Don’t think you’re a copywriter? Think again. Today we are constantly crafting strategic messages that are sent out throughout the world to receptive audiences. I believe that we are all copywriters at heart – social copywriters.
So what is social copywriting? Well honestly, it is something I just made up. How many times have you found yourself scripting carefully crafted text messages meant for a special someone, a colleague, or a friend you are in a fight with? How many times have you huddled around in a group doing the same thing? Have you ever spent more than five minutes pouring over a keyboard trying to devise the perfect Facebook status update or tweet? I would venture to say most of us could relate to these experiences. We are all social copywriters.
Many would argue that social media, e-mail, and text messaging has weakened our ability to communicate well. This might be partially true, but I also think it has forced us to choose our words carefully. If you only have 140 characters to get your message across you better be precise with every syllable.
So get out there and fine-tune your craft, because – let’s face it – we’d all like to be the witty one online.
The BYU adlab recently got some big news. We won a One Show Bronze Pencil! This has been a huge step for our advertising program here at BYU. In fact, we were the only student-run agency to win! I was lucky enough to have participated in the development of the campaign last summer. For those of you who haven’t seen it – here it is a brief summary.
Last Spring McCann New York needed to produce a music video for an artist featured in their recent Holiday Inn campaign. Problem? They were not a record label and were lacking a large budget. That’s when they decided to team up with the BYU adlab. They charged us with creating a concept for video. We happened to have a small on-campus client (BYU Spring/Summer) that needed something that would persuade more students to attend classes during the summer term. Our solution? Answer two needs with one big event. The largest water balloon fight – ever. Here’s the result.
And behind the scenes … I was involved in much of the organization, planning, balloon filling, and all the other fun that helped it all come together.
Congrats to the BYU adlab, McCann NY, Holiday Inn, Kyle Andrews and everyone else involved! Not a bad start for group ad students!
Here at the BYU adlab we like to believe that we recognize smart advertising. But what does that really mean? This question is consistently revisited this time of year. The Superbowl, which is the biggest night in sports, has become the biggest night for advertising as well. Afterwards, everyone becomes an ad critic. We see the rankings on the ad meter, we watch our favorite spots over and over again, and we debate which ad was really the best. Does popularity correlate to sales? Can you really measure an ad’s effectiveness using a panel of consumers and a dial?
There are many variables that go into effective advertising. It all depends on who you are trying to reach. Honestly, sometimes the “bad” ad gets the job done. The Superbowl crowd loves their monkeys, explosions, and crude body humor. Truly great advertising, however, doesn’t come around everyday.
This year one ad has been the talk of our little shop. Weiden + Kennedy’s Chrysler ad was more than advertising – it was art. The two minute spot was dripping with intelligent writing, beautiful production value, impeccable strategy, and a brilliant line to top it off.
We all know the trouble the auto industry has faced during the last few years. We’ve heard the depressing stories about Detroit. This ad encapsulated all these feelings perfectly. The writing, the imagery, and even the cameo from Eminem slowly built the story like a soaring symphony until the perfect tag line landed at the end. Imported from Detroit. Brilliant.
Detroit isn’t New York. It doesn’t have to be. Detroit is making a coming back. Luxury isn’t something that has to be shipped in from overseas.
This spot is the definition of smart advertising. It isn’t indulgent or forced. It does the job with such taste and precision that we were left talking about the cars coming out of Detroit rather than animals or body humor. Job well done.
