Chapter 10
- 1. Body Copy CHAPTER 10 This presenta,on includes copyrighted material which is intended only for instruc,onal purposes and may not be used for any commercial applica,on.
- 3. Anyone who asks… • What is it? • How does it work? • Why it is be4er? • What’s in it for me? • Where can I get more informa;on? • Where can I buy it? • How much?
- 4. WHO NEEDS COPY? Considered purchase—need more informa,on than impulse item Differen;ate products—compe,,ve/comparison Mul;ple features—mul,ple products in one ad, one main benefit + other features Difficult, complicated or controversial —persuade, educate, mo,vate
- 7. Multiple Features ©
- 9. WHO NEEDS COPY? • Collateral • Digital • Direct mail
- 10. COLLATERAL/DIRECT MAIL © • SAMPLES
- 12. 4 THINGS to know about copy 1. Don’t write to impress—write to persuade 2. What you say is more important than how you say it 3. Remember English rules but don’t be forced to use them 4. AND MOST OF ALL…
- 14. WHO DOESN’T NEED COPY? • Headline/visual are all that’s needed • Well established brands—need no descrip,on—just reinforce • Image only—no facts needed • Ini,ate other ac,on to get details—call, web, visit
- 16. The Story‐‐Narra,ve © Tells a story which weaves in features/ benefits
- 17. © The Story‐‐Ins,tu,onal Advertiser’s point of view rather than selling features
- 20. Headline/visual ONE THING = Cherokee is an economical 4 X 4 vehicle
- 21. Body Copy
- 22. Beginning… • Continues idea of headline • Incorporates product name • Restates main idea
- 23. …middle… • Features and benefits • Copy flows instead of listing features • Restates main idea--economy
- 24. …end. • Summarizes and restates main idea
- 25. Call to action/signature • Request action—call or visit • Toll free number • Web site • Logo and tag line
- 27. COPY FORMAT Medical Associates “Prostate exam ad” ¼ page-Newspaper Date: January 20, 2002 Rev. PREHEAD: Men, if you’re over 45… HEADLINE: You don’t need high technology for a digital exam SUBHEAD: Walk-in prostate exams available at all Medical Associates Clinics PHOTO: CLOSE UP OF FINGER IN RUBBER GLOVE COPY:You’ve probably wondered about your prostate. But you never taken the time for a proper check-up. Now, faster than you can say, “That wasn’t so bad” we can conduct a digital exam that’s 99% effective in spotting potential problems. Best of all, no waiting. Just walk in. And in about 15 minutes you’ll walk out with peace of mind. When it comes to prostate exams, we give you the “white glove treatment.” LOGO: Medical Associates ADDRESS: Menomonee Falls West Bend Germantown Waukesha Sussex 1-800-MED-ASSOC www.medicalassociatesinc.com
- 28. 7 DEADLY SINS of COPYWRITING
- 29. NEW and IMPROVED 1st Deadly Sin BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!! 8
- 30. 1st Deadly Sin Adver,sing‐ese • The best________money can buy • Hurry! These low prices won’t last • So, as you can see… • Don’t miss it • You can’t buy a becer… • What’s more… • Amazing • You’ve seen the rest, now try the best • Unique…etc.etc.etc.
- 31. 1st Deadly Sin Adver,sing‐ese • Usually the first thing you think of • Is there a fresher, becer way to say it? • Can you say if with fewer words? CORRECTION: Write the way real people talk Eliminate cliches, useless phrases Keep it conversa,onal
- 32. 2nd Deadly Sin • Racist • Sexist • Homophobic • Ethnic/religious prejudice • Physical or mental disability 8 • Vulgar • Anything for shock value
- 33. 2nd Deadly Sin Bad Taste • Offensive to the intended audience • When in doubt…keep it clean CORRECTION: Watch for sexist, racist, offensive language and symbols Know your target audience
- 35. 3rd Deadly Sin Deadwood • Unnecessary words, phrases • Throwaway lines • Redundant descrip,ons • Can you cut copy and keep the same meaning? CORRECTION: Weed out weak, redundant, unnecessary words and phrases language and symbols Keep the flow of thought moving
- 36. 3rd Deadly Sin Deadwood “At Invensys, we have been dedicated to providing our customers with a wide range of innova,ve products, which we believe make their equipment more cost effec,ve and therefore more profitable for them”.
- 37. 3rd Deadly Sin Cumng out Deadwood s your “At Invensys we have been dedicated to providing our customers with a wide range of innova,ve products, which we believe make their equipment more cost effec,ve and therefore more profitable for them”.
- 39. 4th Deadly Sin
- 40. 4th Deadly Sin Generic Benefits • Remember the So What’s…drill down to find what’s really important • “You’ll like it” (WHY?) • “More people prefer…” (WHY?) • “Makes your life easier” (HOW?) • “Economical” (HOW MUCH?) CORRECTION: Appeal to consumer benefit Lead with strongest Communicate the One Thing Know your target audience
- 41. Keep asking SO WHAT? 8
- 42. 5th Deadly Sin Laundry Lists • String of features without benefits • Collec,on of unrelated features • Usually thrown in as filler or… • You don’t know what they mean
- 43. 5th Deadly Sin Laundry Lists CORRECTION: Connect feature to a benefit Priori,ze copy points Communicate the one thing Know your target audience
- 45. 6th Deadly Sin Poor Grammar • Subject‐verb agreement • Spelling • Verb tense • Run on sentences • Punctua,on • Know the rules, but…
- 46. Poor Grammar • …know how and when to break the rules • Sentence fragments are OK…if they don’t interrupt the flow • Write the way people talk…but don’t talk down to them • Avoid too much slang…you’ll probably turn off the target audience and baffle everyone else CORRECTION: Proof read—don’t rely on spell checkers Read it out loud—does it flow?
- 48. 7th Deadly Sin Wimpy Words • “th” words (“there are…”) • “be” verbs (is, are, was, were, be ) • “Passive voice (“…were chosen…”, “…have been looking…”) CORRECTION: User Power Wri,ng techniques Keep it simple Read it out loud
- 51. EASY READING • Flow‐one idea leads to the next • Transi;ons‐Smooth connec,ons between sentences, paragraphs “And…” “That’s why…” WARNING: DON’T OVERUSE “In addi,on…” “But…” “Not to men,on…” “Another thing…” “So…” • Read it out loud
- 52. POWER WRITING • Short simple sentences • Mix long and short • Write the way people talk • Ac,ve verbs • Posi,ve amtude • Be specific • Tighten it up
- 53. STAY ON TARGET • Does “amtude” or “tone” of ad match intended target audience? • Does the main idea track through the ad copy? • Be consistent
- 54. Don’t forget WRITE TO THE INDIVIDUAL • Ads are read one person at a time • Appeal to individual wants and needs • Don’t forget the “so whats”
- 56. WHAT’S THE ONE THING?
- 58. WRITE HOT • Write while ideas are flowing • Review the ideas later EDIT COLD • Be ruthless
- 59. WRITE…REWRITE…WRITE… “Less is more” Put it aside… come back…can you make it becer? Use the check list and be honest 59 4/6/10
- 60. EDITING • Mark up copy • Iden,fy problems • Ask ques,ons • Construc,ve cri,cism • Offer alterna,ves 60 4/6/10
- 61. WAIT! Put your copy aside and look at it tomorrow. You can make it becer.