Running head: THE HISTORY, APPLICATION, AND WORTH OF COPYWRITING 1

The History, Application, and Worth of Copywriting

Ryan McClung

Full Sail University

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Abstract

The role of copywriting and professional copywriters is too often dismissed as inessential to

effective brand communications, pushed aside for the visual flare of graphic design glamor. This

paper will explore the purpose of copywriting from a historical perspective, the application of

effective copywriting techniques and processes, and prove its overall efficacy as an integral step

in the brand and marketing development process.

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The History, Application, and Worth of Copywriting

The role and expectations of the copywriter is a long and storied history, but the

importance of the copywriter’s contributions to brand reach has never been greater. With the

advent of the Internet and ease of mass communications it made possible, earning an audience’s

attention is troublingly difficult. Paired with well-crafted visual design, though, solid

copywriting can shine brightest in this oversaturated environment.

To understand the importance of copywriting as it relates to marketing, it is important to

also understand the profession’s beginnings. Claude Hopkins, born in 1866, is widely accepted

as the earliest copywriter, having been the first to implement the study of consumer behavior for

use in promotional materials (Adams, 2011). Following Hopkins, the field saw the likes of

Bruce Barton’s story-driven 1919 ad detailing two men reuniting after the American Civil War,

Martin Conroy’s iconic 1974 ad for the Wall Street Journal that questioned the degrees of

separation between a company’s department manager and the company president, and countless

other storytelling success stories in-between and after (Hancock, 2012). Moreover, several

world-renowned authors also started their careers in copywriting, such F. Scott Fitzgerald who

accepted a job writing streetcar sign slogans before authoring his first book (Hopper, 2011).

The history of copywriting proves that, over time, copywriting became as much about the

textual application of consumer analysis as it is about the art of storytelling. Copywriting is first

about selling a product or service, but the method by which this is done has long been deeply

rooted in the human desire for storytelling (Chartrand, 2008). To most effectively sell a thing, a

service, or an idea, it is often best to approach the sale as if it were a story.

Likewise, media designers also tell stories. These stories are largely visual, attracting

interest with structure, color, and flair. The media designer attempts to weave their narrative
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through a series of ideals and end goals that are either dictated to them or determined by them. In

working with copywriters, visual design can be elevated with greater meaning.

However, elevating a brand message or identity piece with copywriting is far from a

simple process. A more established brand may have clear guidelines that copywriters and media

designers alike can follow. This usually comes in the form of a book or manual detailing the

ways in which one should handle imagery, typography, color, tone, and more (Felton, 2013).

Manuals such as this can help to guide a marketing message and inform the brand voice (Felton,

2013). Should brand guidelines be only loosely defined, missing entirely, or determined to no

longer be useful, the copywriter may instead need to develop the elements of a brand book that

would help to guide brand messaging.

To meet this end, one may first begin by defining the mission statement. A brand’s

mission statement, or manifesto, briefly details the company’s belief system. Of this, George

Felton (2013) says, “a brand that believes in things beyond simply a well-made product gives

itself bigger thoughts to inhabit, bigger corporate possibilities to pursue, and bigger

responsibilities to accept” (p. 96). The brand’s mission statement must push beyond simply

stating what the business offers. It should instead inform the brand’s audience of its convictions

while advising stakeholders of expectations.

Other options for the copywriter may be to develop the organization’s slogan or profile.

Writing a brand’s slogan requires the development or discovery of the brand voice, thus the point

of reference from which all other copy may be written. Alternatively, the copywriter may be

inclined to instead write a profile of the brand. Writing a profile in this way places the brand in

the position of personhood, requiring that the copywriter “think of the brand, not as a few
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adjectives, but as a whole person” (Felton, 2013, p. 98). In this way, the copywriter can more

easily hear the brand’s voice though its personification.

With the brand voice defined, the copywriter can apply that knowledge toward the

development of advertising copy. To most effectively reach the consumer, the copywriter has a

few options at her disposal, but nearly all involve adopting a persona.

The first option for the copywriter is to become the brand. This persona requires the

greatest understanding of the brand voice. The copywriter must wholly understand the brand’s

personality to speak with its voice. To be most true to the brand, the copywriter does not “have to

wear a big grin and say a big howdy to sell something” (Felton, 2013, p. 105). Instead, the

copywriter must speak with the authentic voice of the brand as dictated by brand guidelines, or

as otherwise determined.

Alternatively, the copywriter may choose to instead project a message as if she were a

member of the target audience. Just as with donning the brand persona, becoming the target

demographic requires authenticity above all. Jack Supple advises that the copywriter should

“become one with [the] target audience. Use their voice. Talk as the target talks” (Felton, 2013,

p. 108). The most effective use of this copywriting angle hinges on the complete understanding

of the target audience and the copywriter’s ability to become it.

Finally, the copywriter can—and should—forget about writing an ad. In speaking with

Advertising Age, digital agency Lean Mean Fighting Machine’s Creative Director Dave

Bedwood says the following:

We are under no illusion that we can suddenly make popular content that is as good as 24

or Lost or write long copy that is as good as Malcolm Gladwell's latest book, but if that is
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the goal, then your work has a much better chance of making an impact with your

audience. (“Why future,” 2010, para. 10)

Earning an audience’s attention can be difficult, but the application of brand and

consumer knowledge, paired with well-crafted visual design, can lead to highly effective

advertisements that speak directly to the consumer and promotes the most appropriate brand

image. Though the role and expectations of the copywriter are steadily evolving, their

importance to consumer communications and brand image cannot be overstated.

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References

Adams, D. (2011, February 14). What is copywriting and how is it important for a designer?

Retrieved from http://www.instantshift.com/2011/02/14/what-is-copywriting-and-how-is-

it-important-for-a-designer/

Chartrand, J. (June 25, 2008). The savvy copywriter’s advantage: Creative storytelling.

Retrieved from http://www.copyblogger.com/the-savvy-copywriter’s-advantage-creative-

storytelling/

Felton, G. (2013, August). Advertising: Concept and copy, 3rd edition [VitalSource Bookshelf

version]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com

/books/9780393733921

Hancock, L. (2014, May 14). History of copywriting. Retrieved from

https://contentequalsmoney.com/history-of-copywriting/

Hopper, N. (2011, August 18). Six authors who were copywriters first. Retrieved from

http://www.theawl.com/2011/08/six-authors-who-were-copywriters-first

Why future of industry isn’t about making ads. (2010). Advertising Age, 81(43), 6.