Copywriting needs an Ofcopy
8 February 2010
The trouble with copywriting is that it’s a completely unregulated industry. There’s no Ofcopy. Perhaps there should be. I’ve just completed a copywriting job for an Asian hotels and resorts company — they loved my work — after their original copywriter had let them down. Big-style.
I don’t normally knock the copywriting competition. But I’m going to make an exception in this case. The copy this other copywriter supplied was bad. Apocalyptically bad. It was the most abysmal, illiterate, badly structured load of flowless twunk (that’s a technical term) it’s ever been my misfortune to encounter. Now, I assumed this guy was non-native English or that the copy was translated from Vietnamese. But, oh no. He’s in Devon.
If you’re buying copy, please check out the copywriter’s credentials. He or she MUST have worked in an agency for a good few years or worked client-side for a reputable company, as I did (GEC Marconi). Sadly, anyone can set themselves up as a copywriter, and many do. If you really want to be reassured, get them to do a short tester. I’m always happy to do this.
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