When Ad Copywriters Ruled

Copywriting is a dying art because creatives (and brands) are now gun-shy to write anything cold-sweat-inducing or even mildly risky. Let's revisit the in-your-face Daffy's advertising.

(NOTE: This is part one of what will be an ongoing series on great copywriting.)

Back (here he goes again) in the last Millennium when I was a wannabe copywriter at the School Of Visual Arts here in NYC, art director Sal Devito taught a concept course there. I didn’t take it cause I had the very stupid, very false pre-notion that art directors couldn’t put two words together with a stapler.

In concept courses at SVA, you were given a weekly product or service assignment and you then brought back print ads or storyboards which were taped to classroom walls for everybody to see and mock. Rumor was, Devito would light terrible ads on fire. Imagine how fast he would be fired for this heinous (and building code-breaking) act in today’s pussy-ass butt-hurt cultural world.

Devito is a founding partner of NYC agency Devito/Verdi, started in 1991. Now an industry-famous creative director, Rob Carducci joined the agency right outta SVA ( I don’t know if he took Devito’s course). In 1992, he created the below ad for regional cheap-clothing chain Daffy’s:

HO-BOY, did this ad upset the Mental Health Community. (Try to imagine it running today.) It takes guts to create an ad like this: no products, just a scary straightjacket shot with a sarcastically polite headline. You remembered it forever, it definitely sold you on Daffy’s, and it won all the awards, putting the agency on the national map.

Kudos to Daffy’s for being smart enough to run the ad. (It appeared in print and on billboards.) And kudos to Daffy’s for continuing with a great campaign in the same tone.

Truth. Telling the truth, cleverly, makes for great copywriting. Try to deny this ad; it’s impossible.

A smaller client like Daffy’s couldn’t afford expensive photo shoots. They needed superb writing and they got it from Devito/Verdi.

Another ad from the campaign that upset a few folks. No headline, but find me a better ad with just product shot(s) and price tags. All good copywriters learn to think visually, it’s often where the best ideas come from (Remember ideas?).

Another “Suggestive” retail ad.

One of the best outdoor executions you’ll ever see, using the billboard structure as a dramatic visual. Again, no photoshoot. Just fucking brilliant. The idea of using just part of the board has been done several times since.