David Abbott
I also write down in the margins all the clichés and purple bits that clutter my head. I find that only by writing them down do I exorcise them. If I simply try to forget them they keep coming back like spots on a teenage chin.
Like many other copywriters, I read my copy out aloud as I write. It helps me check the rhythm of the line and ultimately the flow of the whole piece. I often adopt the appropriate accent or tone, though my general ‘reading–copy’ voice is laughably mid-Atlantic (I read silently if there are other people in the room).
I believe that I’m paid to be an advocate and though I get pleasure from the bon mot, the bon motivater thrills me more. Word–play is fine if it helps the cause but I use it sparingly, or not at all.
Ein Arbeitsbeispiel, mit Kommentar, für Chivas Regal:
click to embiggen
“It’s a risky ad and, for some people, it’s sentimental but I know others who say that it vividly echoes their own experience. Incidentally, if you try to write a headline for this ad, you’ll discover why it doesn’t have one.”
