Splash Watercolour

Free Writing FREE WRITING! One of the ways to get the thoughts flowing is FREE WRITING! Freewriting is where you start and write non-stop until you exhaust your ideas for the moment. But, to be really Free and let the thoughts spill and pour out you need a small stopper! Time yourself; put a stopwatch, alarm or whatever but if it is 5 minutes then stop writing as it rings - don’t even try to finish the word!• Open your notebook and just start writing whatever comes to your mind, however disconnected they are. Don’t think! Just write…Cool na! Start Writing • You could use a cue or prompt . The cue or prompt is to take any word that comes to you like 'bike', 'games', 'high' or any word you think of on the spot and start writing without pausing to think of grammar, spelling • Alternatively, open a page from the dictionary and close your eyes – point to a word. Open your eyes and use that word. Leave aside, what you have written, if you do not want to ...

Writing Headlines What would make you shell out money to buy the product? What is the ‘Reason Why’ or what is the ‘Benefit of the benefit’! As it is often said in advertising parlance -   Sell the sizzle not the steak!  People are not looking for a TV per se; they are looking to enhance their viewing pleasure, they are looking for features, they are looking for so on and so forth. Remember: Do not sacrifice quality for trying to write a clever headline! Express your idea even if it takes more words. Sometimes brevity is necessary yet, see that your ‘reason why’ is expressed well! Similarly, when a short headline is apt like when the size of the ad is small. Or the visual chosen needs just a few words…just do it! See that the meaning is clear…for e.g. ‘David dropped Goliath’ either David picked Goliath and threw him down. It could also mean David knocked out Goliath or David felled Goliath ( John Caples ) ...

Directive headlines get readers to act - you need to give them a nudge. Retail advertisers or local advertisers often use this approach... Perishable goods  or FMCG goods - the directive headline works great!  There are two ways of using the directive headline: the command and suggestion, choose the right one for the right audience and product! 1.      Command  – an outright command where you ask for an action boldly 2.      Suggestion  – Here you use persuasion to get a response. This type of Directive headlines is more successful rather then barking a command for the reader might reject it. After all, we all have had enough of commands form parents, teachers, elders… which we listen to. But, the customer has to be treated right. However, sometimes a command could be used: Headline: You can stop her from staying hungry Look closely. Your eyes are telling you something (for fine wrinkle l...

Check on your collection of ads an.d  rewrite the headlines Analyze every ad/hoarding/TV commercial, mailers and make notes …so you can check later the change in your attitude as you gain insight – see how your perceptions change! Write down the various elements of an ad Who is the Target Audience Will they bite the bait?? Do you consider it a good ad ? Does it create that desire after catching your attention and will you take the action? Would you consider yourself among the  TA. It becomes easy to start off with you as the 'target audience'? What are the things that motivate you?

Yes! T hen learn about what makes a copywriter tick. What are the tips and tricks and the skills you need to become one.It isn't as difficult as you think, In fact - it is easy @ advertisingwriting Is there a place you can learn advertising and copywriting in particular? Check out if courses are available near you. In India , Mica Ahmedabad conducts 'Crafting Creative Communications' at Ahmedabad. Then there are other courses like 'Whistling Woods', Mumbai, who conduct diplomas. There are workshops conducted all over the world and if you can attend them. They charge you fees but you get to create a campaign and guidance will be provided by an expert. A creative course is available at 3 A’s of I (Cuffe Parade, Mumbai) or at a centre near you. If you want to check whether the career is for you or just want to explore writing - stay here and get lead into the secrets of advertising  copywriting, step by step! If you follow the creative sessions sincerely t...

Wish all  a very Happy New Year. Was caught up in the New Year’s dazzling time after Christmas. A few New Year Resolutions made and this year,am choosing a better way to achieve them.. Mine is to get maximum comments on this blog. This time with my New Year resolutions I have made a small change, because don’t you always find they fall short of reaching the winning post.. So this time I have given them a new twist - have resolved that I will reach out to more clients for advertising jobs and keep a communique with them. I plan to improve my social connect – more friends, more contacts; help others and receive help. Learn to be more tech savvy with help from experts. This way I know exactly what to do to achieve these goals. A friend of mine decided to drop half a cigarette a day and believes he will reach his. His friends will not force him, but we will be allowed to know the score every month. Fair enough. So how about some creative stuff this New Year Cre...

Here’s a Season’s greeting prompt. This prompt uses the Christmas season panorama but you use no images of Christmas. The product - a Furniture Showroom. The layout of the ad or the fonts can express the Christmassy theme but remember – no using words or images of Santa, reindeers, tree, no crib, no silent night…no saying Happy Christmas(tough one, albeit challenging).  Do the ad with this theme. You could make it a full-page ad. You could Free-write (hope you‘re keeping up the good work) on the words décor, celebration, frankincense, holly, wood. 5 minutes and your time starts NOW! Happy writing and Merry Christmas!