Chapter 13

Copywriting | Making the Ad 2011 | Brown University

The copywriter shapes and
sculpts the words in an ad
4 Types of Ads where words are crucial:

1. If the message is complicated

2. If the ad is for a high-involvement
product
3. Information that needs definition and
explanation
4. If a message tries to convey abstract
qualities
 Advertising copy should be:

• as simple as possible
• have a clear focus and try to convey
only one selling point
• concise; every word counts; space and
time are expensive
 Practical Tips

• Be succinct
• Be single-minded
• Be specific
• Get personal
• Keep a single focus
• Be controversial
• Be original
• Use variety
• Use imaginative description
Copywriting for Print:

• The headline
• Key element in print
• Conveys the main message
• Works with visual to communicate
• The display copy
• Elements that viewer see in initial
scanning
Copywriting for Print:

• The body copy

• Elements designed to be read and
absorbed
Headlines:

• Good headlines will attract prospects

• Headline must work in combination
with visual to stop and grab the
reader’s attention
• Headline must ID the product and
brand, and start the sale
• Headline should lead readers into the
body copy
There are two types of headlines:

1. Direct Action
• Assertion
• Command
• How-to Statements
• News Announcements
2. Indirect Action
• Puzzles
• Associations
Display Copy:

1. Captions
• Have the 2nd-highest readership
and serve an information function
2. Subheads
• Sectional headlines used to break
up large blocks of copy
Display Copy:

1. Captions
• Have the 2nd-highest readership
and serve an information function
2. Subheads
• Sectional headlines used to break
up large blocks of copy
 Display Copy:

3. Taglines
• Short, catchy, memorable phrases
used at the end of an ad to
complete the creative idea
4. Slogans
• Repeated from ad to ad as part of
a campaign or long-term brand
identity effort
Body Copy:

• The text of the ad; serves to maintain

interest of the reader

1. Lead Paragraph – 1st paragraph

• Where people test the message
and see if they want to read it
Body Copy:

3. Final paragraph
• Refers back to the creative
concept and wraps up the Big Idea
• Call to action
Print Media:

1. Newspaper
2. Magazines
3. Directories
4. Posters and Outdoor
5. Product Literature
Radio Copy:

• Must be simple enough to grasp, but

intriguing enough to prevent the
consumer from switching stations
• Ability for listener to remember facts
is difficult
• Theatre of the mind
• Story is visualized in the listener’s
imagination
Radio Copy:

• Must be simple enough to grasp, but

intriguing enough to prevent the
consumer from switching stations
• Ability for listener to remember facts
is difficult
• Theatre of the mind
• Story is visualized in the listener’s
imagination
Television Copy:

• Moving action makes television so much more

engaging than print
• The challenge is to fuse the images with the
words to present a creative concept and a
story
• Storytelling is one way copywriters can
present action in a television commercial
more powerfully than in other media