Is copywriting dead?

Jack Neary doesn’t think so, but it is on “life support”.

On January 5, I mused whether the role of the copywriter in advertising has truly diminished. My curiosity led to investigation and I decided to pose the question to those more qualified to answer than I. So I asked Black Bag (a talent consultancy for creatives) founder and CEO Heidi Ehlers as part of her “Ask Heidi” feature on Black Bag online.

Her deep industry connections gave her an open line to the top of the advertising pyramid and her response was this: “I’ve asked Jack Neary, Executive Vice President/Executive Creative Director, BBDO Worldwide, to answer this question. Jack and I have had conversations on this topic in the past, and he, for one, is a writer/Creative Director whom many have reverently referred to as a writer’s writer.”

I’m going to paraphrase Jack Neary’s response but you can get his entire narrative here.

The Short Answer from Jack:

• The copywriter isn’t dead, “but she’s on life support.”
• “Rare is the copywriter who can summon the right words, the most powerful words, in artfully rendered combinations that inspire consumers to feel and do something.”

Why? He chalks it up to demand.

• “Few creative directors want it any more.”

• “Therefore the wordsmith’s craft is seldom celebrated, rarely taught, and, therefore, almost never practised.”

• “Today’s media culture is not a culture of words. Writing, great or otherwise, has become less important.”

• “The heightened, often mindless lust for Cannes Lions has led to more visual, less verbal work because pictures generally do better than words with a cosmopolitan jury.  That is why the visual pun rose to such prominence in the last 15 years.”

But (and thank god there is one):

• “None of this means words can no longer be a vital part of a creative person’s arsenal of persuasion.”

• “Great writing is still preferred over poor writing, at least by a few of us. The right words can still make the heart soar, touch the soul, and elevate the argument.”

• “Mark me, when fortunes turn and our P&L allows me to hire again I will always offer the job to the writer who can over the writer who can’t.”

Great response.

Just a thought: The traditional role of copywriter was always: wordsmith, strategic thinker and concept developer. But if the craft isn’t as important (“digital natives” are busy mutating the language), strategy is now the charge of planners, and art directors can concept… it looks dark.

Still. If we think of our business, in part, as story telling, then I think there will always be a place for those who can spin them. And who better than a writer?

Thanks to both Heidi Ehlers and Jack Neary for shedding some light.

PS. And no, I don’t see the irony in paraphrasing Jack’s well crafted response with bullets.

Filed under: copywriting, creative, marketing , advertising, Black Bag, copywriting, Heidi Ehlers, Jack Neary