Monday, April 10, 2017

TV is Good.


Holy shit am I exhausted.

But in a good way, a very good way.

For the first time in a long, long time I was booked on a job and asked to write TV spots. 30 second brand building, mass media with a successful track record of putting asses in seats, moving the merch and spiking the needle.

Even better, this was an evolution of an existing campaign, so the tagline, the copy line and the structure was already in place. So all we had to do was strap on our reverse engineering hard hats and get busy with the getting busy.

Those of you in the trenches, particularly those with a little snow on the roof or hairs growing out of the ears, know exactly what I'm talking about. Assignments like this don't come along every day.

In fact, in 2017, advertising isn't always about advertising. Frankly, there are many instances when I don't know what it is. We spend more time figuring out what the 'ask' is than we do crafting the 'answer'.

Agencies have created a whole lot of names for what they're wanting: platforms, handles, directions, disruption road maps, communications itineraries or just simply blurbs. And meetings seem to be all about getting these puff pieces preened to perfection.

The other writers out there are going to hate me, but I'm gonna let you in on a little secret.

These 'platforms', 'handles', 'directions', 'disruption road maps', 'communications itineraries' or just simply 'blurbs' you're asking for are nothing more than re-digested briefs. Oh they might have the sheen of newness or the thin veneer of a solution, but trust me they're nothing more than planner speak put into copywriter speak.

And without any kind of ads or, in the vernacular of the day 'adlike objects' to back them up, they're just as meaningless.

Call me old school, call me a dinosaur, call me a grumpy, cynical bastard who can't get with the times.

I don't care, last week I was called a copywriter. And it felt good.

Now hand me that assignment for radio.