Want To Be A Better Copywriter? Be A Better Art Director.

It's been proven: humans prefer images to words.

PREVIOUSLY IN: Want To Be A Better Copywriter? Create Gut-Punch Ads, Be A Straight Shooter, and Speak To "A" Customer.

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You don’t even need to know Photoshop.

The three previous articles (above) focused on how to use language to be a better CW.

I know y’all CWs love to “turn a phrase” and stumble upon the perfect pun and write (to yourself, not the poor potential customer) 23-word soliloquy headlines and then step back all self-satisfied, Miles-Standish Proud.

SHUT THE FUCK UP.

Two, three words. Ideally, ZERO words. The best copywriters always use the FEWEST amount of words possible.

Think Visually, CWs! I can’t say it enough. 10 great examples of CWs getting and staying the fuck out of the way of a good idea below.

1. NUTELLA

ZERO WORDS. A lot of creative ads have been done for Nutella. This is the best one I’ve seen. Shot by photographer Phillip Toledano. It’s brilliant. The model. The expression. The tension. You should be always striving to create tension in your ads.

2. Grass Roots

ZERO WORDS. Grass Roots Hemp Shop, Calgary. I give it high marks. Ad agency: Taxi, Canada.

3. GUINNESS (NYC)

ZERO WORDS. Even no logo. But you know. Exclamation point poster was placed in NYC bars by BBDO, NYC.

4. COLGATE & SENSODYNE (Germany & France)

THREE WORDS, ONE WORD. And the left ad doesn’t need those three words, the right ad doesn’t need “PROTECTION”. Ad agencies (L): Jung Von Matt, (R): Callegari Berville Grey.

5. LEGO (USA)

ZERO WORDS. An overly wordsmithy CW would probably try to add a headline like “bring your child’s imagination alive”, or some such hooey. The visual already says that, dipshit. Ad agency: Blattner Brunner, Pittsburgh.

6. Heinz Hot Ketchup (Israel)

ZERO WORDS. Are you not entertained (and sold)? Ad agency: Shalmor Avnon Amichay / Young & Rubicam.

7. HEAD & SHOULDERS (China)

ZERO WORDS. Hilarious. And effective. Scanned from an Archive. Ad agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Guangzhou.

8. NIKE (UK)

OK, FOUR WORDS (and two numbers). But four good words. Won a D&AD Graphite Pencil in 1993. Ad agency: Simons Palmer Denton Clemmow & Johnson Limited (not W&K).