David Abbott is an advertising executive and founder of Abbott Mead Vickers (now known as AMV BBDO). Abbott Mead Vickers are well known for their extensive client list, including the likes of Mercedes Benz, Guinness and Twinings. Perhaps their best known work of late is the Snickers ‘Get Some Nuts’ campaign featuring Mr. T. AMV BBDO is one of the best in the business, and their style is definitely unique and something to aim for.

Get Some Nuts

Wearing the right clothes is, sadly, a major aspect of a job interview. It is known that the first thing a company’s hiring directors see is what you are wearing, and while this may seem totally irrelevant to the job, it often goes a long way. The above page contains lists and tips on what to wear to job interviews with sections for both males and females. Additionally, it is pointed out that calling your potential employer before hand to find out what to wear is often the best way to go about it. They are the ones that will hire you, after all.

Wear it Well

Often in copywriting your bosses or co-workers will want to know how long it’s going to take you to write up a brochure or a sales letter. If you’ve never really thought about how long it takes you, this website has a list of various different types of copy and approximately how long it should take you to finish a piece of each. The article points out that often the typing aspect is the easiest part of the job, whereas researching your topic is the most time-consuming, and this is why it is important to give yourself a bit of space when giving job estimate times. You don’t want to disappoint those who pay you.

It's all about timing.

Preparing for a job interview can be a nerve-racking task, but researching possible interview questions and other interview hints is a good way to minimise the stress. The above page is a list of 10 pointers on handling possible interview questions in the advertising field. There are many other websites that have tips for general interview questions, but looking at those specific to advertising and copywriting such as this page will help you out a lot more. The section on ‘Standing Out’ is one that will definitely get you thinking.

Practice Practice Practice! Your Interview Questions...

When on the job hunt, this website is one of the best in Australia for finding specific job descriptions. Where other websites have only one job titled ‘copywriter’, Seek has 17. Note that when looking for a copywriting job it may be easier to search for a job in the ‘creative department ‘of advertising as some businesses ay not use the title of ‘copywriter’ or they may outsource their copywriting. Either way, it is important for a start to get into a part of the creative department and work your way up to a major copywriting job. Getting a job in other parts of an advertising agency, such as in media (buying media space etc) may make it hard for you to switch over to the creative side.

Seek for your job and you will find...

When you think of writing copy, radio isn’t one of the first things that come to mind. But this page is a neat little article by Peter Drew on how to write effective copy for radio which means, in other words, writing the voice for radio commercials. Drew notes that it is simple to write a radio script if you have a basic outline for easier flow and to always remember that with radio you are writing for the ear, not the eye. Drew also points out that the technique for writing radio copy can be much different from writing paper copy. This is well worth a read whether you are a pro, or just starting out.

Writing copy for the ear.

William Bernbach (1911-1982) was a legend in advertising, and was one of the founders of Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB), the advertising agency that created what has been voted the best advertising campaign of all time – Volkswagon’s ‘Think Small’. Bernbach was also well-known for his success at partnering copywriters and art-directors into teams, effectively integrating the advertising process. The above link is a showcase of some of the work of DDB, including campaigns for Hasbro’s Monopoly, Egypt Tourism and Volkswagon. For something really out of the box, see the drive-thru poster ad for McDonalds.

McDonalds Drive Thru Ad by DDB

This site is about creating a contract for copywriting, which as in any business, helps a freelancer protect him or herself and also outline concrete terms for your clients. It includes a list of 14 steps to creating a freelance contract, such as how to layout the contract, how to set your charge rates, and how to state what you expect to be charging the client. The page also outlines that getting a clients signature on your contract, although not a bulletproof method, will definitely help if the client refuses to pay up.

How to get paid.. well sort of

Entering contests like the one above is a way to get your work out there as well as experience being up against people competing for the same spot. Contests are the same sort of environment as trying to win a copywriting contract, so entering them will help get you prepared for contract wars. The set of rules are outlined on the above page and apart from the experience factor, contests like this often offer great prize pools, so you get payed around $10k plus if you win. Not too shabby.

Contests = Experience + Potential Cash. What have you got to lose?

Leo Burnett (1891-1971) is one of the best known copywriters of all time, having created characters such as Toucan Sam and the Jolly Green Giant. He created his own agency called Leo Burnett Worldwide in 1935 and it still runs successfully today, which can be seen via the website. The site itself contains a very large selection of Leo Burnett showcases that display exactly what successful copy looks like, including samples of copy written for Nike and Earth Hour. This guy was a legend in the copywriting field, and as the site shows, getting to know his work gives the viewer an idea of where the mark is set.

Leo Burnett's Earth Hour