american copywriter

I've been listening to American Copywriter for ages, but it struck me this morning that I've never blogged about it, so now I will, by writing a highly reader-friendly list - 7 reasons why planners should listen to American Copywriter :

1. It's funny, clever and loud. You should listen because it's good.

2. You're a planner, if you don't know what makes creatives tick you'll be no good at your job. This is a chance to listen to some creatives thinking out loud. How valuable is that?

3. They remind you that strategy is only a tiny bit of the battle. Maybe the least important bit. The recent radio edition, for instance, should remind us all that the most important meeting in advertising is the pre-pro - this is where the things that make an ad good happen. You should try and get involved in them.

4. They remind you that making great communications is, above all, a craft. And that some skills - like getting a voiceover guy to deliver all the words he's supposed to say in exactly 14.8 seconds - are not going to replaced by any amount of social media widgets or clever digital doodahs.

5. They're enthusiasts. Enthusiasm is good. It's America's gift to the world. They're on their 40th of these things, ranting and talking about ads and stuff and you can tell that they're still enjoying it. Brilliant.

6. Again, in the Radio Edition, you get to hear some belly-aching about the US soccer team, which is always amusing.

7. I don't know. Just listen. You should.

Comments

[carol]

Through connections on the production side I've heard a lot about pre production meetings and budget details and post...the saying "many a slip twixt cup and lip" comes to mind.

I've done groups for a tv commercial director who wanted to use actual consumer language, not what was written in the script!

They are lovely pieces of creative work to us, to "normal" people ads are annoying spam that occasionally get past their 'verification filters'.

[American Copywriter]

RD:

Thanks very much for the props.

[Eliot Frick]

Thank you for eschewing what now seems to be the ubiquitous temptation to bash the yanks.

[Scott P. DeMenter]

If only the guys from We Hate Sheep would spend a few moments discussing the black sheep of advertising--direct mail--I could die a happy copywriter.