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Copywriting

Chapter 13

Chapter Outline

I. Chapter Key PointsII. Copywriting: The Language of

AdvertisingIII. Copywriting for PrintIV. How to Write Radio CopyV. How to Write Television CopyVI. Writing for the WebVII. Copywriting in a Global Environment

Key Points

• Explain the basic style used foradvertising copy

• Describe the various elements of a printad

• Explain the message characteristics andtools of radio advertising

• Discuss the major elements of televisioncommercials

• Discuss how Web advertising is written

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Copywriting: The Language ofAdvertising

• Four types of ads in which words arecrucial

1. Complicated message2. High-involvement product3. Needs definition and explanation4. Tries to convey abstract qualities

The Copywriter

• Copy– The text of an ad– Words people say in

a commercial

• Copywriter– The person who

shapes and sculpts thewords in an ad

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Advertising Writing Style

• Copy should be assimple as possible

• Should have a clearfocus and try toconvey only oneselling point– Tone of voice– Grammar– Adese

Copywriting for Print• Display copy

– Elements readers see in their initial scanning

• Body copy– Elements that are designed to be read and absorbed

How to Write Headlines

• Attract prospects• Work in combination with the visual to

stop and grab the reader’s attention• Identify the product and brand, and start

the sale• Lead readers into the body copy

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How To Write Headlines

• Direct-action headlines• Indirect-action headlines

How to Write Other Display Copy

• Captions• Subheads• Taglines• Slogans

How to Write Body Copy• Body copy• Lead paragraph• Closing paragraph

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Print Media Requirements

• All media in the printcategory all use thesame copy elements

• The way theseelements are usedvaries with theobjective for usingthe medium

Print Media Requirements• Newspapers• Magazines• Directories

• Posters and outdooradvertising

• Product literature

How to Write Radio Copy

• Must be simpleenough forconsumers to grasp,but intriguing enoughto prevent them fromswitching the station

• Theater of the mind

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How to Write Radio Copy

• Voice• Music• Sound effects

The Practice of Radio Copywriting

• Keep it personal• Speak to listener’s interests• Wake up the inattentive• Make it memorable• Include call to action• Create image transfer

The Radio Advertising Bureau:‘I Saw It On The Radio’

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How to Write Television Copy

• Moving action makes television moreengaging than print

• The challenge is to fuse the images withthe words

• Storytelling is one way copywriters canpresent action in a television commercialmore powerfully than in other media

•Good television advertising uses the effect of action.Torture tests, steps, and procedures are all actionsthat are easier to present on TV than in print.•If you have a strong sales message that lends itselfto demonstration, such as “how-to” messages, thentelevision is the ideal medium for that message.•TV is our society’s master storyteller because of itsability to present a plot and the action that leads to aconclusion in which the product plays a major role.TV can dramatize the situation in which a product isused and the type of people using it. Stories can beriveting if they are well told, but they must beimaginative to hold their own against theprogramming that surrounds them.•Emotional appeals are found in natural situationsthat everyone can identify with. Hallmark hasproduced some tear-jerking commercials about thetimes of our lives that we remember by the cards wereceive and save. Kodak and Polaroid have used asimilar strategy for precious moments that areremembered in photographs.

•Action: When you watch television, you arewatching a walking, talking, moving world that givesthe illusion of being three-dimensional.•Demonstration: Seeing is believing. Believabilityand credibility—the essence of persuasion—are highbecause we believe what we see with our own eyes.•Storytelling: Most of the programming on televisionis narrative so commercials use storytelling to takeadvantage of the medium’s strengths.

•Emotion: The ability to touch the feelings of theviewer makes television commercials entertaining,diverting, amusing, and absorbing. Real-life situationswith all their humor, anger, fear, pride, jealousy, andlove come alive on the screen. Humor, in particular,works well on television.

Message DesignCharacteristicCharacteristics of Television Copy

Table 13.3 – Characteristics of Television Copy

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Tools of TelevisionCopywriting

• Video• Audio• Voice-over• Off camera• Other TV Tools• Talent

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

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• Key frames

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Scripts and Storyboards

ScriptThe written

version of thecommercial’s

plan

Prepared by thecopywriter

StoryboardThe visual planor layout of the

commercial

Prepared by theart director

BellSouth ‘Bedroom’ TV Script

Figure 13.1

Writing for the Web

• More interactive than any other massmedium

• Challenge is to attract people to the siteand manage a dialogue-basedcommunication experience

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The Internet Advertising Bureau:Helping Advertisers Find the Best Role

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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

Web Ads• Banners

– Most common form of online advertising• Other Web formats

– Games– Pop-up windows– Daughter windows– Side frames

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Copywriting in a GlobalEnvironment

• Language affects thecreation of the ad

• Standardizing copyby translating isdangerous

• Use bilingualcopywriters– Back translation

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Discussion Questions

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Discussion Question 1

• Creative directors say the copy and artmust work together to create a concept.

• Of all the ads in this chapter, which onesdo you believe demonstrate thatprinciple?

• Explain what the words contribute andhow they work with the visual.

Discussion Question 2

• One principle of print copywriting is thatthe headline catches the reader’s eye, butthe body copy wins the reader’s heart.

• Find an ad that demonstrates thatprinciple and explain how it works.

Discussion Question 3• Professor Strong has set up a debate between the

advertising sales director of the campus newspaper andthe manager of the campus radio station, which is acommercial operation.

• During the discussion, the newspaper representativesays that most radio commercials sound like newspaperads, but are harder to follow. The radio managerresponds by claiming that radio creativity works with“the theater of the mind,” and is more engaging thannewspaper ads.

• Explain what these media selling points mean. Wouldyou rather write for a newspaper or radio?

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Discussion Question 4

• Jingles are a popular creative form inradio advertising. Even so, there areprobably more jingles that you don’t wantto hear again than ones that you do.

• Identify one jingle that you really dislikeand another one that you like.

• Write an analysis of why these jingleseither don’t work or do work effectivelyfor you.

Discussion Question 5

• A principle of TV message design is thattelevision is primarily a visual medium.

• However, very few television commercials aredesigned without a vocal element.

• Even the many commercials that visuallydemonstrate products in action use an off-screenvoice to provide information.

• Why is there a need to use a voice in atelevision commercial?