Useful Lunacy

MCAD Fall 2009 Copywriting - Recap 10, October 29

The primary purpose of being a Copywriter is to create ideas (in any medium) which cause the reaction: "I hadn't thought of it that way before." Your role, then, is to create transformation of some kind. That change, that effect, might be emotional or logical, it might be factual or empathetic. Regardless of style or process, your work creates a shift in perception. 

I hope we made that clear tonight.

10 sessions into this course, I'm grateful for the opportunity to work and rework this discussion around what it means to be a Copywriter circa 2009. I really do appreciate your opinions and insights into the process and result of creating advertising ideas, or being a copywriter. 

I sense you're enjoying it, too. (And there's a comments field below where you might register some thoughts on this issue.)

Now we've entered the "reality" phase of the course. Now we're going to focus on doing, and quickly—assuming everyone is possessing the growing skills, aptitude and desire to create influential advertising. 

Your first assignment is to create print ads for the iPhone 3GS. I'm stipulating "non-interactive" and "non-broadcast" because it forces us to focus on what's in front of us—in other words, if it's not visible on the page, it's not happening—e.g. make your ideas legible. 

The presentation below has a few links to click on, and outlines tonight's presentation and the Apple assignment. Definitely check out all the technical specifications around the iPhone 3GS. But don't hesitate to ask Mr. Google what he thinks. Review the competition. Review the punditry. In other words, dig. 

As I said in class (not sure if I had the wig and helmet on at that point), our goal is a fruitful discussion of vibrant ideas. We're looking for ideas, as I said above, which cause us to think, "I hadn't thought of it that way before." 

Each of you is charged with bringing at least six pungent ideas. Six pieces of paper with one idea on each. If you're smart, you'll bring more than six. Hopefully they fall into one or two distinct campaigns. And from a presentation standpoint, all I care about is legibility—e.g. whatever you've got on the page is clear to anyone who looks at it. Black and White is fine. Drawings and stock photography are fine—but please recognize the trap you can fall into with someone else's images. So use all the tricks at your disposal, you clever art school students. I know you're individually capable and have the resources to deliver coherent ideas. 

Next week will be treated as an internal review. Then we'll work together to refine our work. 

Happy Halloween.

MCAD Fall 2009 Copywriting - Recap 09, October 22

What is the future of copywriting?

If anyone knows, it must be Elizabeth Sakola and Meghan Casey from Brain Traffic. 

We were very fortunate to have these two smart people visit MCAD tonight to share their perspectives and expertise on the art of writing copy in the age of SEO, PPC, UX and a whole host of other acronyms. 

Elizabeth shared her thoughts on "Web Writing for Dummies, Smarties, Oldies, and Newbies." Interesting to consider the dualities of copywriting online—is the task to excite, to compel to dramatize (e.g. messaging) or is the task to inform, direct and facilitate (e.g. functionality)? 

Then Meghan discussed her background in writing, editing and content strategy. We walked through a diagram from Kristina Halvorson's presentation on content strategy to better understand the various roles and interplay required of writers in the digital age. 

 

Then we had a brief discussion around the increasing rift generated by technology and offshore capability to automate and supplant the traditions of copywriting.

Daniel Roth's piece in Wired, "The Answer Factory: Fast, Disposable, and Profitable as Hell" dissects the success of Demand Media's approach to content creation. As copywriters, how do we feel when our work can be valued at $15 per article? Heck, there's some fellas in India who will write your brand's site copy starting at $4. 

Next week we're going to begin a sequence of five assignments, back to back; one per week. 

MCAD Fall 2009 Copywriting - Recap 08, October 15

Students!

I really appreciated your willingness to step up today and present your brand manifestos for Harley-Davidson. Reading them out loud is good practice for future client and agency presentations. 

The work you did will continue to evolve. I encourage you to revisit what you've written and consider what the other students wrote and what we discussed in class—then evolve what you've put down. Work like this is evolutionary. Your first draft is likely one of a dozen, at least, that you'll pursue.

Our brief discussion around the transition from print to broadcast likely didn't do the subject justice. But I know you have access to Writing for Broadcast and Radio classes. The main point is this:  Context matters. Who reads your words, what words are spoken versus text, what music you employ. So many components can seriously affect how your words are ultimately understood. It's wise to be aware of the tools, resources and situations at your disposal. After all, you all have Macs.

Next week we'll dig into "writing for interactive," with guest speaker Kristina Halvorson from Brain Traffic. 

MCAD Fall 2009 Copywriting - Recap 05, Sept 25

Students!

I talked too much today. 

I hope all that blather brought you at least a few useful insights for confronting the blank page, and developing more and more great ideas. We'll be jumping into doing more and more work now. 

Many of the words and images in this presentation are linked to further information.

MCAD Fall 2009 Copywriting - Recap 04, Sept 17

Students!

Nice work this evening with your first Copywriting assignment. You tackled one of the more important, initial aspects of being creative—having lots of ideas to react to and edit. I hope writing 100 headlines tested your muscles and gave you a good experience upon which to continue. 

This week's assignment was deliberately focused on words and the narrow constraints of the limited space on a billboard. I think it's important to work in these narrow confines and be develop robust ideas. Builds character, so to speak.

Then we dove briefly into the realm of visual solutions. The slideshare below has some great examples (the images are clickable within the slideshow). The point going forward is to focus on ideas first, but be able to recognize when to apply just words or words and images or something else entirely. 

Next week's assignment is a bunch of reading from Sullivan, Gossage and Foster. Check the end of the slideshare for page numbers.

Rock on.

MCAD 2009 - Copywriting :: Session 03, Sept 10

Students! This week we mostly focused on our first major assignment—writing headlines for a national billboard campaign for the 2005 VW Jetta. I hope the exercises around themes and process will help provide useful tools as you encounter the unknown.

I'm really looking forward to seeing your work next week. Don't hesitate to reach out with questions or ideas for feedback. If you're lost, call for help. That's part of what you pay for.

Here's the in-class presentation deck. Again, many of the words and images are clickable to additional resources.

Learning to have ideas

(Photo © all rights reserved by Robert Pollack via Flickr)

Last Thursday marked the second session in my Copywriting class at MCAD. We're in the "learning to have ideas" phase of the course, which is equally illuminating for teacher (me) and student (them). As background, it helps to understand that being an advertising copywriter is, "80% conceptual thinking and 20% finish carpentry," according to my old compatriot Khari Streeter. So this phase of the course is as much about developing a work ethic and practice of ideas as it is coming to grips with the fragile reality of creativity. (We'll get to the niceties of writing copy soon enough.)

Jack Foster and Robert Grudin and Rollo May have all written wonderful books on the subject of ideas. 

How do we "have ideas?"

My old mentor Bill Miller (co-creator of the "Perception. Reality." campaign for Rolling Stone at Fallon) said, "The business of creativity is learning to survive rejection." So, stamina and willpower are definitely required. There's an insightful interview with noted screenwriting guru Robert McKee that quotes him: "The most important component of talent is perseverance - the will to write and rewrite in pursuit of perfection." Yes.

I told my students about the old jealousy Hollywood has of writers—since writers are the first to see any story come to life. Having ideas means willfully confronting the unknown. Who knows, maybe the role is even heroic on some level; which suggests a healthy ego and curiosity wouldn't hurt. Do what others will not. Robert Grudin said, "Creativity is dangerous." That sort of thing. 

At any rate, it's also work. From Stephen King to Michael Chabon, the lesson is clear: to have ideas, you must actually have them regularly—and commit them. I think it was novelist Chabon who suggested a challenge like, "1,700 words a day or don't bother." Or as legendary London creative director Dave Trott's so clearly stated: If you're creative, create. The issue isn't so much form as it is function—whatever venue works, works—so long as you continue to produce ideas of merit. 

Such is the state of "having ideas" in one small class of students in a 100 year old fine arts college in the upper midwest of America in the fall of the year 2009. 

Posted via email from Tim's posterous

MCAD 2009 - Copywriting :: Session 02, Sept 3

Students!

Here's the presentation file (including embedded YouTube videos) from class. Remember, most of the names and images are clickable! So use the Slideshare file as a means of connecting to further information on particular writers or specific ads.

At the end of the day, our second session was about being a creative person, or the business of being that person. I said it in my recap video (below) and Dave Trott reiterated it in his awesome post: "If you're creative, create." It's not a job for everyone. As Robert Grudin said, "Creativity is dangerous." 

Enjoy the reading this week. Lots more on this subject. Hope it inspires.

We'll see you next week and dig into that VW Jetta billboard creative brief.

Rock on.

 

MCAD 2009 - Copywriting :: Session 01, August 27

And so it begins.

Tonight we kicked off the Copywriting course at MCAD. It was great to see everyone show up. Thanks for everyone's willingness to share their expectations, favorite writers, and perspective. 

I'll be posting course-related files here throughout the class. Like this:

(Video recaps will start up next week.)

The joy of teaching

A physicist, some ad agency people, a guy who owns a store called Robot Love, several marketers and a few people who host their own shows on community FM radio walk into a classroom. 

The punch line never came—instead, great promise. 14 of us met this afternoon, sitting around a U shaped collection of desks. Our host is a guy named Jerry. We're the fall faculty for the Bachelor of Science/Visualization program at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. 

If I had it to do all over again, I'd probably just stay in school forever. Who wouldn't want to take a class about the history of invention, starting with an assignment to make fire? Or learn about retail by essentially living at the Mall of America? Or try to discern the sociocultural and technological forces and trends that will shape society, life and work in the future? Or discover the commonalities of patterning in the natural and social worlds? Or get dropped into building a brand through social media on day one? All these subjects and activities are available to MCAD students this fall. They can even take a course in advertising copywriting. 

Seth Godin had a great dissection of the issues currently facing education on his blog today. 

To his thoughts I would add:  

There is great joy in teaching. Perhaps even greater joy in realizing the collective strength of those who teach along with you.

Posted via email from Tim's posterous