Obstacle Buster

Remember the times when you read an ad and it spoke to your soul. Or browsed a website and you felt like clicking the ‘Buy Now’ button. That’s because you were convinced by a copywriter that used a secret weapon – BUSTING OBSTACLES.

What obstacle? It’s anything that would have prevented you from buying.

You see, it’s highly unlikely that an ad will create the need for someone to buy just because the copy spot-on. I mean, if you have no intention of buying a bike; you will not buy a bike no matter how awesomely compelling the copywriting is.

Road Obstacles
The road to purchase is filled with obstacles... bust em'!

This is what normally happens; you first aspire to own a particular product – let’s say an iPad – because you think it’s somehow made for you. Then you take notice of Apple’s ads and visit their website to justify a purchase decision you have already made in your head.

You think you’re doing it “for more information”, but in fact you are doing this to look for any reason to buy. And this is how it often becomes a copywriter’s job to remove as many obstacles that would prevent a prospect from buying. But how?

Don’t hide the benefits
Yes, a purchase decision has been made but there’s no harm reassuring the prospect. Don’t ever assume they already know. And even if they do know; repeating a benefit will only make them feel smarter; that “they are in the know”.

Don’t be shy with your product
Appeal to emotions by demonstrating the product in use. This paints a picture that the prospect is happily using the product in his head. People buy things to realize their aspirations and dreams; put the product there. Think how Apple advertises.

Don’t always stop short
Short copy works if you don’t have much time to convey the message, but long copy is the one that can turn a “no” into a “yes”. Websites offer the perfect opportunity to be copy intensive; start concise in landing pages, but go wild with content when users click-through.

Don’t over-expose
Resist the urge to say everything all at once. Leave that special something to be desired, because we all like to be tempted and teased. This goes against conventional wisdom, but works really well to push prospects over the tipping point.

Don’t forget the spouse
More often than not, the spouse has to be consulted before making any major purchasing decisions. Give reasons prospects can use on their partner to help close the deal. In case of the iPad, being able to read in bed without the lights on could convince your significant other to approve the purchase; because he/she can finally get some sleep.

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Why I Quit My Job

Most people think I became self-employed to make more money. But trust me, if money was my only motivation, it would have been easier to just keep working. So why did I quit? Truth be told, I had absolutely no idea, until recently.

Okay, honestly I did have a general idea. Basically it was to have more time for myself, do things on my terms and do it well, and look forward to better things than weekends and paydays. I would be happy even if I made some money; more is of course a bonus.

Manual Labour
It often felt like I was doing hard labour, even when I wasn't

But I that was before I watched a TED video by Dan Pink, which offered a fascinating insight into the science of motivation. In the video, Dan talks about an important factual discovery:

That those working in jobs that require
cognitive skills (i.e. creativity), a larger reward (i.e. more money)
leads to poorer performance

No wonder I was so miserable even when I was earning a decent buck as a senior copywriter. And that “I deserve better” feeling at the end of the month wasn’t because I wanted more money; but because I wanted to satisfy the purpose of my existence.

I know, sounds philosophical, but Dan put down 3 desires us ‘creative’ folks yearn for:

Autonomy: The urge to direct our own lives

Mastery: The desire to get better and better at something that matters

Purpose: The yearning to do what we do in service of something larger than ourselves

So if you’re stuck in a well-paying job; but still can’t seem to figure out why you find it absolutely painful to wake up in the mornings, I suggest you watch Dan’s video on TED.

Just don’t quit your job too soon. I might call you for a loan in case my self-employment thing doesn’t work out… haha!

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Top Half!

My first post on this blog was on the 3rd of January 2010. I didn’t really have an objective for starting this blog, except to vent my frustrations and have somewhat an online presence.

Along the way I renewed my primary objective; which was to move up the Google page results ranking.After much trial and error, hits and misses, and 562 days; here’s where I am…

Yup, I made it to the Top Half (or position 5) for the keywords “Copywriter + Malaysia”. I did make Page 1 some time ago; but breaking the Top Half proved a challenge. It does feel good now that I’m here.

But we all know Google rankings are unstable; which was why I wanted to capture the moment before I get sent back down to reality.

Hmmm… maybe it’s time to renew my objective once again. Top spot perhaps? Watch out Tim Yang… I’m coming for you!

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Evolve or Die

Remember the time when you knew at least a couple of bootleg DVD sellers in your neigbourhood and thought you were getting a bargain?

Remember the time when the trendiest of us used to wear our mobile phones around our necks?

Remember the time when compact discs were supposed to make our lives easier for being able to store up to roughly 20 tracks?

Evolution
Looks like the only difference between man and ape is technology...

Remember the time when you had to actually dial-up to connect to the internet and pay like 3 Ringgits per hour for it?

Remember the time when keeping in-touch meant calling someone maybe once or twice a month?

Remember the time when we read newspapers or magazines and played solitaire or minesweeper to keep ourselves occupied in the office?

Remember the time when we kept our thoughts to ourselves and wished others would understand us?

Remember the time when I was just a copywriter?

Some things evolve for the better, so have I to a certain extent. And I sure hope this is an evolution for the better as I have already stared death in its face… the slow death of aimless employment.

The result of this evolution? Only time will tell.

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Who Needs a Creative Brief Anyway?

It turns out the thing we creatives think ought to be better written, is the very thing that’s limiting our creativity in the first place. Yup, creative briefs block creative thinking.

Creative briefs are written by brand or account managers; whom are both normally analytical, tactics-driven and strategically sound. These are a bunch of people who are left-brained if you will. Their objective is to manage a project to produce a desired result while being on time and on budget.

Now a recipient of a creative brief is usually a right-brained creative director, art director or copywriter; who some say is hard-wired to ignore a creative brief. It seems the tendency to disregard a brief is actually a natural reflex, and not an act of defiance as normally assumed.

Waste paper basket
Many a creative briefs have ended up here. Blame our right-sided brain for that!

Creatives are motivated by their craft and their need to excel in what they do. They also know other creatives are watching their work and that the next awards night is just around the corner. There is this need for a creative to justify his existence in the creative department, and to satisfy his toughest critic – himself.

A well-written creative brief then comes along to put a spanner in the works.

The fact of the matter is that most creative briefs are hardly creative. They’re full of dry data, assumptions, restrictions and guidelines; exactly the kind of thing that does not get creative juices flowing. The ‘better’ a brief is, the harder it becomes to translate it into a compelling, effective and engaging communication.

So allow me to apologize to all the suits that I’ve previously chided for not giving me a proper brief. It seems we never needed it in the first place.

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“The Consumer Is Not a Moron, She Is Your Wife”

Ladies, chill for a sec. Nobody is calling you a moron. The quote above illustrates that wives – who often shop for the whole family – are whip smart consumers. Yes, you can lower your pitchforks now.

This was one of the business advise of a certain David Ogilvy. We’ve all heard of David Ogilvy. We know his famous works. We even aspired to work for his company. But David was not only an advertising legend; he was a revered businessman too.

Ogilvy On Advertising
One of the ugliest book covers ever; but beautifully written.

Here are his advice on building and running a business, as told to a Fortune Magazine reporter some time back:

  1. Remember that Abraham Lincoln spoke of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He left out the pursuit of profit
  2. Remember the old Scottish motto: “Be happy while you’re living, for you are a long time dead.”
  3. If you have to reduce your company’s payroll, don’t fire your people until you have cut your compensation and the compensation of your big-shot
  4. Define your corporate culture and your principles of management in writing. Don’t delegate this to a committee. Search all the parks in all your cities. You’ll find no statues of committees
  5. Stop cutting the quality of your products in search of bigger margins. The consumer always notices — and punishes you
  6. Never spend money on advertising which does not sell
  7. Bear in mind that the consumer is not a moron. She is your wife. Do not insult her intelligence

I don’t want to spoil the eloquent beauty of these points by adding any of my 10 sen opinions. But I will say this – if there’s one thing you take away from this list, it better be No.6. Kapish?

Copy-Google-writer

With each passing year, I think copywriters are turning into writers who copy. I’ve always defended my profession claiming that what we write is original, authentic and very much involves the creative side of the brain. I’m starting not to buy into that bullshit myself any more.

You see, I’ve written for cars I never drove, products I never used, facilities I never enjoyed, places I’ve never been to, events I’ve never attended and even beers that I never drank (oh what a sin!). And how do I manage to pull enough crap out of my arse to keep clients happy? I turn to Google.

Google is increasingly becoming my ally in writing. At first, I used it as a research tool, but now even clients are saying “just Google it”. While Google is a valuable resource, it can never replace the real, tangible, tactile experience of testing, using or consuming a product that needs to be advertised.

A copy search on Google
The future of copywriting perhaps?

How am I supposed to gain that unique insight when all I do is base my thoughts on what has already been written? Would one buy a car solely based on his or her research on Google, without even bothering to test drive? I didn’t think so. How can I make a compelling argument when I have not seen or at the very least be properly briefed about the product?

If all copywriters were to research and refer on Google to form thoughts, opinions and even insights; then the ad writing profession will surely lose its appeal. Because after all, we will all become to the true sense of the words: nothing but copy writers.

Afterthought:

Yes, Goggle is indeed a blessing. It has made my job a lot easier, with the sheer abundance of data and materials. But I still believe writers should be provided with varied resources (and of course time) to develop insightful, compelling ideas.

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Breaking News: No.9 in Google

In interrupt this blog to bring you a real scoop, well, in the world of Jay Krish anyway. For the first time in the relatively short history of this blog, it has managed to break into the first page of Google’s Page Results for the search term “Copywriter Malaysia”!

Jay Krish on Google's first page!
No.9 from out of 173,000 results... not bad!

Now, whether I stay there or drop into blog oblivion remains to be seen. But to think just 10 months ago I was nowhere to be found, it sure feels good! Thanks to my followers (the very few of you, you know who you are), those who stumbled on this site and those who mistook me for someone else.

Cheers!

Words Used In Ads and What They Actually Mean

Advertising is the war. Copy is the weapon. Words are the ammunition.

Although copywriters are equipped with an arsenal of words to use as he or she pleases, there are quite a number that are ever-popular in ads. These are usually everyday words, mindless superlatives and hard sell calls-to-acts. I must add that I have been a chronic repeat offender myself. But then again, not all the words you see or hear in an ad are from the writers; if you know what I mean.

Ad words are sometimes nothing but empty promises

Here’s the top 5 words used in ads and what they actually mean, in no particular order:

1. Exclusive

If you think you’re going to get special, preferential or any form of private privileges, you’re wrong. The word exclusive is added to make things look more desirable than they actually are. I mean, if you really want to be exclusive, would you advertise in a website that gets like 1 million hits a day?

2. Enjoy

This one’s an evergreen favourite and probably the all-time, most used ad word. “Enjoy the experience. Enjoy the offer. Enjoy the freedom. Enjoy the splendour”… I could like go on forever. It’s a word used to get you thinking about enjoying yourself, hopefully with the product somewhere in the picture.

3. Free

This word is a dirty little fellow. One rule of thumb to keep in mind when you see this word is that there’s never such a thing as a free lunch. Nothing is free, period! The cost of whatever is “free” has already been added to the amount you are going to pay. So unless the ad is referring to air, be wary.

4. Amazing

This is probably the easiest superlative to use for a writer, simply because anything can be amazing. This post could be amazing, or maybe your internet connection or that client who’s an amazing pain in the ass. See? Something amazing need not be advertised if it truly is.

5. Hurry

Hurry! Offer ends XX Month 2010. So you are supposed to call, click or visit to purchase this exclusively enjoyable and amazing product that comes with a free gift before a particular date.  Hurry means they aren’t selling enough as it is or think you are a sucker to fall for such a cheap trick.

Man that was fun. I think I’ll do it again sometime.

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