Copywriting II

Copywriting week 3

A few reminders:

• Me: kevin@odoherty.info 416 735 2211

• Shirin Khosravaneh celiberal@georgebrown.ca

• Class Notes: slideshare.net/thenewsgenerator

• 1st Assignment due Thursday, February 9th at the beginning of class

Specifics of advertising

The Anatomy of an Ad• Copywriting Guidelines• Elements of an Ad• Killer Headlines• Taglines & Slogans

Writing the Ad• Features vs. Benefits• Writing Body Copy• Utilizing Emotional Triggers• The Call to Action

Interactive advertising

Getting your attention

Promotional vocabulary– Free– Fast– Longevity = credibility (“built to last”)– Looks, feels, sounds better– Compact– Lasts longer– Easier– Safer– Guaranteed

Creative brief

• What are we selling?

• Who are we selling to? Target audience

• Who are we up against?

• What are the project goals?

• What problem are we solving?

• What do you want people to do?

Product

• Describe your product.

• How does your product relate to the market

• What does your market need

• What do they currently use

• What do they need above and beyond current use?

Know your competition and USP

• Competition

• USP (what we have that the competition does not)

The Seven-Stage Marketing StrategyDefine the product or service and describe its attributes

The factFeature: The coffee cup has a no-spill lid

The promise:Benefit: You will never stain your clothes ever again

The value:Enjoy a cup of coffee without worrying

Demolish objections

• I can’t afford it

• I don’t have time

• It won’t work for me

• I don’t believe you

• I don’t need it

What traditional ads look like

• Illustration 65 % • Headline 10 % • Copy 20 % • Logo 5%

Elements of an ad

• Headline

• Benefit or problem – solution

• Hook or unique storyline

• Tell a story

• Identify audience pain points

• Emotional cues (tug on the heartstrings)

• Prove it!