The Afterlife for Advertising Writers
Bestselling authors James Patterson, Salman Rushdie, Marlon James and Toni Morrison. Cosmopolitan Magazine Publisher Helen Gurley-Brown. Actors Sir Alec Guinness (i.e. Star Wars Jedi Knight Obi-Wan-Kenobi) and Bob Newhart. Director John Hughes. Apart from being famous, what do they all have in common?
They all started out as advertising writers, aka copywriters!
Now, purely from an obviously biased perspective, we are just as appreciative of the household names in advertising, both here and abroad, as we are of these famous names who transferred their writing skills to new careers. After all, being a writer in advertising can be a dynamic, exciting and rewarding profession. In effect, we craft stories, create 30-second movies and get to enter the realm of entertainment… all on behalf of our clients.
It’s interesting that those who really honed their skills in advertising writing, built the foundation of being better writers in other spheres. As Rushdie himself explains: “Advertising taught me how to be disciplined about my writing.”
U.S. comedian Bob Newhart’s brief stint as a copywriter in the late 1950s set the stage for him improvising long, imaginary, absurd scenarios over the phone. He liked the material so much that he recorded it himself and was soon signed over to do a record deal with the Head Of Talent at Warner Bros.
John Hughes, who wrote the screenplay for Home Alone and directed movies like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, knew that advertising was a launching pad for his future career. According to Huffpost contributor and Retired Vice Chairman of Creative Services at Leo Burnett, Robert Nolan: “Hughes took on every assignment with gusto and an off-kilter sense of humour. He was tireless and prolific… every time he had a success on one project, he’d take on two more… the presentation skills he learned at Burnett helped him with presentations to the studio executives.”
While some have transformed into other careers, we as advertising writers have seen the transformation of the job right before our eyes, ears and pens. To call ourselves purely writers, honestly seems odd.
The transformation of the digital and social media landscape. The advent of AI and other technologies. The need for wisdom beyond marketing strategy and the exploration of business and psychological strategy. Cross-creative collaborations. These are just some areas which have caused the advertising writer (or at least those of us at The BUZZ) to continuously reinvent our careers. However, while the job has changed, there are some traits which are mainstays that make advertising writers special. Traits which be translated into other careers as well!
Adaptability: Approaching different skills with a learning mindset, as well as the ability to improvise, reinvent oneself and navigate new environments confidently. These are all ways to elevate performance in whatever setting.
Resilience: Advertising (like some other industries) can be a highly-pressurised, nerve-racking place to operate. To thrive, one must be resilient, resourceful, persistent and mindful. And, yes, manage stress without letting stress manage you.
Willingness to try new things: Creativity and innovation are about connecting things which previously weren’t connected. The more new things you try, the more connections you can make and the more creative you become.
So whether you’re in advertising or are ready to write new chapters in your career story embracing the traits of an advertising writer is never wasted. So are you on a writing journey? If you are we’d love to hear about it.
