Splash Watercolour

Sell the sizzle not the steak! Know the benefit of the benefit. What would make you shell out money to buy a product? What is the Reason Why or what is the‘ Benefit of the benefit that you feel is reason enough to buy a product or service. People are not looking for a TV - they want to enhance their viewing pleasure; they are looking for features; they are looking for so on and so forth. Got it! You decide which is important to your target audience. Working on brands Normally in big agencies you have a Creative Director (CD) or Senior Copywriter who works out the USP and the team of junior copywriters normally work on the headlines. But, in smaller agencies you have to do all the research. Isn’t it good – using your grey cells more, plus it will be easier when you work with big brands. Personally I have thought of every job as a big brand and gone through the same process; sometimes as a freelancer I was given the visual and asked to work ...

Well, that pulled you in, didn’t it~ that is what a news headline does! A  News Headline is sort of workhorse - it is used so often when you can present the benefit straightaway. You need not play with words… Tips to write Headlines Use words like: Now, New, Presenting, Introducing, announcing,   are newsworthy words - follow with a benefit for the reader. Be straight and to the point like Phillip Ward Burton suggests: Finally Ocean Cruises for land lovers (Advertising Copywriting). Choose new words that suggest - an irresistible offer! John Caples   was a great advocate of News Headlines (Tested Advertising Methods) Caples had rules for writing headlines, which work even today: ·         Make the headline suggest to the reader that here is something that he wants. This is the first and foremost concern that every writer must remember ·         He advocated th...

Question headlines can get directly to the point with an apt question and the subhead/body copy can answer the question asked in the headline. The question should pique the curiosity of the reader and they should desire to find the answer to the problem. He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. The ‘Question often known as the How To headline, catches attention easily when you put across what is the ‘discomfort’ the reader is facing! There you have created the most read headline.         E.g.s How do I save time getting all the dirt out of collars? How do I make food yummy for my kids? A subhead could be: Xyz cuts dirt with dirt magnets Yet won’t fray your collars and clothes  Just add our Kidz favourite taste maker and watch them go - Mummy it’s Yumeee The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowle...

If you are interested in getting a job as an advertising creative, either as a copywriter; an artist then you need to create Spec ads in your Portfolio or BOOK. Make your Portfolio something out of the ordinary. Once you join an agency you have to craft regular stuff (most of the time!) but this is your time to plug off the stoppers and go for it! Make your portfolio outstanding and out-of -the box with these easy tips. Mention SPEC on each ad. If you have the original ad you could put it along with your SPEC ads. Hopefully you have a wonderful collection of ads from the print media and taped commercials, radio spots, include those that you dislike. If you have collected ads and created a Chap book with interesting ads and uninteresting ones - good, bad and the ugly – then each ad should be in the charmed circle of your ad collection, separated with sections for each type of ads for easy reference. This will help you when you create your portfolio. Before you...

Creative Prompt Write: What if a Martian came up to you while you are having a picnic and says "take me home, i've lost my ho..me home.... Take off with this creative prompt and write a story, a poem, an ad anything you feel creatively inspiring.  Don't let other images come to your mind, create your own M artian and have a lot of fun.

What is a Chapbook:   The dictionary definition of a chapbook is “a small book or pamphlet containing poems, ballads, stories, or religious tracts”.The name chapbook comes from many years ago when street vendors called "chapmen" (tradesman) sold inexpensive paperback booklets in the streets of villages, hamlets and towns.  Learn to create a chapbook and use it for your advertising collection Today a chapbook is used to define a book you store your cuttings of ads, articles, poems writing pieces for future reference and for inspiration . While doing creative advertising writing you should keep a journal and a chap book to collect your good, bad ads, great picture cuttings, and while it is filling up...  add - your headlines, creative ideas, prompts, your spec portfolio concepts... and collect famous taglines. Write them in a book or keep a folder of ads, headlines, taglines, direct mailers, brochures, even greetings you like. Cut out interesting visuals. In yo...

Creative Session: Take any vegetable; be it potato, tomato, brinjal(eggplant), ladies finger… and make it a brand and create a personality for it!  e.g. a potato is normally viewed as a fattening veggie when it is actually good for health with vitamins, minerals potassium and others - they're good -the fat comes when they are deep fried...and when you tend to overeat. For e.g.  What if you made it a model? Headline: The perfect model ( straight line headline ) Headline:  Potato with tears (visual) (Emotional headline)  And they called me Fat !  After working on the Potato try other veggies maybe bitter gourd, brinjal..well the vegetable kingdom awaits!