big Idea• What’s the benefit• How can you turn that benefit into a visual

element• Gain the viewer’s interest• Focus on a key visual• Be single minded• Observe rules of good editing• Try to show the product

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Planning the TV Commercial

• Copywriters must plan– Length of the commercial– Shots in each scene– Key visual– Where and how to shoot the commercial

• Scenes– Segments of action that occur in a single location

• Key frames– The visual that sticks in one’s mind

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Scripts and Storyboards

• Script– The written version of the commercial’s plan– Prepared by the copywriter

• Storyboard– The visual plan or layout of the commercial– Prepared by the art director

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Writing for the Web

• More interactive than any other mass medium

• Copywriter challenged to attract people to the site and manage a dialogue-based communication experience

• Banners– Most common form of online advertising

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Writing for the Web

• Web ads– Create awareness and

interest in a product and build a brand image

– Focus on maintaining interest

• Other Web formats– Games

– Pop-up windows

– Daughter windows

– Side frames

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Copywriting in a Global Environment

• Language affects the creation of the advertising

• Standardizing copy content by translating the appeal into the language of the foreign market is dangerous

• Use bilingual copywriters who can capture the essence of the message in the second language– Back translation