To an outsider, advertising and bullshit might seem to go hand-in-hand. However, I’ve always tended to take a no bullshit approach. I have little time for hyperbole, jargon, and other crap that gets in the way of the goals we wish to achieve.
This can sometimes make scrolling through LinkedIn feel like floating in a sea of crap, as I encounter AI-written ‘thought leadership’ pieces, critiques of ads from people who’ve never actually made an ad, and people with wonderfully self-indulgent titles like ‘unicorn’ and ‘ninja’.
So, in a bid to combat some of the bullshit, offer some reality, and dispel some myths that have grown like a post-Christmas waistline, I thought I’d jot down a few red flags I regularly come across.
1. ‘We need someone to do everything for $50k per year.’
Okay, I get it – your budget is $X, but that doesn’t mean you simply combine all the things you need done into one role and advertise it for your budget. If it were, rather than hiring electricians, carpenters, plumbers, painters, concreters, tilers, and landscapers to build a house, I could just invent a role like ‘Habitational Construction Viscount Unicorn’ and seek someone to build an entire house for $50k.
Firstly, it’s not going to happen. And, secondly, even if it did, would it be a house you’d want to live in?
The simple truth is that if you want something done well, there’s no such thing as a ‘one-person agency’. It’s the same reason your GP doesn’t also dabble in a bit of dentistry and brain surgery. You get what you pay for, no matter how inconvenient that might be for the budget.
2. ‘Isn’t copywriting just the words?’
Look, the ad industry hasn’t done itself any favours with the ‘copywriter’ title. My mum has never even understood what a copywriter does. These days, the plethora of people you can find online proclaiming to be copywriters ranges from people who can use spellcheck on a computer to ex-journos (and anyone in between, who has ever said the alphabet).
The truth is, the ‘writing’ part is actually secondary in the role of a copywriter. The bigger, and more difficult part is the thinking. And by that, I mean both strategic thinking, and conceptual thinking.
‘Hey. Isn’t strategy covered by the planner?’, I hear you say. Well, any copywriter worth their salt is also a strategist. David Ogilvy. Leo Burnett. Mary Wells Lawrence. All great copywriters, yet all inherently great strategy planners. Even the fictional TV character Don Draper is a great strategic thinker.
And, yes, of course there is the writing. What you may not know is that for every word you see in the final output, there are plenty behind it that have fallen. For example, a good copywriter considers the difference inferred by a bank that tells its customers ‘Your withdrawal has been approved’ versus ‘Your withdrawal has been confirmed’.
A million decisions like this happen behind every piece of work you see (if it’s been done well, that is).
3. ‘The strategy and idea is all done. We just need…’
Hear that? It’s alarm bells ringing.
Sure, on first glance it seems innocent enough. After all, the strategy and idea is essentially where all the heavy lifting happens. If that’s done well, the following jobs (copywriting and other ‘executional’ parts of the project) should be simpler. But the important words are “if it’s done well…”. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.
If it isn’t, it’s like being asked to put a roof on a house, when you know the house won’t be able to take the weight of a roof. For this reason, I’m always sceptical when the author of an idea doesn’t want to (or can’t) make their own idea actually work.
I’ve always held the position that the best person to make the idea work is the originator, because you make a bed differently if you’re the one who has to sleep in it.
4. ‘The visual assets are done. We just need a brand positioning.’
This one always unleashes a raised eyebrow. That’s because anyone who understands communication would understand that visual assets, typefaces, brand colour palettes, copy style and tone all have to be pulling in the same direction. And the North Star for that direction is the brand positioning.
To try and retro-fit a brand positioning in this way is like trying to lay the foundation slab of a house – after you’ve already built two of the bedrooms and the kitchen.
Any professional communicator understands brand architecture, the process, and that everything about the brand needs to work together.
5. ‘Can’t I just teach myself and do it?’
Well, yes. But we also need to accept that knowledge and talent are not the same thing.
The simple truth is that some people are quite unique in their ability to do a particular task. For example, regardless of how much I study the biomechanics of running, or how many mornings I get up at 4am and train the house down, I will never be able to run faster than Usain Bolt. Sure, my running will likely improve, but I will never be an awesome runner.
It would be the same for an artist. Sure, you can learn that mixing yellow and blue makes green, but you may never have the vision to foresee a human-figure called David lying within a 9-tonne block of marble.
So, while you can improve through education and training, there are some talents you may never master – no matter how many Simon Sinek or Gary V videos you watch.
6. ‘Everyone’s a creative’
When I say ‘creative’, I’m talking about copywriters, art directors, designers, directors, and their ilk.
This ‘everyone’s a creative’ phrase is the ugly, bastard-cousin of ‘ideas can come from anywhere’. Both phrases discount the skills and talents required to do the job correctly. Part of this is due to the current low barriers of entry, largely brought about through technology. Yes, Canva, Apple et al – I’m looking at you.
The truth is, simply having the tools doesn’t mean you know how to use them correctly.
To be clear, I’m not talking about their technical operation. Instead, I’m talking about the underlying skills that dictate which tool to use and when to use it. (eg. What does a close shot mean? Why doesn’t that typeface feel right? Is the colour palette communicating my intention? Should the language be colloquial or more formal? What does that posture imply?)
These are the true skills and talents required to be a professional communicator, rather than simply knowing which button to press.
7. ‘But, can you do social posts?’
In a world of internet memes, I imagine this one sitting up there, with the headline ‘Tell me you don’t know what an advertising creative does, without telling me you don’t know what an advertising creative does.’
Any true copywriter (or art director) has made a career from being a professional communicator. This includes consideration of the medium and context of how and where the message is consumed. Trust me, any creative who has worked in mediums that include TVC, pre-rolls, direct mail, out-of-home, point-of-sale, eDMs, posters, radio, flyers, and almost anything else, can also do social. Yes, social might have its own nuances, but so does every other medium.
In short, it’s a bit like asking a Formula 1 driver if they know how to drive an automatic Toyota Camry.
Brand Strategy | Creative Concepts | Copywriting
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