By E. Mahony – spotlightideas.co.uk

Traditionally copywriting is the method by which written messages are communicated to brand audiences in order to precipiate direct-sales responses or create general, brand awareness. The written messages appear mainly in the form of straplines (or slogans as some call them) as well as in more detailed and lengthy forms of copy that, usually, provide the audience with general product information. And copywriting is, also, used in direct mail marketing, in creating lyrics for radio ads, and increasingly (and now becoming very important), in PR and general, Internet content (where the focus of the content-building might not just be about creating brand values but could also be about improving search engine rankings), and more.
Copywriting isn’t just about words. It is, also, about concepts – creating creative concepts. Traditionally copywriters and art directors are the ones in creative agencies who create the creative concept (as opposed to the marketing idea) behind a campaign. Both the copywriter and the art director work jointly, as equals, in coming up with the concept. With the radical developments in new media and digital, and the important changes that have taken place in advertising and media (advertising is now more holistic in approach: employing various tools and techniques to create brand awareness – i.e brand utility, brand sponsorship, publicity, social networking and so on – not just traditional advertising ones), recently, in general, art directors are now having to work with a host of different people in order to meet the new demands.
And being a good copywriter has always required, to a certain degree, understanding the brand you are working on,  as well as the brand’s audience, market and competition.
Finally copywriting is, ultimately, a craft not an art form (even though copywriting is often derived from art forms). Copywriting is about being able to capture something in a few words (a strapline) that is relevant to the product, that attracts people’s attention and is memorbale – and, closely, related to this is the ability to conceptualize creative ideas. It is about writing good, clean copy that is easy to follow and invites engagement from the audience. The copywriter must be able to write in a variety of different sytles, as well as be good at being able to understand the zeitgeist in which he / she lives and, in particular, the way the zeitgeist affects the way people communicate with each other in general.

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