Andy Maslen - Persuasive Copywriting: Cut Through the Noise and Communicate With Impact

Persuasive Copywriting

Second Edition

Cut through the noise and communicate with impact

Andy Maslen

Publishers note

Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publisher and author cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or the author.

First published in Great Britain and the United States in 2015 by Kogan Page Limited

Second edition 2019

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses:

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Andy Maslen 2019

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Hardback 978 0 7494 9773 6

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I dedicate this book, first to my wife, Jo, a talented writer and marketeer in her own right and the even keel of my occasionally storm-tossed ship; and second to you, dear reader, because without readers, books are meaningless.

What does a global top 50 copywriter think about the world of copy?

Steve Harrison was a European Creative Director (OgilvyOne) and Global Creative Director (Wunderman) either side of starting his own agency, HTW. At HTW he won more Cannes Lions in his discipline than any creative director in the world.

I asked Steve the following question, which, with his customary generosity and good humour, he answered in a lucid and engaging article that I have left untouched.

Youve said that the job of the copywriter being to solve the customers problem, not the clients. Could you expand on that a little? What sort of problems do clients have that they mistake for those of their customers? And how does that affect the way they judge copy?

The creative departments I ran at Ogilvy and HTW were regarded as the best in the business. This, however, had little to do with my brilliance or that of the art directors and copywriters I worked with. The secret of our success lay in something I called the Problem/Solution Dynamic.

At both Ogilvy and HTW, I insisted that all the briefs began with a statement of a) the problem being faced by the prospect and b) the solution being offered by the product or service we were selling. This led to a single-minded customer-focused proposition, which, in turn, told the creatives exactly what their ad should be about.

When we pitched a new client, wed tell them about the Problem/Solution dynamic and why it was central to everything we did. Most would nod receptively. But some misinterpreted what wed said and, instead of doing ads that focused on the prospects problems, wanted us to do creative that dealt with the problems that they were having.

For example, a widget manufacturer might tell us that theyd introduced a new line but that like-for-like sales were down 3% that quarter.

Or a management consultant might say that their approach to the market was markedly different to that of their competitors but that potential customers were failing to see the benefit.

Or an airline might complain it was not being recognized as the aspirational brand that the client insisted it most definitely was.

At which, wed tell them that while they were awake at 4.00am worrying about these things, their prospect couldnt care less. Other troubles were ruining their sleep, and these problems had to be our focus.

Yes, wed address the 3% sales shortfall, the lack of awareness about the consultancys different approach to the market, or the need to boost the aspirational appeal of the airline clients brand. But we would only get there by first showing how the attributes of the products and services we were selling could solve the prospects problems.

Unfortunately most agencies, then and now, do not explain the distinction between the problems faced by the client and the prospect. Instead they ignore the latter and produce work that panders to the clients desire to see their concerns being addressed directly in the advertising.

So the widget client with the failing new product line might be presented with an ad that announces: The best just got better or Tomorrows technology today.

The one with the different approach to consultancy will be presented with Business as unusual or, if that get the thumbs down, Expect the unexpected.

And as for the airline that seeks to raise its aspirational profile well, the chances are that amidst the pile of self-referential clichs will be the classic: The Art of Flight.

Clients love this kind of thing because it looks like its talking about the benefits of doing business with them. But actually the only people who will notice this work are the clients themselves. Because this advertising is all about them.

The worrying thing is that most agencies dont know any better. They dont realize that their prospects problems and the products solutions should be at the forefront of all their thinking.

It seems theres little interest in actually crafting a message that addresses a prospects problems when theres more fun to had adapting the latest digital innovation as the means by which it is transmitted.

Typically the fickle judges at the major award shows are dazzled by such novelty. Patrick Collister who for years has tracked the trends at these shows for The Directory Big Won rankings told me: Out of 27 Grand Prix at Cannes in 2017, only three of them were for work with an overtly commercial purpose. In other words, only three campaigns were trying to sell stuff.

Copywriting and its place in business and marketing today

Although there is a lot of talk about the basics of copywriting being evergreen, our world does not stand still, any more than does the world of our clients. New products come along all the time, new ways of communicating with customers, new ways of understanding how people make decisions. So when my editor at Kogan Page asked me to revise this book for a second edition, I was delighted.

Our goals in producing this new edition for you were threefold.