5/19/09

Time Out

Avoid the burnout.

“With age comes wisdom.” In advertising, there is a slight twist to that popular adage: “With age comes burnout.” We all know the shell-shocked look of the designer who has created one too many self-mailers. Or the sulking copywriter who just may go postal if asked to write another life insurance brochure.

Burnout or slowly smoldering, some of our compatriots have chosen to pursue different careers. But don’t apply for a job at Wal-Mart just yet.

The best way to avoid industry burnout is to keep the creative fresh. Yes, easy for me to say as you slave away on a project that is lulling you to sleep faster than “Night Rider” reruns. That is the real challenge — to keep the creative distinct with a decisive edge even though it may be the same product or service that you have worked on many, many times before. It holds true with both copy and graphics.

If I’m bored in what I’m writing, so is the person reading it. So I better keep the copy cooking. If not, I assume it’s lining someone’s parakeet cage.

How then do you keep creative fresh? Live your life. Break away from the ordinary and open yourself up to new experiences. Hike up a mountain, do volunteer work, visit a museum, take a long walk down a different path, debate someone of opposing viewpoints, expose (not literally!) yourself to a foreign culture. These are all enriching experiences that free your mind to new ways at looking at situations. It exercises the brain and keeps the creative juices flowing.

“With age comes wisdom.” Yes, but just don’t get old in the process. Comments? I’d like to hear them. E-mail me at eric@reismanscopyworks.com

 

3/22/09

Time Out

A few words expressing everything.

Among the unsung heroes in advertising, those brave souls devoted entirely to creating taglines deserve our respect. Their mission is not an easy one. In as few words as possible, they craft taglines capturing a company’s mission, what distinguishes the company in the marketplace and how consumers should perceive its brand.

Sure, and how about an order of fries with that?

My first experience with taglines was when working for an ad agency, now extinct, with a nice client mix. It didn’t matter however whether clients were selling heat pumps, business insurance or women’s sandals. The same tag line – or slight variations of it – would inevitability be suggested: “Working for you,” “Works for you” or “Work for you.” They conveyed very little but at least consumers could rest assured that the company wasn’t working against them.

Occasionally a company wants a patriotic twist to its tagline. There are enough examples of that today. Here, just fill in the blanks yourself: “Where America shops for (ball bearings)” or go for the creative one-two punch: “America and (Acme Asbestos Company): Working together for you.”

Other times the message is simply to remind the market about a company’s product and that it is run by humans and not androids. You’ve seen it plenty of times: “We’re the (shower curtain rod) people.”

Fortunately, there are also some genuine gems amongst the many trivial taglines. A few that come to mind are, “You are in good hands with Allstate,” AT&T’s, “Reach out and touch someone” and the lengthy but classic, “There’s some things that money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s MasterCard.” Any memorable taglines you wish to share? E-mail me at
eric@reismanscopyworks.com

3/5/09

Time Out

Sometimes you just have to laugh.

The thought of starting a blog did not come naturally to me. A terrible thing to admit, especially from an advertising copywriter but I'm not always the first one on the block to grasp new technology. I'm still waiting for 8-tracks to make a comeback. I think this whole Online thing might only be a fad. And until recently, I thought a blog was a grade B horror film made with Steve McQueen in 1958 (okay, okay it was “The Blob”).

So, why then did I start this blog? After all, the Internet is bloated with blogs from experts in advertising sharing their wisdom. But I don’t want to write just another sermon on the industry's do's and don'ts. What we all could all use is a “time out.” With the economy in the proverbial toilet and tempers and budgets strained, I hope to offer a lighthearted look at what we do . . . and to whom . . . and give you a moment away from the daily grind.

I don’t know how funny this blog may be because my writing typically isn't. I’m a copywriter, remember? For almost 30 years it’s been my task to convince people that they just have to have my clients’ products or services. Whether it's to make them healthier, wealthier, happier or smarter, readers must be persuaded that this could be their last chance before Judgment Day. “Use our miracle cream today for everything from replenishing your skin to sealing your driveway . . . respond now before it’s too late!”

Like I said, not a lot of giggles in what I write for a living.

So, I want to use this blog to share with you my experiences in advertising and though I probably wasn't laughing at the time, find some humor in these adventures now. Perhaps you can relate to some of the tales from this copywriter’s crypt. There’s no shortage of material. Just look at the way that we interact with one another from creative through marketing. Are we talking love fest or day at gladiator school? I'll be as candid as possible in sharing my exploits. I will not however mention any names to protect the guilty and prevent professional suicide.

I welcome your comments, insight, and if you dare, reveal some of your own experiences. And please, let me know whether you think my efforts would be better spent updating my resume. Enjoy the time out.

Eric
eric@reismanscopyworks.com