The Idea Writers

Teressa Iezzi

📚 GENRE: Business & Finance

📃 PAGES: 222

✅ COMPLETED: April 23, 2023

🧐 RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Short Summary

A catchy slogan used to be the cornerstone of every great ad, but today’s campaigns are no longer static — they are interactive, offer value, and can be delivered on a variety of platforms. In The Idea Writers, Teressa Iezzi explores how advertising has changed and why today’s copywriters must be idea-driven.

Key Takeaways

1️⃣ Digital Is Life — Digital media is here to stay. Traditional interrupt advertising is no longer as effective as it used to be because of the sheer amount of content available to consumers now and how easily anybody can create their own content. Whether it’s websites, apps, social media platforms, video games, or anything else, understand that there are a ton of ways you can use digital technology to execute your marketing ideas. Get creative and find ways to use digital channels to deliver value and get your audience involved and engaged in an interactive experience. 

2️⃣ Copywriters = Idea Hunters — The job of the modern copywriter is no longer to simply “write ads.” You have to think bigger than that. You have to think in terms of ideas. It’s about bringing value to the table and creating an interactive experience for consumers that they can share with others. Above all, try to create cool stuff that people actually want to interact and spend time with. That’s the only way to get people’s attention these days. There has to be value. In some cases, marketing departments and ad agencies are creating actual products (Nike+).

3️⃣ Solve Business Problems — Coming up with big ideas can be fun, but don’t forget that the goal is ultimately to solve some business problem. Your ideas should always be in service of the business problem. Once you understand the business problem and have an idea that can solve it, then you focus on execution with ads and content. 

Favorite Quote

“For the sake of simplicity, we’ve employed the term ‘advertising’ in these pages, but perhaps one of the essential messages to take away from this book is that your job isn’t to create ‘an ad.’ It’s to create something useful, entertaining, or beautiful (or all of the above) on behalf of a brand.”

Book Notes 📑

Ch. 1: The Creativity Age

  • Copywriting Has Changed — Copywriting has become so much more than writing headlines and body copy for print ads, or scripts for TV add. With the rise of the Digital Era, copywriters now have so much more at their disposal. There’s almost no limit to what you can do. It’s now more about creating awesome ideas using the wide variety of digital technology available. It’s about engaging people on their own terms, and encouraging content participation and sharing. 
  • The Evolution of Advertising — The advertising industry, and the roles of those who work in it, has changed dramatically over the years. Below is a summary of what has happened.
    • Early Stage — Since the ad industry began in the mid-1800s, interrupt advertising has been the popular strategy. Companies would buy air time or print ad space and “interrupt” a consumer’s content (TV show, magazine, radio) with short ads. This worked because people had just a limited number of choices for media consumption — in other words, advertisers knew where consumers were tuning in and could fill those areas with ads. 
    • TV Stage — From 1950-2002, it was all about TV ads. In 1980, ABC, NBC, and CBS commanded over 90% of prime-time TV eyeballs. As a result, advertisers could almost guarantee that their 30-second commercials would be seen and absorbed. Today, that number is less than 30%. People now have so much other content they can consume, whether it’s streaming services, YouTube videos, social media, etc. It’s now much harder to know where to reach people. They can also avoid ads easier than ever via adblocking software and DVR.
    • Digital Era — Today advertising and copywriting is all about making things that people want, seek out, and share with the world. Marketing is now about more than reach and impressions — it’s about engagement, inviting a conversation, and making a meaningful, ongoing connection. This can be through a film, a TV show, a mobile app, a blog, a retail experience, a product, a song, a game, a distribution idea, tweet, or anything else you can possibly think of. You should be focused on leveraging digital technology to create awesome ideas, rather than simply “making ads.”
  • Everybody Has a Voice — Today everyone has a voice thanks to the Internet. It has become very difficult to get and hold people’s attention because of how much competition there is. To cut through the clutter, you have to create a unique experience for consumers with your marketing ideas. You do this by thinking big, delivering value, and inviting consumers to participate in the marketing.
    • Quote (P. 10): “And so with more consumer control, more mechanisms for interaction and sharing of opinion and content, the best marketers today focus on making the entire brand experience better — from product to packaging, service and ads. They do so not only to avoid the wrath of the disgruntled, but in the realization that there is no more powerful marketing tool than a happy customer.”
      • Takeaway — Because everyone now has a voice online, customer satisfaction has become more important than ever. One tweet dispelling your company has the potential to go viral and cause the organization problems. Customer reviews on Amazon have become a big selling point for people considering a purchase. You have to find ways to create an excellent customer experience, end-to-end. When you do it well, word of mouth begins to work in your favor. 
  • Copywriters = Inventors — The role of the modern copywriter has expanded. It’s no longer just about writing copy for print ads and TV spots; it’s about finding ways to deliver value to people. Apps, websites, videos, games, social media posts, experiments, tools, products, services, and more can be created by copywriters to deliver big ideas. Copywriters are now inventors. You have to think bigger as a copywriter in today’s world.
    • Quote (P. 12): “Many agencies now are as likely to be turning out an app or a web experiment as a commercial, and some are expanding further still, developing their own products and services.”
    • Ex. Burger King — A copywriter at ad agency CP + B created Burger King’s chicken fries product. CP + B also created the idea of the ‘Burger King Games,’ which were a series of three Xbox console games. These were “out-of-the-box” ideas created by copywriters. 
    • Ex. The Simpsons Movie — To promote The Simpsons Movie in 2007, a campaign was launched that included a website where people could make themselves into Simpsons characters; the physical transformation of 12 real 7-11 stores into Kwik-E Marts, complete with products; the renaming of Jet Blue into the official airline of Springfield; and a partnership with Vans for Simpsons-themed shoes. This is what it’s all about today — thinking big, delivering value, and getting consumers involved using interactive experiences. 
  • Chapter Takeaway — A memorable slogan used to be the cornerstone of every great ad, but today’s campaigns are no longer static — they are interactive, multi-platform, and ongoing. They deliver value. The digital revolution has made consumers active participants in brand narratives — they are no longer passively absorbing advertising. As a result, the art and science of advertising has gone from developing one-way messages to engaging audiences in conversations. The rules of the past are insufficient to guide today’s copywriter. As a copywriter today, it’s about inventing things and thinking big. 

Ch. 2: Bernbach to the Future

  • Interesting Fact — Legendary copywriter Rosser Reeves in the 1950s came up with a slogan for M&Ms that is still popular to this day: “Melts in Your Mouth Not in Your Hands.” The slogan was even used by 50 Cent in his 2005 hit “Candy Shop.” Reeves is also said to be the inspiration for the Don Draper character on Mad Men. 
  • Provide Value — You have to find ways to deliver value to the consumer in your marketing campaigns, whether it’s through entertainment, education, amusement, humor, or anything else. There is simply too much content competing for attention. The bottom line is that people won’t consider paying attention unless they get something in return. This is a big shift away from the traditional advertising era of the 20th century, where people did not have many other sources of content available to consume and didn’t have the capability to produce their own content. The Digital Era has changed that.
    • Quote (P. 35): “If this book has a philosophical point of view, it’s that you the copywriter are responsible for putting things into the world, and those things should be useful, entertaining or beautiful, or all of those things. They should make people feel better, not worse, about themselves, the brand involved, and living in the world in general.”
      • Takeaway — Deliver value! Create things. Invent things. Come up with cool tools, gadgets, videos, social media posts, etc. You have to find creative ways to deliver value in today’s marketing environment. 
  • The Consumer Control Era — Consumers are in control now. They have a number of different sources of content to choose from and can single-handily hurt a company with one negative picture, tweet, or video that goes viral on social media. Consumers also have the ability to create and produce their own content easily. This is why you have to focus on delivering value and creating an interactive experience in your marketing campaigns. Otherwise, you won’t be noticed.
    • Quote (P. 25): “In the era of consumer control, consumers aren’t just consumers. They’re producers, they’re critics, they’re creatives. In Clay Shirky’s 2010 book Cognitive Surplus, they are referred to as ‘the people formerly known as the audience.’ This is the essential shift that resulted from the digital revolution, and the essential truth that should inform the work of today’s copywriter.”
  • Copywriting: Things to Remember — There are a few foundational principles to keep in mind as a copywriter. These are the core elements of the craft and should always be remembered, regardless of how wild you get with your creative ideas.
    • Selling — At the end of the day, your goal as a copywriter is to help the company sell its products and services. Everything you do or create is in service of that goal. 
    • Story — The products and services offered by competitors in every industry are fairly similar now; it’s the brand that is often the difference for those considering a purchase. The company’s brand story, identity, and niche are what set it apart from the pack. Storytelling helps you get the brand’s identity across to consumers. We also have a natural tendency to use stories to understand the complex world we live in, so stories in marketing really resonate with consumers.
    • Design — The product is ultimately the most important factor. If the product stinks, it’s hard to promote it. The product and design is what steers everything a copywriter does. 
    • Shareability — Ultimately you want your content to be shared around the internet and social media. That’s one of the big goals with any marketing or advertising effort. The way you do this is by not thinking of it in terms of “writing ads.” Instead, think about the core idea. Is it big enough to be shared? Is it big enough to be covered by news and media outlets? Is it big enough to warrant a press release from a news outlet? Those are the types of ideas that lead to huge earned media and shares on social media.
      • Quote (P. 33): “Yes, the goal of your work is clear (selling). But you may also want to disregard the notion of advertising altogether. You don’t have to think of what you’re doing as strictly writing ads. Live in the real world. Make real things that real human beings care about and want to interact with.”
        • Takeaway — As many of these advertising books have discussed, be idea-focused rather than ad-focused. You want to think of ideas that deliver value and get people involved. When you do it well, your content will be shared by people and could even be covered in the news. 
  • Chapter Takeaway — Consumers are no longer passively absorbing media and advertising; they are now active participants who want and expect value. They want to be entertained, educated, humored. Your job as a copywriter is to deliver value using ideas that invite consumer participation. Always think “idea” rather than “ads.”

Ch. 3: The Storytellers

  • Case Study: BMW Films — One of the first good examples of how to operate in today’s marketing environment was when BMW created a separate website to store its ‘BMW Films’ in the early 2000s. The ad agency essentially created a show/series where an actor/driver using a stable of BMWs went on exciting adventures and solved problems. As he was saving the day, he put his BMW vehicles through the paces. There were multiple seasons with several episodes in every season. By creating a show, BMW became a destination for content, rather than interrupting content on TV with a commercial. This is the type of creative thinking you have to go with now. 
  • Chapter Takeaway — If you have the resources and budget, don’t be afraid to literally create your own branded content in the form of a show, magazine, book, etc. try to become the destination for great content, rather than interrupting somebody else’s content (i.e. TV ads).

Ch. 4: Digital Is Not a Channel

  • Digital Media — Digital media is here to stay. It’s not going away. As a copywriter, you now have to expand your horizons and look at how you can leverage the different digital technologies and platforms available to you to create a truly interactive, engaging, valuable experience for consumers. There is truly no limit to what you can do as a copywriter. Games, apps, social media, shows, videos — everything is on the table. Think big. Go for big ideas.
    • Ex. Subservient Chicken — In 2004, ad agency CP + B worked with Burger King to create subserviantchicken.com, a website that allowed users to type in a command and watch an animated chicken execute the move. It was all in an effort to promote one of BK’s new chicken sandwiches. There really is no limitations to what you can do. 
    • Quote (P. 56): “The web isn’t just another channel through which ads can be distributed — writers should think first about ideas, not media-specific ads. Digital permeates everything a brand, and, by extension, a writer, does.”
    • Quote (P. 56): “The rise of digital drove home the point that as ad creatives, your job isn’t to create something that consumers would readily identify as ‘An Ad.’ Your job is to create engaging, entertaining, or useful content or experiences on behalf of a brand.”
  • Creative Blurring — The increasing importance of digital technology in marketing has led to blurred lines in creative departments. Copywriters are no longer “just” copywriters — their role has expanded. At ad agencies, they now work closely with AI people, technology experts, art directors, web designers, and more to execute ideas. As a copywriter, you should focus on being a great writer, but you should also study and learn the other elements of the creative realm because it will help you think of and execute big ideas. It will help you understand what’s possible and how you can pull it off. 
  • Chapter Takeaway — Digital is the way forward in marketing. As a copywriter, you have to be thinking of ways you can create awesome digital experiences and content with your ideas. Writing headlines and copy isn’t enough anymore. Study technology and social media. Work with technology and website experts to execute your ideas. 

Ch. 5: How to Not Write Advertising

  • Tough Competition — As discussed earlier in this book and other recent advertising books, anything you create is competing with every other form of content and media experience accessible to a consumer. The competition for attention is at an all-time high. Prior to the Internet and digital technology, it was fairly easy to know where to reach a consumer and how to get their attention. It’s more difficult now. This is why you have to deliver value and think with a “big idea” mindset. 
  • Copywriters = Idea Hunters — One of the big takeaways from this book is that the role of the copywriter has expanded dramatically with the rise of the Internet and digital technology. Do not think of the job as simply “writing ads.” The job now requires so much more if you have any hope of getting a consumer’s attention. You now have to think in terms of ideas rather than ads. You have to find ways to deliver value and create an experience for the consumer. From there, you can craft the content and ads around that idea. Think big. You’re an idea hunter now.
    • Quote (P. 81): “For the sake of simplicity, we’ve employed the term ‘advertising’ in these pages, but perhaps one of the essential messages to take away from this book is that your job isn’t to create ‘an ad.’ It’s to create something useful, entertaining, or beautiful (or all of the above) on behalf of a brand.”
    • Quote (P. 147): “TV is, of course, very much with us. And so is print (for now). And so are outdoor billboards. And so are Twitter feeds, blogs, apps, games, and events. All of these things are the province of the copywriter. It’s just that now, no single one of them is the default answer when the writer faces a marketing challenge. Writers, and everyone involved in the creative process, have the opportunity and the mandate to think in ideas first.”
  • Deliver Value — As discussed earlier in the book, copywriters have to think of ideas that will deliver value to the consumer. You have to bring something to the table. You have to make content worthy of the consumer’s time and attention, because there are a lot of things competing for it.
    • Quote (P. 82): “Assume the person is like you and wants something that’s going to make her laugh, help her life, make a great story to pass on, make her think, make her feel.”
    • Quote (P. 84): “So your job as a copywriter is to create something so compelling that it will, first, warrant attention and stand out such as to be heard over the sometimes jarring, sometimes numbing noise of our media-oversaturated culture. But that’s only part of the task. Your work, once it attracts attention, has to deliver something relevant to the consumer’s life.”
  • Watch Trends — Keep an eye on the conversations and trends happening online. Some of the best ideas are ones that help the brand insert itself into a conversation people are already having. You start by identifying something people are already interested in and then you craft an idea or piece of content that allows the brand to sneak into the conversation. This is one way to generate impactful ideas. 
  • Mastering the Brief — Every copywriting assignment starts with a brief outlining what the client is hoping to accomplish. The brief should be simple and focus on the mission of the content. What is the purpose or goal of the content? What are we trying to accomplish? From there you start forming ideas and “write to the goal.” Without a clear goal, it’s extremely hard to do the job well — you have to make sure everybody is crystal clear on the goal and purpose of the content. A few of the high-profile agency people interviewed in this book suggested the following:
    • Problem Only — The brief should state the business problem, and that’s it. What is the problem the business is trying to solve? Alessandra Lariu at McCann Erickson New York prefers the brief like this. 
    • One Takeaway — The brief should state the one takeaway the consumer should have after absorbing the content. Narrow it to one thing. It should be expressed in no more than three short sentences. Evan Fry at Victors & Spoils prefers the brief like this. 
  • Know Your Stuff — Even in today’s digital world, you have to know the company and the product extremely level. Put the time into researching and learning everything you can about the company, the product, and its competition. As a copywriter, you should try to become a subject matter expert on the product you’re trying to sell. The more you know, the more ammo you have at your disposal when brainstorming ideas and crafting content.
    • Quote (P. 91): “When you are creating business solutions, it’s a good idea to know about the business. This means not just knowing the product intimately, but knowing how it’s distributed and sold, knowing its competitors and what kind of marketing they’re doing and have done in the past, the market conditions that are affecting the company and the sector, how people have used and are using the product, and knowing about your brand’s past ad campaigns.”
  • Stories & Conflict — Storytelling and story arc can be applied to anything. Story is a tool you can use in almost any marketing project. One of the keys to any story is making sure there is conflict to overcome. Without conflict, you don’t have anything interesting. Without something interesting, you’re not going to get people to pay attention or care.
    • Quote (P. 99): “Storytelling and story arc can apply to anything that you’re doing. You set up a conflict and then provide a resolution. Any piece of effective communication has to have that. I’m a fan of David Mamet and his definition of drama is: the quest of our hero to overcome those things that prevent him from achieving his goal. If you can do that, you’ve got an audience.”
      • Takeaway — I think conflict is why so many people love reality TV. Conflict has a way of drawing people in. If you can incorporate conflict in your content, you have a good chance of getting people to pay attention. They want to know the outcome. 
  • Chapter Takeaway — A big theme of this book is the evolution of the copywriter in today’s world where getting a consumer’s attention is incredibly tough. Today, it’s about hunting for big, creative ideas that deliver value, creating a meaningful experience for the consumer, and solving business problems. Remember that conflict is what makes stories interesting. 

Ch. 6: Life in Adland

  • Lifelong Learning — Whether it’s copywriting or some other job, you should always push yourself to learn as much as possible and develop as many skills as you can. Be me great at what you do and then focus on adding supporting skills. Read, take courses, shadow coworkers, participate in Toast Masters — do whatever you can to learn and grow.
    • Quote (P. 129): “If you can find someone who thinks outside of just the job that you’re giving them, so instead of just hiring a writer, you can hire someone who knows what it’s like to actually keep an audience captive or what it’s like to actually produce something, someone who actually thinks about how it’s going to be shot in the best way to edit it as they’re writing it, you know those people are golden.”
    • Quote (P. 129): “Of course not every player is a five tooled — many creative directors acknowledge that their teams contain those who are exceptionally good at a narrower range of things, and those people can be indispensable. But the important point is about mindset — the willingness to collaborate, to learn as much as possible about the issues and skills that affect the work beyond writing.”
  • Chapter Takeaway — Copywriters are more like idea writers now. While you still need to have the ability to write extremely well, it’s now more about developing good ideas using the technology and resources available to you. Being able to do this means you need to be constantly reading, learning, and developing your skillset. 

Ch. 7: Bringing Ideas to Life

  • Interesting Fact — Before his mission to the moon, Edwin Aldrin changed his name to “Buzz.” 
  • Taking Chances — The best and most effective marketing departments and ad agencies embrace risk-taking. Period. They encourage their people to think outside the box and try new things. There’s an underlying culture that embraces and supports creative thinking and risk-taking. People feel supported when they bring new ideas to the table. There’s no fear. If something misses the mark and fails, everybody takes it in stride and continues to think big.
    • Quote (P. 155): “We didn’t know we were right. You don’t know whether you’re right. It mostly just works because you can’t be afraid to be wrong. That’s super important for helping creatives get to things they think are the answer. They have to know that it’s OK to be wrong, but they have to believe in the idea. If they believe in it, and it moves them, it’s going to move other people.”
  • Look for Angles — One of the important keys to writing effective content and ads is having an angle or an insight to hit on. Without an angle, it’s difficult. I’ve seen this in my own writing. When writing articles for the newspaper, I would always look for some kind of angle on the person or game I was writing about. When you have that, it makes things a lot easier. Before you start, try to identify one or two angles or insights you can run with.
    • Ex. Dos Equis — When the copywriters working on the Dos Equis brand were first assigned to the account, they were originally handed a brief that asked them to write something promoting “The Authentic Mexican Beer.” Their content was weak. When the planner on the account later gave them an insight that a young man’s biggest fear is that he isn’t interesting enough, it helped them develop the now-famous Dos Equis Man, the “most interesting man in the world.” Insights are gamechangers. 
  • Case Study | Halo 3 ‘Believe’ Campaign — To promote the release of Halo 3, ad agency AKQA created a literal plastic battlefield featuring characters from the actual game. They ran a 90 second commercial (no voiceover) where the camera scanned the physical battlefield. The characters were plastic figures, so they weren’t moving. The agency also created a microsite that allowed users to get a 360 look at the battlefield and explore all of the details of it. This campaign won a ton of awards. It’s an example of thinking big and coming up with a creative idea instead of just “making an ad.”
  • Case Study | Old Spice Man — In 2009, ad agency Wieden+Kennedy Portland was tasked with reviving Old Spice. The brand had fallen out of favor with young people. It was seen as old and crusty. The agency created a character to represent the brand: “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” The character was incredibly random, but he was funny. He spoke directly to women. His goal was to show women that he was what her man could be, with Old Spice, of course. After a few really successful commercials, the agency had the Old Spice man respond to social media users in a series of ‘response videos’ posted to YouTube. The videos generated over 20 million hits. Sales of Old Spice went up 107% a month after the videos. More creative thinking here. 
  • Case Study | Fiat eco:Drive — In 2008, AKQA created eco:Drive, an app for Fiat cars that allowed drivers to see a few key driving stats so they could adjust their driving patterns and save money on fuel. This is another example of delivering value and thinking big. 
  • Useful. Usable. Delightful. — These are the three words ad agency AKQA keeps in mind when thinking of ideas. These three words sum up what this book, and others on this topic, have stressed about advertising in the digital age: You have to do things and find ways to deliver value. Create things that are useful, usable, and delightful — that’s how marketing is done now. 
  • Chapter Takeaway — There are so many examples of companies and ad agencies working together to create things and do things that are useful for consumers. Marketing is now all about delivering value and creating interactive experiences. Think of creative ways to do that using the technology and resources available to you. 

Ch. 8: It's Just Getting Good

  • Doing Good & Shifting Budgets — The information discussed in this book has already been put to use by many big companies and ad agencies. Companies are spending far less on commercials, print ads, and billboards and are instead directing their budget toward creating content that delivers value and an experience. Social responsibility is another area companies are directing more of their media budget to — consumers now expect organizations to do good in the world. 

Appendix: And Now a Few Words From Lee Clow

  • Lee Clow — Legendary advertising man who previously served as Chief Creative Officer at famous ad agency Chiat/Day and led many of Apple’s marketing campaigns. He is in the marketing hall of fame. Clow wrote this chapter and shared his perspective on marketing and advertising in today’s world. 
    • Quote (P. 195): “Marketing isn’t an expense; it’s an investment in how the world sees a company.”
  • Creativity Is King — Because of how much things have changed, copywriters have to be more creative than ever to get people’s attention. As discussed throughout this book, it’s about coming up with ideas that deliver value and get people engaged with the content. 
    • Quote (P. 191): “People now choose what advertising they want to spend time with and what they want to reject — what advertising they give a shit about, and what advertising they’re going to click off and ignore. It’s become incumbent upon brands or storytellers or, indeed, anyone who wants to be part of culture, to be a hell of a lot more creative than they had to be 20 or 30 years ago. Creativity has become king… Now your job is to create stuff that people love and engage with and respond to and even become disciples of. That’s what’s changed — and it’s a good thing.”
  • Emotion & Substance — Storytelling is such a big part of marketing and advertising now. It’s always been that way, but storytelling is more important now than ever. You have to find ways to make people feel something with your content. Brands have to have an emotional point of view that they can express in their content. But there also needs to be good information that accompanies the emotion. 
    • Ex. Apple — Apple’s ‘1984’ and ‘Think Different’ ad campaigns are good examples of elite storytelling. Both campaigns have a strong emotional center and make you feel something. Clow reflects on how the ‘Think Different’ campaign had such an emotional impact that it completely reenergized Apple employees and gave them a renewed confidence about themselves and what they were doing at Apple. That’s the power of a great story. 
  • Study Story — Clow writes about how he became a student of story early in his career. He was always focused on telling a story with his ads and content. He was always trying to make people feel something. 
    • Quote (P. 196): “What I loved was when I discovered that advertising was about ideas and storytelling, and not just graphic design for the sake of making something beautiful. It was the totality of making a message or telling a story. After that I just became a student of storytelling, whether it was filmmaking or music. My passionate belief is that when we do what we do well, it’s art. I try to defend that and do it to the point where I can point to it and say, ‘Did that make you feel something?’”
  • Business Goal > Creative Idea > Execution — Any marketing effort should start with a business goal that you’re trying to accomplish. From there, you brainstorm creative ideas that can help you accomplish that business goal. Once you have an idea in mind, then you worry about the different platforms and forms of content you’re going to use to execute it. But everything should start and be driven by the business goal. 
    • Ex. Nike — Nike’s marketing team created the Nike+ running device to help runners track their running progress. The overarching goal that led to that idea was Nike’s goal of helping runners stay motivated and get more involved in their running habit. The idea of the Nike+ device came after the goal was defined.