Crazy Enough to Tell the Truth?

 

The movie Crazy People is the story of Emory Leeson (Dudley Moore), an ad agency creative who, while experiencing a nervous breakdown, designs a series of "truthful" ads with help from some other folks experiencing mental issues. These unlikely ads are wildly successful. And, funny as hell. And, in most cases, a bit offensive.

If you're a copywriter or otherwise involved in the world of advertising/marketing, check it out. I doubt you'll suggest to anyone that it's a good movie (it's at least an hour too long), but you'll have some laughs.

Here's a taste:

I think the movie was trying to make a point by asking, "Who are the crazy people?" and letting the audience decide. Ad execs? Ad creatives? People who believe ads? People in psychiatric care facilities? People who run psychiatric care facilities? Everybody?

Frankly, I don't care. I just got a kick out of some of the "truthful" ads.

SPOILER ALERT

Stop reading if you're planning on seeing the movie.

If there's a slim to no chance that you're going to watch it, here are some of the "truth in advertising" headlines:

• Jaguar. For men who'd like hand jobs from beautiful women they hardly know.
  
  
• Forget Paris. The French can be annoying. Come to Greece. We're nicer.
  
  
• Buy Volvos. They're boxy but they're good.
  
  
• Come to New York. There were fewer murders than last year.
  
  
• Your fear of flying may be valid. United Airlines. Most of our passengers get there alive.
  
  
• Quaker Oats. Does this cereal taste great? Who knows. But the box is cute.
  
  

Come to think of it, maybe instead of watching the movie, you can save time by just viewing the trailer:

FYI, the film didn't do so well. Roger Ebert gave it 2 stars. Its Rotten Tomatoes rating is 37%. And it's dated, politically incorrect, and potentially offensive and/or insulting to certain groups of people.

Publishing A Book During a Pandemic

“Why Would You Publish a Book During a Pandemic?”

That’s what a client asked me after I told him that my new book is now available.

The response took me by surprise. I was expecting some sort of supportive, celebratory comment that would stroke my ego and show me how much more prestige I now commanded.

I didn’t know what to answer.

So, I said, “I’m a writer and the book was finished. So, I published it.”

“Too bad it happened during this COVID-19 mess, people probably don’t have the money to spend on nonessentials like books.”

That comment got to me, too. I have a problem with thinking of books as nonessentials.

But, I reminded myself, we are in a pandemic and I don’t want to jeopardize business from a client who is keeping the orders coming, so I steered the conversation with, “Well, you can brag to your buddies that the guy who writes your copy and content is the same guy who wrote the book about copywriting.”

We moved on to a discussion about targeting new keywords for content.

But it got me thinking.

Thinking about other things I might have said if I had either thought of them at the time or I wasn’t concerned about limiting my income.

Things like:

• Although the pandemic has screwed a lot of stuff up, businesses still need good content and strong copy … not all writers are starving.
  
  
• Because of the pandemic, many writers are no longer commuting and may have more time for a useful book.
  
  
• Copy and content writers are known for investing in their skills and knowledge of their craft. They are willing to invest in learning.
  
  
• Copy and content writers will buy my book because it has value beyond what it costs.
  
  
• A bunch of folks I highly respect like Bob Bly, David Garfinkel, Tom Albrighton, Steve Slaunwhite, and Drayton Bird said that it’s a worthwhile book.
  
  
• I’m not measuring success by numbers of sales, but by numbers of people who feel they got value from the book.

OK, I’m sort of lying. I do want people who buy the book to get value (and I firmly believe they will), but I really, really want to sell a bunch of books. There’s some ego gratification and desire for acceptance at play here.

So, instead of ending this post with a great insight such as: You can wait for the time to be perfect or just roll up your sleeves and make things happen, I’ll end it with a self-serving CTA: Buy my book. It’ll make you a better copywriter: https://amzn.to/2zCI5es

Rhythm in Writing

Most of my writing is not meant to be read aloud. 

But I do. 

I call it: aural editing.

Hearing my writing helps me check rhythm, flow, and if the reader will accept the words as part of a conversation they're having with the brand. 

Rhythm reduces friction for your readers. 

It lowers their effort in consuming your words and accepting your message. 

It can mean the difference between your target audience continuing to read or getting tripped up (or worse, bored) to a full stop.

Writing content and copy with good rhythm and flow starts with the nuts and bolts, such as:

• sentence length
• word syllables
• punctuation placement

Gary Provost famously wrote:

This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It's like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety.

Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. the writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of a medium length. And sometimes when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals – sounds that say listen to this, it is important.

So write with a combination of short, medium, and long sentences. Create a sound that pleases the reader's ear. Don't just write words. Write music.  

So, consider reading your content and copy out loud. 

Or have someone else read it it, preferably cold (their first read of the material). 

Listen for the rhythm. 

Or lack of it. Identify tripping points.

Write this on a note and stick it where you'll see it:

Aural Editing Makes It Better

PS If you want to check out masters of rhythm in writing, read Shel Silverstein, Jack Kerouac, Truman Capote, Ernest Hemingway, or Dr. Suess.

PPS In my opinion, current copywriters who deftly apply rhythm when writing copy include Andrew Joliffe, Cole Schafer, Henneke Duistermaat, Eddie Shleyner, and George Tannenbaum. 

The Worst Halloween Treat

It shows up every fall.

Candy corn.

My wife loves the foul stuff.

Me? Not so much.

But I could write a helluva good ad for it.

or promo. or email. or social media post. or video script. or web page.

Why they like it and why they should buy it.

I'm a copywriter, and that's what copywriters do.

We don’t necessarily have to like a product or a service, we just have to tap into the target audience and understand why they want or need it.

What problem does it solve? What joy does it bring?

That being said, this week I turned down a nice piece of business because I was not morally comfortable with the product. I think I could've written a helluva good ad for it.

or promo. or email. or social media post. or video script. or web page

But I won’t.

Wish the offer had come from a manufacturer of candy corn.