Chapter 10: Promotional Writing
As in radio, the three audio elements are music, voices, and sound effects, but they
are used differently in television commercials because they are connected to a visual
image.
Dialogue, both in radio and television, is an interesting challenge for writers who try
to keep the words natural and the interaction interesting. Music is also important. It
creates moods, heightens emotions, and has the potential to create a memorable aural
signature for a brand.
Other creative tools that support the story line are the setting, casting, costumes,
props, and lighting, all of which the writer must describe in the script. The setting, or
set, is where the action takes place. It can be something in the studio, from a simple
For many brand messages, the most important element is the people, who are called
talent. Finding the right person for each role is called casting. People can be cast as
announcers, spokespersons, character types, or celebrities.
Costumes and makeup can be an important part of the story, depending upon the
characterizations in the commercial. The writer must specify all the details of the
Planning the Television Message
Writers must plan how long the commercial will be, what shots will appear in each
scene, what the key visual will be, and where and how to shoot the commercial. In
addition, the copywriter has to consider the length, number of scenes, and key frames.
Other key decisions the copywriter must consider in planning a commercial are the
length, number of scenes, and key frames.
Chapter 10: Promotional Writing
A commercial is planned in scenes—segments of action that occur in a single
location. A scene may include several shots from different angles. A 30-second
commercial usually is planned with four to six scenes, but a fast-paced commercial
Writers need to answer many questions such as: How much product information
should be in the commercial or announcement? Should the action be fast or slow?
How intrusive should the ad be to catch people’s attention?
The key to the structure of a television script is the relationship between the audio and
the video. A storyboard, which is the visual plan or layout of the commercial, is
drawn by hand or on the computer to show the number of scenes, the composition of
How to Write for the Internet: Online Media
The internet is more interactive than any other mass medium. Not only does the
viewer initiate the contact, but they can respond as well. This makes the internet more
like two-way (or multiple-way) communication, which is a major point of difference
from the other advertising forms. As a result, the internet writer is challenged to
attract people to the brand and to manage a dialogue-based communication
experience.
Websites
The challenge for internet writers is to understand the user’s situation and design
messages that fit their needs and interests. The Web is an informational medium and
users come to it, in some cases, for reference information – formats that look a lot like
Chapter 10: Promotional Writing
Some tips for writing for websites are:
Call out important words.
Use subheads to break up major copy blocks.
Keep it simple.
Blogs
Blogs are an interactive form of communication on websites that offer commentary
and can serve many purposes, including promoting products and ideas. They can be
informational and help convey a brand personality through personal stories, give
news and industry updates, to name a few uses.
Internet Display Ads
Similar in some ways to traditional advertising, internet ads are designed to create
awareness and interest in a product and build a brand image. Display ads range in
format, and in terms of creating interest, good copywriting is important.
The most common form of online advertising is a small banner ad containing a little
bit of text, images that grab attention, and perhaps motion and sound. To avoid being
Chapter 10: Promotional Writing
Although considered a hot, new term for a specific type of online advertising, the
concept really isn’t that new. In other forms, it’s known as advertorials and
infomercials, which intertwine content with sponsorships.
Social Media
CHALLENGES WRITERS FACE
The copywriter’s job is to find a memorable way to express the creative concept.
A writer’s talent will do no good if the audience cannot understand the “magic
words.” This is particularly complicated in global brand communication.
Writing for a Global Brand
Language affects the presentation of the message, which is a problem for global
campaigns. English is more economical than many other languages. Standardizing the
Headlines in any language often rely on humor, a play on words, or slang. Because
these verbal techniques don’t cross borders well, writers remove them from
The major distinction in cross-cultural communication is between high-context and
low-context cultures. In high-context cultures, a message can be best understood
when interpreted within contextual cues. In a low-context culture, a message can be
understood as it stands.
Experience suggests that the most reasonable solution to the language problem is to
use bilingual copywriters who understand the full meaning of the English text and can
capture the essence of the message in the second language. A back translation of the
ad copy from the foreign language into the domestic one is always a good idea, but it
seldom conveys a complete cultural interpretation.
Chapter 10: Promotional Writing
END-OF-CHAPTER SUPPORT
REVIEW QUESTIONS
10-3. What qualities make a good tagline or slogan?
Slogans are a long-term brand or corporate identity effort. They must be catchy and
memorable. It is a distinctive catchphrase that serves as a motto for a campaign, brand,
or company and is used across a variety of marketing communication platforms and over
an extended period of time. The best slogans have a close link to the brand name. A good
slogan is enduring – they are rarely changed. They also have to be original.
10-4. Discuss the differences in writing for advertising, public relations, and direct
response.
In almost all situations, advertising has to win its audience, which is no small task, given
that it usually competes in a cluttered environment and the audience is generally
inattentive and uninterested. For that reason, the copy should be as simple as possible.
Every word counts because both space and time are expensive. Ineffective or overused
words and phrases waste precious space. Ad copy is usually written in a conversational
style using the language of real people. Copywriters try to write the way the target
audience thinks and talks, often with personal language and direct address.
However, a variety of writing styles are used in public relations because that area uses so
many different types of communication tools. Publicity, for example, is designed for
news media and uses the basic stylistics of journalism, while corporate publications may
sometimes be more unconventional. Press releases and video news releases are more like
television news but corporate videos may function more like films with action and
dramatic stories.
Chapter 10: Promotional Writing
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Copy lends its particular strengths in communicating complicated messages, informing
about high-involvement items, explaining how to use products, clarifying abstract
qualities, and locking in key phrases.
Different products will require different combinations of art and copy, and the most
effective ads will strike the appropriate balance between visual and text.
10-13. What do we mean by tone of voice, and why is it important in advertising, public
relations, and direct response? Find a magazine ad that you think has an appropriate tone
of voice for its targeted audience (the readers of that particular magazine) and one that
doesn’t. Discuss your analyses of these two ads.
10-14. Select a product that uses a long copy format in print. Examples might be
business-to-business and industrial products, over-the-counter drugs, and some car and
appliance ads. Now write a 30-second radio and a 30-second TV spot for that product.
Present your work to the class, along with an analysis of how the message design
changed—and stayed the same—when you moved from print to radio and then to
television.
Chapter 10: Promotional Writing
Student responses to this assignment will vary. When completing it, however, their work
should reflect the following:
10-17. Mini-Case Analysis:
Summarize the creative strategy behind the Old Spice
Campaign. Explain how the Big Idea works and how it is expressed in the copy. What
makes the writing so engaging? Come up with an idea for another Old Spice ‘one-shot’
ad and draft the copy.
The Old Spice campaign illustrates how advertising has evolved in complexity over the
past four decades. When the current campaign is contrasted to its original from 1953,
TRACE NORTH AMERICA CASE
Writing for a Multicultural Audience
Read the TRACE case in the Appendix before coming to class.
10-18. The case briefly discusses the tonality (voice) of the communications. Write a
one-page directive to the creative team explaining what the tonality should be and giving
rationale for your recommendation. Keep in mind the target audience and your client,
TRACE.
Chapter 10: Promotional Writing
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
ASSIGNMENTS
Individual Assignments
1. Locate two magazines containing body copy that is too wordy. Redesign the ads,
cutting body copy to brief “bullet” points and revamping other elements (headline,
subhead, visual, etc.) to better reflect the appeal of the ad. In a brief presentation to
the class, explain how the ad has been improved by cutting body copy.
2. Locate an example of public relations writing for a brand or a company. It can be
publicity designed for the news media, corporate communications, an advocacy point-
of-view ad, or public service advertising. It can also be either in print or video. In
what ways does the example that you have chosen differ from other types of brand
communication? What unique concerns did the writer have to consider when
preparing it?
Think-Pair-Share
1. An electric log splitter has been introduced on the market. Its target market is do-it-
yourselfers and homeowners who occasionally split firewood for home use. The
benefit of this product is that it is light, quiet, and doesn’t bother users with the noise,
2. Review the unique creative considerations a writer must consider when developing
internet ads. Also consider what is different about an online audience that will
directly affect how copy is perceived. Discuss this in pairs and then find on the
internet websites that provide a good user experience and have followed the tips for
website writers provided in the textbook.
OUTSIDE EXAMPLES
1. What accounts for the phenomenal success of the “Smokey the Bear” advertising
campaign? In your estimation, what turned this simple Big Idea into an American
icon? Go online to www.adcouncil.org and type ‘wildfire prevention’ into the search
