Writer, Reader, Rascal
About this blog...To be a successful copywriter you need 8 key things. Fingers. Chortle.
This is the kind of massively unhelpful and entirely spurious advice you can expect from Andrew Boulton, copywriter at Together and all round scoundrel.
Having smashed his increasingly chubby copywriting fingertips against keyboards for many years – starting life as copywriter for Egg before moving on to top Midlands agency Together – he’s learned a thing or two about how to deliver a captivatingly brilliant piece of copy.
Sadly, he’s forgotten all of that and all we’re left with are his shambolic, often scurrilous, ramblings about whatever has caught his wild copywriter’s eye that week.
Enjoy his words, say nice things to him and send him free biscuits. This is all he asks.
You can venture into the world of Together at www.togetheragency.co.uk and follow him on Twitter @Boultini
Winning words: Have too many awards made copywriters lose their focus?
Winning words: Have too many awards made copywriters lose their focus?If someone ever tried to give me an award for copywriting, do you know what I’d do? I’d grab the cheeky rascals by the lapels of their Aubin & Wills tweed blazer, shake them like a Polaroid picture and bellow ‘KEEP YOUR SHINY BAUBLE YOU FIEND! I DO THIS FOR THE LOVE OF WORDS. I JUST LOVE THOSE WORDS SO DAMN MUCH!’
Clearly I wouldn’t do that. I’d gushingly accept it. And I’d probably do a tiny dance. I just want to win an award. Please give me an award. At least let me hold one for a bit.
What has prompted this outburst is a comment a Drum reader left on my last blog, in which he suggested that most copywriters are only bothered about winning awards.
As a copywriter whose only award is the ‘Stuart Pearce Penalty Shoot Out Cup’ in 1988 (four sublime penalties and one incredibly wild one that struck a small boy full in the face) I can say for certain that I most certainly do not write in order to win prizes.
Pathetic dweeb that I am, I actually get genuine pleasure from a beautifully constructed piece of copy. I also feel truly devastated when said piece of superb copy is bashed into something ugly and miserable by ‘others’. Alas, the tragic existence of the copywriter.
But despite the bare and dusty state of my own trophy cabinet, I do suspect that the chap who commented on my article may have a point.
There are so many awards on offer in all fields of creative marketing that perhaps, somewhere along the line, the end goal has become to write something that will bag a prize, rather than write something that will influence the reader to do what you want them to.
Admittedly, the two outcomes aren’t mutually exclusive, but we have all come across examples of copywriting where the message has been obscured by wording that is distinctly too pleased with itself.
However, I don’t think we should overlook the positive impact awards for excellent copywriting can have on the overall standard of our work.
While it is concerning if the offer of an award is the only motivation for a piece of copy, if it is rather an acknowledgement of an expertly crafted and successful piece of writing, then that can only be a good thing.
As long as the bodies handing out the awards ensure they are recognising ads that ‘do the job’ as well as ones that just ‘read pretty’ then the craft of copywriting will be the winner, even if downtrodden urchins like myself are not.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a 24 year old plastic trophy to polish.
Andrew Boulton is a non-award winning copywriter at the Together Agency.
New to The Drum
You will be sent a verification email. Click on the link in the email to post your comment.
Existing Users Sign In
Ad of the Day
Ad of the Day: VW Golf GTi - My Way
Knowledge Bank
Tribe fights for brands
Have your say
Opinion, blogs and columnists - call them what you like - this is the section where people have something to say. You might agree or you might not - whatever opinion you have make your views known in comments. Views of writers are not necessarily those of The Drum. If you would like to contribute a comment piece, email your idea to opinion@thedrum.com.
Most Popular
Try The Drum free
Your free trial gets you:
- Two copies of The Drum magazine
- One month unlimited access to online subscriber content
- Access to reports, research and case studies
Comments
comments
It's a sad fact that awards are still handed out for work that just plain wouldn't work or, worse, could clearly never legitimately run. But what's even more of a shame is that a lot of great, relevant work doesn't ever see the light of day (a problem that deepens in line with economic gloom). Better to have an empty trophy cabinet and a book full of the latter at least. Good luck with the gongs in future.
comments
Awards for effectiveness should be the most coveted because people don't respond positively to rubbish copy. You win, the client wins. Everybody's happy and probably does a little dance.
comments
It's an open secret that all these numerous fucking industry awards have no real tangible value whatsoever.
It's just an excuse for media twats with egos the size of Fat Pat's throngs to engage in mutual dick-swinging and stroking and to get utterly smashed out of their minds. It's just one huge circle-jerk.
Tomorrow it's the turn of the Media Week Awards at Grosvenor House in London's Park Lane. Out of all the award events on the circuit this one is by far the most debauched. Most of the audience, and judges, will be getting totally fucking shitfaced by the end of the night. Not to mention the open snorting of cocaine and sexual activity that goes on in the toilets. In fact that's the only reason I bother to go to these bashes, because there's a fair chance that some stunning media wonk who's had way too much to drink will offer you a blow-job or at least a quick shag in one of the cubicles.
But as for the actual commercial value of these awards and trophies, they aren't worth a cup of cold piss.
comments
Malcolm Tucker, shame on you, hiding behind an aka! You gutless, spineless jellyfish! You need Peter Capaldi's scriptwriter. Your own invective is seriously sub-standard. To your point, that awards are worth nothing - come on! If a bunch of people like John Hegarty vote your work the best of the bunch, why wouldn't you be chuffing chuffed? Copywriters don't just flog sofas and fizzy drinks. They persuade young men to phone suicide helplines and women to check their breasts. In every other field of human endeavour, we celebrate great work by handing people medals, cups, trophies and wads of cash. Why not advertising too? And if you don't believe that award-winning ads work, read The Gunn Report. Annual, painstakingly-researched proof that you're talking out of your nether regions.
comments
I too have never walked the red carpet of fame, but I have frequently made the client do a little dance with results from copy. A little award (or preferably a big shiny one) would bring me immense personal joy, plus professional kudos, industry respect and peer recognition. But when I write something compelling and crafted that achieves the required response, it's almost as good as winning that glittering prize. Almost.
Write Your Comment