Has Copy Made a Comeback Since My First Post Back in July 2008?

Kind of.
But not really.

On July 15th, 2008, I somehow persuaded the nice(ish) folks at The Denver Egotist to give me a forum from which I could speak my mind. This was somewhere I could spout what I wanted, how I wanted, on whatever topic I wanted. I could use foul language if I desired. And oh, how I desired.

I could call out the rampant bullshit that is rife in this industry. I could even call out local agencies that I liked and didn't like. In almost two years, I've covered most of that ground.

But nothing was as close to my black heart as that very first post. Entitled "The Tuesday Rant: Where Are The Words?" I had a gripe common amongst most writers in advertising. I wanted to know why words, and deeper communication, had gone bye-bye. I wondered why every ad I was seeing was a picture and a logo (sometimes, there was a tagline too...ohh, the delicious indulgence of a few extra words on the page). I wanted to know, honestly, why our industry was forgetting the very reason we were created in order to be self-indulgent and clever.

I didn't get much insight, other than a few like-minded souls agreeing. That didn't stop me from asking questions and trying to get responses out of people who love doing those visual gag ads. I still refer to them as "headless wonders," a reference from the old days about ads that had no headlines. Those ads at least had body copy, and a chance to get the features and benefits of the product across.

What I discovered was exactly what I expected. First, it seems that many art directors and designers thought that ads with headlines and copy were old-fashioned. They were so eighties. They were stale. True, they did actually communicate more about the product or service, but "no one's reading any of that crap anyway 'cos it looks boring and dated."

"Is that really what you believe?" I would often ask, "or are you saying that because you think it's what you should say?"

Turns out most of them really believed it.

Those that didn't, well, they were weathering a storm. They felt as I did, but they knew these ads were the flavor of the month. "Those ads you like, they won't win any awards and they won't grab the attention of the busy consumer."

I could see that point-of-view. I didn't agree with it, but I could at least understand it. There are a select few people in this business that don't give a rat's ass about awards. But most people do, even if they don't actually think they reward the right kind of work. They just know that they open more doors, and lead to more work.

As I've said before, Scorcese didn't need an Oscar to demonstrate his amazing abilities as a director. But he had one hell of a shit-eating grin on his face when he finally bagged that coveted golden statue. The fleas come with the dog, and awards come with advertising. If you want an award, you do work that wins awards. Sadly, for the last several years, that work has been the formulaic crud that is a "clever" visual gag and a logo/tagline.

But I'm seeing cracks in the veneer. I am. I daren't even speak it out loud, in case I jinx it for us, but damn it I think we're starting to see the tide turn.

There are a few reasons I know this is true. First, it's inevitable. To be doing work that is considered cutting-edge or original, you have to go against the flow. You have to reject the norm. And those visual gags are the norm. They're everywhere, and one quick look at Ads Of The World or Archive will prove that. To stand out from the clutter, a few words here and there will definitely help.

Second, agencies that for the longest time have embraced that style of advertising are starting to reject it, for that first reason I mentioned. Case in point, our very own TDA Advertising.

Now, this is not a dig at TDA, they’re a smart shop with a great portfolio. The visual ads they’ve done in the past are better than most. But they did do them, and quite often. Most of the FirstBank work shows a clear move away from that style of advertising to something more strategic. And they’re using copy to do it. So too do the ads for 1% For The Planet; over two-thirds of the ad was a headline, and they still left room for several lines of copy at the bottom.

And yes, I read it.

Not because I’m a writer with a fetish for copy, but because the headline begged me to read more and I did. When I’d finished, I went to the website and heard the music. I did what was asked of me. Now that’s good advertising.

Many of you may say that old Felix is way too obsessed with copy for his own good. But copy is paramount to communication. As Neil French has said many times “find me a picture that communicates the phrase ‘a picture says a thousand words.’” When we want people to stop at a stop sign, we use the word STOP. We don’t use a picture, or an icon. We use the most direct way to get across that message.

“Ahhh, got you” I can hear some of you shouting. “But that would be boring advertising, just using words to say ‘buy this thing’ or ‘shop at Target.” Well, I’m not saying we need to be boring with out words either. I’m not asking for that kind of directness. What I’m asking for is a return to common sense, which I’m happy to see I’m seeing more of now and then.

It seems as though agencies have gone out of their way to avoid using words of any kind. Like using words is not cool, or not good advertising. I’m not asking for ads filled with twenty-word headlines and two paragraphs of copy. I’m asking for agencies to provide the very best possible solution to the problem the client brings to the table.

If it takes words alone to solve that problem in a creative way, then that’s what is required. If it takes just an image (doubtful, but I’ll run with it) then ok. If it takes a combination of the two (the most likely scenario) then run with it; let’s have images that work hand-in-hand with headlines and copy, creating a symbiotic relationship in which both need each other for the whole thing to make sense.

So, to sum up (thank God I hear you cry, even the atheists among you), I think advertising is getting back to a place that is less self-indulgent and more client-focused. But it’s by no means anywhere near back to form. Most ads are still big pictures with logos on them. Copy is still being rejected when it should be celebrated (I wonder how many people can even write good copy any more, the whole industry is so out of practice). And awards are still being judged by people who want to reward all of that behavior.

But, there are cracks.
Small cracks.

Copy is being sprinkled around here and there, and some ads are even pushing ideas through copy. The idealistic vision of John Hegarty may in fact be fading from view. Yes, the man who once said “words are a barrier to communication” may see copy return before he shuffles off this mortal coil.

(By the way, John, as I said back in 2008, you do realize how incredibly ironic that statement is, right? Unless you’ve somehow managed to find an image to sum up those six words since you said them a few decades ago. And I would love to see it.)

Anyway, I for one am more than happy to embrace the change that is coming, and look forward to that day when copy is no longer an afterthought.

The times, they are a changin.’
They just takin’ their sweet time.

P.S. Regular readers of the Felix column, take note. I didn't use the words fuck or shit once during this whole rant.