I have two sisters and a brother. As children, we shared a Scalextric set. I think it was set up in a figure of eight, with a hill at one end. I remember our cat, Sandie, jumping from one loop to another, trying to swat the cars off the track. Read more…
When I was at junior school, aged about 7 or 8, we were tasked with writing an essay about it*. Obviously, there was no such thing as Google back then. I sent a letter to the Gypsum Association requesting some information. It would have been a handwritten letter, probably in Read more…
Have you read the book Who Moved my Cheese? Four characters live in a maze. They become used to finding cheese in the same corner every time… but one day, it isn’t there. The two humans keep going back to the same spot, in the hope that the cheese will Read more…
I don’t know about you, but this is the pattern I’ve seen in recent months: March: People went into shock because we haven’t faced a global pandemic like this in our lifetime. We copywriters were kept busy dealing with lots of urgent requests for crisis comms April: People started to Read more…
I used to work at Freemans home shopping. I started as a catalogue copywriter writing product descriptions, and ended up as a senior manager with a team of copywriters and graphic designers reporting to me. I also worked in the marketing department to help lead a rebrand, and ran projects Read more…
The tone of voice that’s suitable for marketing has shifted. As with all copywriting, you have to be sensitive to the reader. You need to recognise where they are at. “Meet them at their bus-stop” is the phrase used by Shelle Rose Charvet, author of Words That Change Minds. Consider Read more…
How have you been feeling when marketing messages ping into your inbox? I’ve unsubscribed from more than a few. I’ve also unfollowed more people on social media than ever before. If I see a name in my inbox or on my social media timelines, and it doesn’t make me feel Read more…
As you probably know from your own experience, 90% of web interactions start with search*. Apart from e-commerce, people search the Internet for two reasons: information and entertainment. No-one goes to the Internet looking to be sold to. They are not looking for an advert (unless it’s an informative or Read more…
Want copy for your new website or other piece of marketing collateral? These are some of the questions you’ll be asked as part of the 360-degree consultation you get from us before we can give you a quote. You might also find these questions useful if you plan to do Read more…
As you may know, one of the things I do is train recruiters how to write better job ads. I was invited to run these regular masterclasses by notorious recruiter, Mitch Sullivan. He chose me because I’m a generalist copywriter so would bring delegates a useful perspective from outside the Read more…