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Writing for Marketing

Communication
Week 4 Tutorial
David Fiorovanti
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Assessment #1 : Three pieces of
writing:
 Marketing blog (200 words)
 Remember, make it look and read like a marketing blog entry. It should
have a large bold heading at the top, an image of the product or campaign
you’re writing about, followed by your text. External links work too.

 Examples: http://www.versobooks.com/blogs
 http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/blog/10m-coca-cola-zero-sugar-campaign-to-h
elp-people-reduce-their-sugar-
intake
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 Business report highlights (400 words)

 I recommend choosing a company, finding their annual report, and writing the
highlights. There may already be an Executive summary, but just read through
the report and produce your own highlights section – a synthesis of the report as
a whole.
 Start with a brief overview of the company – what they do/produce…
 Achievements of the last 12 months
 Consider spotlighting a successful project (an objective that’s been met from the
previous year)
 Discuss challenges, but always keep the tone positive!
 Financials overview

 Consider different formats: 2 or 3 column text, 1 or 2 images, think more

magazine style.
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 Creative Brief (400 words)

 *Upload 3 files; each named ‘Surname – Exercise No.’*

 I recommend submitting in PDF format, which you can do from MS

Word.
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The Creative Brief
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Structure

The task is to write a proposal for a product. Imagine you are part of a team of marketers who have been
approached by a company to make a campaign for their new product. So for example, Schweppes has
approached you to make an ad for their tonic water, and you decide to focus on Schweppes’s history and
reputation in the UK, that it’s coming to America, it’s classy, the consumer needs it for their G&T, etc.
(everything the ad is telling us…)

So now, choose a product (something simple) and write a proposal on how you want to frame the
campaign. The brief should cover:

 Company Background – How long have they been around? What’s their position in the field? What’s
their reputation? Are they a key player? How do they have potential to make a bigger impact?

 Product background – Look at similar products /competitors. Is it the same product? How is it
different? Why is it better? What will make this product better than the others?

 Target Audience – Think of demographics such as age, gender, income, geography/location (city,
rural…). Also think about who’s being excluded.

 Objectives – Are you creating a new product? Is it an improvement of an existing product?

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 Language and tone of voice – Do you want to be subtle? Strong? Friendly? (See
Schweppes ad for example)

 Key message – start with “that”, for example, in the Schweppes ad, the key
message is that Schweppes tonic water is the best tonic for your G&T.

 Key benefits – what will the consumer get from this product?

 Reasons to believe – why would the audience believe me? How have I persuaded
them that they’ve made the right choice? What evidence (factual or stylistic) have
I provided? (Reputation and history are strong points; the “we get you” message;
the “no regret” message; the “you’ve made the right choice” message)

 Audience Takeaway – what do you want the audience to be telling themselves?

Make it positive! Make the audience feel good about themselves! Make them feel
they’ve made the right decision!
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 Budget

 Schedule of dates and deadlines

 Document signing (see Suneel’s lecture slide)

 Key discovery questions (Suneel)
What is the role of this communication?

What helpful insights might we have about audience reception?

What exactly do we want the audience to think or do?

What is the single most important point? Or what is the best hierarchical configuration of ideas
within the piece?

What evidence (emotional or rational) makes this piece of communication

believable/authentic?

What aspects of the brand and its personality are important in this communication?

What is the budget?

Are there any other regulatory or legal requirements?

What is the timeline?

Clarify revisions and IP issues!

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Activity

 1. Start brainstorming and writing the creative brief of your chosen

product.

Or,

 2. Write the creative brief that would have been used for ‘the man
from Schweppes’ ad. So, start backwards: with the ad, deconstructing
it for the various structural components of the brief outlined today.