confidentieel - ghent...
TRANSCRIPT
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Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte
CONFIDENTIEEL
FROM BRIEFING TO AD:
TOWARDS STRUCTURED GUIDELINES FOR CREATIVE
THINKING AND WRITING IN ADVERTISING
Promotor: dr. E. Vanpraet
Bavo Van Eyken
Academiejaar 2007-2008
Meertalige Bedrijfscommunicatie
Scriptie ingediend tot het behalen van de
graad van Master in de
Meertalige Bedrijfscommunicatie
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Internship description
bedrijf stagebeleider afdeling taken
Edison Tom Apers creatie copywriting
Groenveldstraat 13-15
3001
Heverlee
016/292400
talen tijdens de stage stageperiode
Nederlands 21 april tot 6 juni 2008
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Acknowledgments
I would like to express my gratitude to everyone at Edison for offering me the interesting
internship as a copywriter, to Luc De Bie for his enthusiastic support and to Sylien Kesteleyn
because she is awesome.
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Index
Internship description ................................................................................................................ 1
Acknowledgments...................................................................................................................... 2
Index........................................................................................................................................... 3
List of Images.............................................................................................................................. 5
Introduction................................................................................................................................ 6
Chapter 1. The company Edison................................................................................................. 7
1.1. Short history of Edison .................................................................................................... 7
1.2. Structure of Edison.......................................................................................................... 8
1.3. Corporate Identity........................................................................................................... 9
1.4. Products and clients ...................................................................................................... 10
1.5. Main competitors.......................................................................................................... 11
1.6. SWOT analysis ............................................................................................................... 11
Strengths .......................................................................................................................... 11
Weaknesses...................................................................................................................... 12
Opportunities ................................................................................................................... 12
Threaths............................................................................................................................ 12
Chapter 2. Theoretical framework........................................................................................... 13
2.1. Introduction................................................................................................................... 13
2.2. Creativity ....................................................................................................................... 14
2.2.1. Introduction............................................................................................................ 14
2.2.2. Techniques to improve creativity........................................................................... 14
Basic skills ..................................................................................................................... 14
Specific exercises.......................................................................................................... 17
Brainstorming............................................................................................................... 21
2.3. Copywriting ................................................................................................................... 22
2.3.1. Introduction............................................................................................................ 22
2.3.2. Preparation............................................................................................................. 22
2.3.3. The headline........................................................................................................... 24
2.3.4. The body copy ........................................................................................................ 27
Chapter 3. The internship......................................................................................................... 29
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3.1. Introduction................................................................................................................... 29
3.2. Case 1: Biotène.............................................................................................................. 29
Background....................................................................................................................... 29
Briefing ............................................................................................................................. 29
Execution.......................................................................................................................... 30
Evaluation......................................................................................................................... 30
3.3. Case 2: Ace-Groep T ...................................................................................................... 30
Background....................................................................................................................... 30
Briefing ............................................................................................................................. 31
Execution.......................................................................................................................... 31
Evaluation......................................................................................................................... 33
3.4. Case 3: De Rouck Geocart ............................................................................................. 33
Background....................................................................................................................... 33
Briefing ............................................................................................................................. 33
Execution.......................................................................................................................... 33
Evaluation......................................................................................................................... 34
Chapter 4. Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 35
Lexicon...................................................................................................................................... 37
Bibliography.............................................................................................................................. 39
Appendix................................................................................................................................... 41
1. Alex Osborn’s Question Summary........................................................................................ 41
2. Van Poecke: overview of different figures of speech in advertising copywriting ............... 43
3. First page of ACE Groep-T briefing....................................................................................... 45
4. Artwork De Rouck Geocart Riksja-challenge event.............................................................. 46
5. Example of published De Rouck ad ...................................................................................... 47
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List of Images
Image 1: ad for Mebucaine sore throat treatment.................................................................. 19
Image 2: top topical print ad for De Rouck Geocart, which appeared in Metro on Monday,
July 14th
............................................................................................................................. 26
Image 3: Biotène campaign image. .......................................................................................... 29
Image 4: previous ACE-Groep T campaign posters. ................................................................. 31
Image 5: example of brainstorm notes. ................................................................................... 32
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Introduction
Since around 1998 I have filled hundreds and hundreds of pages with words. Since 2005 I
have written almost 1000 entries on my personal blog1. Writing comes natural to me, and I
believe that I am both a good and an original writer. Writing in a professional context is
therefore something that interested me greatly for a long time. Add to this my interest for
the world of advertising and it is clear that choosing an internship was not hard for me: I
wanted to explore the world of copywriting in an advertising agency.
Really getting such an internship was not simple. After preparing a small portfolio I could use
to show what I was capable of, I contacted all major advertising agencies in Flanders. The
response was, unfortunately, disappointing. When I called them a week or so after sending
an email, most of the time they were not very interested. One time I thought I had an
internship with a major creative agency in Brussels (Mortierbrigade), but their creative
director overruled the decision taken by the person that confirmed the deal when I visited
them.
A bit dispirited I contacted Lena Vyncke, director of the association of communication
companies (ACC), who gave a guest lecture at MTB. She advised me to focus on smaller
agencies and although some of them were equally unenthusiastic as their bigger
competitors, finally Edison agreed to an internship for me.
I visited them in Heverlee, where I met Office Manager Leen Dewil and Art Director Tom
Apers. The latter, who also became my internship coach, already gave me a chance to come
up with some slogans for a brand of water dispensers, so I could prove my ability as a
copywriter.
The internship started on Monday April 21st
and ended on Friday June 6th
and will be further
elaborated upon in chapter 3.
1 www.rotsboom.blogspot.com
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Chapter 1. The company Edison
Information in this chapter is based on an interview I had with Bart Ramakers on July 22nd
and on the company website2 since no other written company information is available.
1.1. Short history of Edison
Bart Ramakers, owner and active chairman of Edison, started in 1989 a company that would
later become Edison, called Beeldspraak. With an early Apple Computer and from his own
bedroom he began making newsletters, logos and internal communication material for
companies in Flemish Brabant. At that point in time he was himself employed in an
advertising agency in Haacht and he also worked as a freelancer.
Due to the fast technological changes in the computer industry, desktop publishing (dtp)
became increasingly cost-effective and this created a new niche for Beeldspraak. Within two
years the company had six employees and moved to a new location. During the nineties
Beeldspraak was a dtp-agency that tried to source in as much technology as possible. That
way they could work faster and more efficiently. Two separate companies were then created
for production and print: Spiegelbeeld and Exemplaar.
In 1999 drastic changes were made. Interbrew, a big client since 1995, prepared its initial
public offering and due to the increased workload, the turnover of Beelspraak doubled from
60 million to 120 million Belgian Francs. By working for Interbrew, the company had to work
in 16 to 18 different languages; which increased their experience with international layout
and design. At this time, the company decided to focus more on its core business.
Spiegelbeeld and Exemplaar, the technical divisions, were combined and sold because the
effort to keep up with the technological innovations became too laborious.
Beeldspraak now had 11 employees and because of the fact that there was less work from
Interbrew, choices had to be made. The company wanted to increase their presence in the
above the line market segment and Geert Vanhees was hired to acquire knowledge about
marketing strategy and brand strategy. For three years, Beeldspraak, and later Edison (the
current name) were positioned on the B2B advertising market. Edison worked for companies
2 www.edison.be
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in the IT sector such as HP, but due to the economic recession, and although Edison was one
of the most important B2B-agencies, this niche became to limiting.
To sustain growth, Guido Everaert was recruited as managing director and Mark Struyf as
creative director. Edison wanted to focus even more on the above the line activities. The
new talent at the top managed to attract an important new client: Van de Velde3, producer
of such brands as Marie Jo, Marie Jo Intense and Prima Donna.
Since the beginning of 2008, Gisèle De Groot and Eric Debaene have replaced Guido Everaert
and Mark Struyf. With their help, Edison will try to grow creatively as well as financially, and
this with a core team of approximately 15 employees and a group of freelancers.
From my point of view, in order to reach the main goal of becoming one of the preferred
advertising agencies on the creative level, more stress should be put on creativity itself.
Therefore it is strange that no full time copywriter is employed at Edison. During my
internship I was able to collaborate well with art director Tom Apers, but no sound creative
team can consist of one permanent AD and then a bunch of free floating copywriters that
come and go.
Especially since the creative and strategic levels are being streamlined, e.g. creative efforts
are concentrated on the most important prospects, a tight creative team with both an AD
and a copywriter would certainly yield more significant results and help Edison to grow
further in the right direction.
1.2. Structure of Edison
As mentioned above, currently Bart Ramakers is the active chairman of Edison. Together
with Gisèle De Groote, managing director and Eric Debaene, he heads the company.
A board with external advisers such as Jan Flamand updates the short-term business plan
every three months in order to fine-tune the financial expectations and direction.
The company structure is comparable to any advertising agency, with account managers,
production employees and creative people, with whom I collaborated during my internship.
3 http://www.vandevelde-nv.be/
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1.3. Corporate Identity
According to the website, ‘Edison is an independent communication agency. By
communication we mean every possible way to reach your target group. And your targets.
This includes the use of mass media, interactive media, custom publishing, point-of-sale
actions, direct marketing and brand activation techniques. And in many occasions, a
combination of them all.’
Since the company is named after the famous inventor, the man has a special meaning for
the company: ‘Thomas Alva Edison did a lot to improve communications in his time. Apart
from the iconic light bulb, he invented or significantly enhanced the telegraph, the
microphone, the phonograph, the dictaphone and the motion picture camera. To name but
a few.’
There are, according to Edison, three things they learned from their namesake:
‘1. We set up an expert team to focus on your needs and ambitions.
2. We review your actual communication, enhance it or entirely invent it from scratch.
3. We strive to make the result measurable.’
The above resembles of course the corporate identity of almost any communication agency
of the same size, and to a certain extent one could say it is not much more than that.
Nevertheless, by trying to live up to the expectations a name like Edison brings with it, the
company must put its money where its mouth is. And I believe, however I only spent seven
weeks there, that the new choice of aiming higher and in the direction of the traditional
‘creative’ agencies, is a right one, if consistent stress is put on the quality of the creative
ideas.
What is also important is the extent to which all employees feel that the corporate identity
reflects their way of thinking and how they feel. This is something very tricky and here the
Edison-concept is something that, according to me, is mostly used to convince prospects
and, regretfully, for window-dressing during presentations.
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1.4. Products and clients
As stated above, in the history of Edison, one of the most important strengths of the
company is the quality and experience of their production division. Edison has proven to be
able to work with strict deadlines and budget constraints when producing brochures, POS-
material and other publications. This helped, among other things, to convince a big client like
Van de Velde to work with them. To further explain the way Edison does business I
schematised their current portfolio:
Demands investment
In creativity
Currently profitable
Category Grey zone Fashion Health & Beauty
Clients Prospects Marie Jo & co Biotène & co
Versatile strength Online
Recurring business Publishing
As you can see, there are four main elements Edison can play out when approaching
prospects: the experience in fashion with Van de Velde, the experience in health & beauty
with Biotène and others, the online experience and the publishing experience. The goal is to
strenghten the presence in the first two niches and attain this by building on the expertise of
the latter strengths.
Concretely, this means adding more magazines to the four currently under their supervision4
and attracting other clients in the fashion- and health & beauty-fields. In order to conquer
parts of the grey zone of prospects, more stress is being put on the creative aspects of the
work. This is a long-term strategy (3-5 years), but according to creative director Eric
Debaene, some movement is already noticeable in the advertising-world in Flanders.
4 examples of these magazines are: De Vlaams Brabander, Service Plus and My Pay.
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1.5. Main competitors
Currently, most of the direct competitors of Edison are niche-agencies such as 7Beaufort5,
Propaganda6 and Kunstmaan
7. In the future, Edison would like to take on other, smaller
advertising agencies such as Happiness8, Openhere
9, Karamba
10, Darwin
11 and Germaine
12.
This will involve attracting bigger and more visible clients and preferably also gaining some
notoriety themselves, perhaps by winning some advertising awards.
1.6. SWOT analysis
Edison has always known its share of change, and with the current expectancies for the next
five years; more change is clearly on the way. In order to further describe their current
position in the market, I present a small SWOT analysis.
Strengths
When reading the company history one sees that Edison grew from a very strong technical
and productional base: financial statements, custom publishing and more traditional
advertising. Similarly, the financial situation is sound and with the almost overqualified
board of advisers, the business side of the equation is not likely to go askew.
Hence the internal knowledge and experience provide Edison with important advantages in
the field they now wish to enter: the above the line advertising world. Bigger clients like Van
de Velde, Atos Worldline and Java can also help to stimulate confidence in new prospects.
Contrary to many other advertising agencies, Edison also has less personnel turnover, which
adds to the strength of the team and the company. And however this can seem unlikely, for
some employees the location in Leuven, not exactly the advertising Mecca of Flanders, is
also an advantage.
5 http://www.7beaufort.be/
6 http://www.propaganda.be/
7 http://www.kunstmaan.be/
8 http://www.happiness-brussels.com/
9 http://www.openhere.be/
10 http://www.karamba.be/
11 http://www.darwin.bbdo.be/
12 http://www.gettingpeopletodothings.be/
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Weaknesses
The creative side of the equation is less strong. This is a serious disadvantage, because it
limits the attractiveness of Edison for creative people in search of a job and this can become
a vicious circle. Since the agency is now trying to prove to the outside world it can compete
on creativity, it will be necessary to attract at least a decent copywriter who can team up
with the art director in order to get the creative motor going.
Next to this, the location might also be a weakness. Because although some employees
prefer Leuven to Brussels, this small town is less sexy and therefore less likely to become top
choice for creative talent.
Opportunities
It is challenging to discern the real opportunities in the advertising world, but since many
clients change agencies there will always be work for those companies that can convince
creatively or on other aspects. With Edison’s strong background and extensive experience,
the new way towards more traditional advertising is likely to be successful.
Threaths
The threats Edison faces in the future are insignificant compared with the internal
weaknesses. The advertising business is a fairly open one and however competition is
sometimes fierce, the fact that good ideas can convince prospects at face value means
Edison’s future success is mainly determined by their investment in creativity.
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Chapter 2. Theoretical framework
2.1. Introduction
Coming up with conceptual ideas that can support an advertising campaign is (most of the
times) the result of the combined effort of both a copywriter and an art director. Usually,
one or more of them sit together with the creative director and the account manager of the
brand in question and after the creative briefing, are asked to come up with a number of
ideas. These ‘big’ ideas are the concepts that carry the campaign and are then further
written out by the copywriter and visualised by the art director.
So the most important task for the creative team is to be creative. The result of an individual
thought-session or a brainstorm should be something that fulfils the needs of the client.
However, the requirements of the advertising agency itself also have to be taken into
consideration. If the creative director decides that the agency should put more stress on
engaging creativity in order to participate in advertising award contests, this has an effect on
the concrete output.
During my internship at Edison, I participated in numerous brainstorm sessions and while we
always came up with enough ideas and concepts, the process itself was somewhat
rudimentary. We sat together and began proposing ideas until we thought we had enough.
In a world where every business process is meticulously analysed and made more effective,
it had an air of amateurism. This is why I want to take a look at the existing insights in this
field and use them, together with my real-world experience, to come up with a number of
guidelines to facilitate this important creative process.
In this theoretical part of my paper I will first introduce the existing knowledge in the field of
creativity and brainstorming. Then I will elaborate on copywriting for advertising. With these
insights and my own experience at Edison this will result in guidelines and tips that better
streamline and stimulate the creative and writing processes between briefing and finished
print ad. By doing so I hope to establish an easy to use tool specifically for print campaigns in
Flanders.
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2.2. Creativity
2.2.1. Introduction
The essence of advertising is the creative idea. Every time a creative team is confronted with
a new briefing, the expectations are that the outcome of their thinking is a new idea, a new
proposal that satisfies the clients needs. In order to keep coming up with new ideas and to
remain as creative as possible, numerous techniques are available. In the following chapter I
will try to select and explain these techniques that can yield better results in an advertising
context. Thus a useful list will come into being that can facilitate the creative processes
inherent to creating great advertising campaigns.
2.2.2. Techniques to improve creativity
Basic skills
Many writers and scholars in the field of creativity have developed their set of basic
approaches when it comes to creativity training. In this introductory section I will present
three of those techniques: the five skills of Byttebier & Vullings, de Bono’s six thinking hats
and the list of ten classical questions.
Byttebier & Vullings discern five elementary skills that ‘constitute the foundation for creative
thinking’ (Byttebier & Vullings, 2007, p. 24):
- Creative perception: ‘how can I see this differently?’ (Byttebier & Vullings, p. 24). This
is in essence a description of every step of the creative process. Nevertheless, it is a
question that should be asked regularly when engaged in a creative team.
- Postponing judgement (Byttebier & Vullings, 2007, p.26):
o What is this idea? � opening
o Accept this new thought � accepting
o Exploring the opportunities created by the idea � exploring
o Judging what to do with it � judging
In order to enable and stimulate a free flow of ideas, it is crucial a limitless
atmosphere is sustained throughout the operation. Therefore, everyone
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participating must try to focus on the newly created opportunities in depth
before judging.
- Flexible association (Byttebier & Vullings, 2007, p. 28): in order to overcome
dominant associations and look for less obvious tracks two things can be done:
o Dissociation or pattern breaking. Trying to leave the obvious track.
o Resociation or linking back. Relinking to the original issue from a new angle.
By training this skill, and using the exercises below, a creative team should be
able to come up with new ideas and combinations.
- Diverging (Byttebier & Vullings, 2007, p. 32): when you do not stop thinking if a
‘reasonable’ solution has been found, you are diverging. The question always has to
be: ‘how could this be done in another way?’ Examples of how to achieve diverging
are discussed below.
- Developing imagination (Byttebier & Vullings, 2007, p. 33): by working with images
rather than words, your imagination is stimulated. Images work more holistically,
have more emotional power, generate the power of desire and can communicate
stronger. Especially in advertising, images are crucial. The important factor when
using images to stimulate creativity should be the constant linking back to the
different aspects of the current campaign when confronted with new imagery.
These five skills can be regarded as the foundation for creative thinking, but there are more
practical tools that really try to develop the mind.
The ‘six thinking hat system’, invented by creativity-guru Edward de Bono is a method that
already implies more tangible elements to guide creative thinking:
There are six metaphorical hats and the thinker can put on or take off one of these
hats to indicate the type of thinking that is being used. This putting on and taking of is
essential. The hats must never be used to categorize individuals, even though their
behaviour may seem to invite this (de Bono, 1995, p. 14).
De Bono claims that using his hat thinking system, lateral thinking will be stimulated, which
activates cutting across familiar patterns (de Bono, 1995, p. 14-15):
- White hat: asking questions about facts and figures, data and arguments.
- Red hat: allows the wearer being intuitive and emotional.
- Black hat: the logical negative, the hat of judgement and caution, of pointing out why
something does not match the existing knowledge.
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- Yellow hat: the logical positive, the wearer explains why something will work.
- Green hat: the hat of creativity.
- Blue hat: the meta-hat, keeping the overview of the thinking process and suggesting
hat changing.
It is clear that this system with hats is highly artificial, and according to de Bono that is one of
the benefits of it, because it allows for protection against ad hominem remarks and a
stronger focus on the content of what is being said (de Bono, 1995, p. 15). If properly
executed, I believe the hat-technique could yield good results in an advertising context,
especially during strategic meetings. By extensively using these six hats, one is also sure that
all-important aspects of an issue are dealt with thoroughly.
A similar approach to problems that can benefit from creative solutions is the following list
of ten classical (Greek) questions (Fontaine, 2006, p.96). By replacing the ‘X’ with, for
example, a product name, a bigger picture will emerge, and the issue will be looked at more
thoroughly:
1. If you had to divide X into its most important aspects, what would they be?
2. How has X drawn your attention?
3. Who cares most about X? Why? Who cares least about X? Why?
4. What are the most important facts about X?
5. Which information about X is unknown? How can you get this information?
6. What is the relation of X to other important questions? Why is it more/less
important?
7. What would be the consequences if X did not exist? Why?
8. What are the biggest obstacles when solving X? Why?
9. What feelings does X evoke with you? And with others? Why?
10. If you had to explain X to a ten year old, what would you say?
The three basic problem solving and creativity techniques listed above are in their own right
already conducive and could, if applied in a company as Edison that has no clear code or
guidelines for their creative people, stimulate creative thinking. For example, from May 5-8, I
participated in brainstorming sessions for Ace-Groep T (cf. 3.3. Case 2), and although we
came up with numerous ideas, in hindsight I have the feeling that a more structured
approach would have certainly helped us thinking clearer.
Nevertheless, there are many more possibilities in stimulating creativity than these first
three lists, and with numerous more specific exercises creativity-writers supply their readers
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with extra tools to overcome creativity deadlocks. A selection of these practices is presented
below.
Specific exercises
1. Random words. de Bono uses many variations of his technique of using random words to
force the mind to come up with new, different and more creative solutions and
connections to problems (de Bono, 2007, pp. 9-22). By choosing a number of words an
pairing them, choosing the odd man out, grouping them, connecting and combining, he
assures his readers that new ideas will form:
If you start from the periphery (by using a random word), you can open up paths you
would never open from the centre. The random word drops you at the periphery. As
you think your way back to the focus, you open up new ideas (de Bono, 2007, p.18).
However de Bono, in his book, provides long lists of random words, there is no reason
this could not also work with a dictionary, magazine or newspaper.
I believe that this simple technique can have spectacular results in creativity sessions in
advertising, since it can open new doors that were previously shut by forcing the mind to
link back to the briefing from a wide and unpredictable angle.
2. Diverging techniques. After rationalising the problem or assignment, ‘you move to the
diverging stage; this means trying to find as many new ideas as possible for a given
problem or objective’ (Byttebier & Vullings, 2007, p. 81). The first round of diverging
consists of general brainstorming where as much ideas as possible are expressed and
judgement is postponed. In the second round, when the spontaneous creative
boundaries are reached, diverging techniques are introduced, which all use two major
thinking activities: ‘estrangement and resociation’ (Byttebier & Vullings, 2007, p. 84). In
the first phase, which bares similarities to the goal of random words, one no longer
focuses directly on the problem, but on something unrelated. In a sense, one leaves the
main road. In the second phase, the attention from the results of the estrangement is
redirected to the problem itself. So with the obtained fresh views, one returns to the
main road. The authors give seven diverging methods which should accomplish
estrangement and resociation (Byttebier & Vullings, 2007, pp. 84-109):
a. Presuppositions (Byttebier & Vullings, 2007, p. 85). In order to discover the
conscious and unconscious thought patterns that exist around a specific issue,
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one can sum up the crucial terms in the starting formulation and trace the
presuppositions that are related with these terms. What you do next is thinking
about what could happen if the presupposition did not apply or was inverted.
This leads to new notions on the subject and instigates creativity and resociation.
b. Direct analogy (Byttebier & Vullings, 2007, p. 88). By selecting an ‘analogon’ (a
concrete term that is far removed from the subject but inspiring) that will serve
as source of inspiration and than writing down features and associations of the
analogon, more improbable images will arise. Perhaps some form of randomness
should be added here in order to force the mind outside the common patterns.
c. Superhero (Byttebier & Vullings, 2007, p. 92). With this technique, probably
better applicable with comic book characters of our own culture instead of the
superhero’s here suggested, the user thinks of how his or her fictional character
would tackle the problem. In order to expand the possibilities of this technique,
any fictitious character or famous person can be used. Questions formulated
would be the likes of: ‘How would John McClane regard this?’ All in all what is
most important here is the fact that one is forced into the perspective of
someone that also could be a potential consumer.
d. Personal analogy (Byttebier & Vullings, 2007, p. 94). After selecting a crucial
object from the problem context, one tries to answer the following question:
‘how would I feel/react/think if I was this object now?’ Here, we take the other
angle, and look at the product from within. Image 1 shows an ad that takes this
kind of approach.
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Image 1: ad for Mebucaine sore throat treatment.
source: http://adsoftheworld.com/
e. Random stimulation (Byttebier & Vullings, 2007, p. 97). This technique is similar
to de Bono’s random word technique. Byttebier and Vullings however, allow for
greater liberty, since they also suggest images, photos and objects.
f. Free incubation (Byttebier & Vullings, 2007, p. 100). Here, the attention is turned
away from the problem. By creating distance when the other techniques are
becoming less helpful, you can let other influences seep into the mind.
Possibilities to simulate free incubation are other tasks, relaxation, sports, a new
environment or travelling.
g. Guided imagery (Byttebier & Vullings, 2007, p. 103). This is a way to use
spontaneous inspiration when following a scenario. A short scenario or story is
prepared or selected beforehand and when it is read, one has to open up to the
mental images it suggests. These then have to be connected with the problem.
This is a rather far-fetched technique, since an artificial story has to be made up
first, which presumable takes a while.
3. Thinkertoys. Michalko offers a wide range of exercises to stimulate the mind (Michalko,
1991, pp. 64-335). Only two are selected here, because Michalko focuses on the business
context more than on general idea generation:
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a. Think Bubbles (Michalko, 1991, p. 64-70). This technique is a more visual
approach that incorporates some of the previous methods. Key words, linked
with a product or service, are visually associated and connected. The overview
generated can spark innovation. For richer results, images, objects and photos
can be added. If randomness is added here, I can imagine this to be one of the
most useful combinations of techniques available. An ideal room for this to work
in should consist of a large, magnetic whiteboard, an internet-connected pc and a
printer. This would stimulate the immediate visual representation of all new ideas
and the possibility to link them. With all ideas upon the wall, it is also much easier
for third parties to evaluate and comment upon the produced work.
b. SCAMPER (Michalko, 1991, p. 71-109). This is an acronym for seven questions
that should stimulate new ideas. Some of these were first suggested by Alex
Osborne (cf. brainstorming, below), one of the pioneers in the field of
brainstorming and creativity (Michalko, 1991, p. 73). With isolated aspects of the
product, brand image or copy in mind, one can apply these questions to innovate.
� Substitute?
� Combine?
� Adapt?
� Modify or Magnify?
� Put to other uses?
� Eliminate or minify?
� Reverse or rearrange?
If numbers one to three are put to test, the amount of creative solutions, ideas and concepts
will probably be greater than without these techniques. Although most of the above can be
carried out individually, there is an instinctive appeal to applying this knowledge in a
designated group of people. When this happens, it is called ‘brainstorming’ and it was
indeed an underdeveloped form of brainstorming that I participated in during my internship
at Edison. In the next section, I will give brainstorming a further look.
21
Brainstorming
Everybody has an intuitive understanding of what brainstorming is, and many people have
already participated in-group sessions with the goal of idea generation. However, de Bono
warns us for an unconsidered approach:
There are far too many practitioners out there who believe that creativity is just
brainstorming and being free to suggest crazy ideas (de Bono, 1995, p. 12).
The problem stated by de Bono is confirmed by the fact that due to such problems as
distraction, social loafing and production blocking, brainstorming groups have been found to
be in fact less productive than individuals (Mullen et al., 1991, pp. 3-23).
While this conclusion cannot be dismissed, I still believe that there is an added value to
brainstorming sessions in an advertising environment. Depending on the challenge, deadline
and time span, brainstorming can be used for a specific and dedicated part of the creative
process, perhaps as a control environment for the outcome of individual processes. In either
way, some important basic rules about brainstorming have to be determined. Among others,
Filato provides a list of principles (Filato, 2008, n.p.):
- Define what the problem is, and break it into smaller components.
- Provide exhaustive background information.
- Organize the group members and divide the work.
- Follow the four basic rules, drawn up by Osborn:
o Judicial judgement is ruled out. Criticism of ideas must be withheld until later.
o Freewheeling is welcomed. The wilder the idea, the better; it is easier to tame
down than to think up.
o Quantity is wanted. The greater the number of ideas, the more the likelihood
of winners.
o Combination and improvement are sought. In addition to contributing ideas
of their own, participants should suggest how the ideas of others can be
turned into better ideas or how two or more ideas can be joined into still
another idea (Osborn, 1953, pp 300-301).
The gathering of ideas itself will of course benefit from the different techniques already
illustrated. In addition, there is a famous list, created by Alex Osborn and taken from his
book Applied Imagination, which consists of idea-prompting questions (Cave, 1997, n.p.).
This list is added as appendix 1.
22
The result of the creative process until this point should lead to a creative concept, such as,
for example, the image Edison created for Biotène (cf. image 3). Certainly, the next steps are
equally important, and will be discussed further below, in the part about copywriting.
2.3. Copywriting
2.3.1. Introduction
Similar to my experiences with creative thinking and brainstorming I had no prior advertising
experience with copywriting, nor did I receive any formal training in this field. Apparently,
unlike journalism, copywriting is just something that one does, especially in smaller
advertising agencies Like Edison.
So since I write frequently online, I automatically applied the same practices when starting
on my first writing tasks at Edison. In spite of this, there exists, of course, an extensive
literature about copywriting and I wish to clarify its general principles below.
2.3.2. Preparation
In addition to the previously mentioned creativity techniques, the creative team must have a
clear vision of the assignment. Consequently, many bigger advertising agencies have
templates with questions that have to be answered in order to come to this understanding.
Edison did not have such a list, so I composed one myself.
The following list of necessary preparations and questions is derived from creative strategy
plans of Young & Rubicam, J. Walter Thompson Co., DDB Needham, FDB, Ogilvy & Mather,
BBDO, Isodore & Paulson & Tracy Locke (“The Copy Workshop Strategy Seminar”, n.d., n.p.),
and elements from Applegate (Appelgate, 2005, p. 28-30):
- Understand the market
o Define the competitive frame.
o Explain the success of the competition.
- Understand the company
o The name, the location(s), the history, the financial situation.
- Understand the brand/product/service
23
o Basics: name, history, manufacturing process, …
o What is most important about the brand?
o What key human need does the brand fulfil?
o What is different about the brand?
o What are the unique qualities of the brand?
- Understand the prospects
o Demographic characteristics.
o Psychographic characteristics.
o Lifestyle characteristics.
o What do they now feel about the brand?
- Understand the marketing objective
o Brand equity.
o Product positioning
o “you” positioning (attitudes and lifestyles)
- Understand the media
o What media are used?
o What are the strengths and weaknesses?
- Understand the role of the advertising
o What do we want the prospects to feel/think/do?
o What is the opportunity/problem that the advertising must address?
- Understand the tone
o What should the feeling/style/approach of the advertising be?
In addition, many great names in the advertising field have their own strategies to
accomplish their goals, their own philosophies. Book and Schick have collected some of
these valuable theories (Book & Schick, 1993, pp. 3-10):
- The basic proposition has to be clear immediately.
- The focus must be on a well-defined value.
- Artistry can make the difference.
- Stress on the ‘inherent drama’ of the product will have the most effect.
- Keeping it simple works.
- Do your homework: study the product, the market, …
24
Applegate confirms this down-to-earth approach and states ‘advertising should provide
benefits – that is, express what the product or service will do for the consumer (Applegate,
2005, p. xvii).
When all parties involved have a better understanding of the specific needs of the client they
can decide on a ‘copy platform’ that suits the creative strategy (Van Poecke, 2002, p. 15):
A written statement of objectives and a summary of information for an ad or ad
campaign (Book & Schick, 1993, p. 23).
a general outlook on the two parts of the creative strategy is also presented by Ray:
- What is said: the theme, the appeal, the copy platform, the position, or the message
idea.
- How it is said: the copy, the message, the message implementation, the execution
and the format (Ray, 1982, p. 206).
So when the ‘copy platform’ has been written, it is finally time to develop the advertising
concept. Different focuses are possible here (Book & Schick, 1993, p. 23):
- Physiological needs.
- Psychological needs.
- Characteristics of the product: quality, convenience or effectiveness.
- An association between the product and a desirable ‘state of being’, such as love,
success, freedom or happiness.
Next to the focus, there is also the tone of the advertising. This can be factual, emotional or
humorous (Book & Schick, 1993, p. 24). Some mixing may very well occur, since
2.3.3. The headline
The headline is one of the most important aspects of a print advertising. It has to catch the
attention of readers or people who pass by, intrigue them and stimulate them to further
read or look at the ad (Van Poecke, 2002, p. 18). To accomplish this, most headlines make
use of the ‘selling idea’ (Burton, 1991, p. 11) and the campaign theme. With a right headline,
the target audience is automatically selected (Roomer, 1987, p. 162). Van Poecke
summarizes the five main functions of a good print ad headline:
1. Getting attention and creating interest.
2. Selecting the right target audience.
3. Introducing the chosen ‘appeal’ and the campaign theme.
25
4. Connecting with the visual elements.
5. Inviting to read further (Van Poecke, 2002, p. 18).
In a sense, Van Poecke’s list incorporates the old AIDA formula used frequently in
advertising. The acronym stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action (Applegate, 2005,
p. 39). By following the formula, ideally the reader should come to what is an important goal
of the advertising: taking action by doing something.
Another important element of headlines is their use of key words:
Key words are the trigger words because they can stimulate envy, dreams and desires
by evoking looks, touch, taste, smell, and sounds without actually misrepresenting a
product. Words like ‘big’, ‘small’ and ‘long’ are relatively easy to imagine in
connection with a product, but ‘elegant’, ‘superb’, ‘enchanting’, ‘discreet’, ‘sheer’,
‘intriguing’, ‘captivating’, are vague, can not easily be checked upon and are often a
matter of opinion rather than of fact (Dyer, 1982, p. 149).
When working on a project for De Rouck Geocart during my internship at Edison, where we
were asked to come up with ideas to promote traditional paper maps for use by women, the
headline of the following image (cf. image 2) popped into my mind. Intuitively, almost all of
the steps Van Poecke mentions are applied in it. The bold font grabs the attention
immediately and because it refers to the political negotiations-deadline of the next day, it
selects an audience of politically interested readers. This is perhaps the downside of top
topical advertising: that its focus lies on the combining factors of what relates the product to
what happens in the news and less on the main selling propositions of the product itself. As
a result, a part of the target audience of De Rouck Geocart is not reached. The headline in
case does portray the appeal of the brand and is both connected with the visual of the map
and the body copy.
26
Applegate discerns nine different kinds of headlines (Applegate, 2005, p. 42): News, how-to,
command or imperative, question or interrogatory, testimonial or quotation, declarative or
direct and humorous. The headline on this page is clearly imperative. The next step in
copywriting is usually the body copy.
Image 2: top topical print ad for De Rouck Geocart, which appeared in Metro
on Monday, July 14th
.
Source: www.edison.be
27
2.3.4. The body copy
Writing body copy and long copy taps into another set of skills of the copywriter. When the
image and headline (and subhead and slogan, if needed) are prepared, most of the times
some lines of body copy have to be written. Sometimes, such as in the case of Biotène (cf.
case 1, see below) multiple pages of long copy are required. In order to successfully come up
with larger quantities of text, a certain attitude is necessary. According to Applegate, the
copywriter has to ‘care about the product or service’ and therefore must ‘put himself in the
position of a prospective consumer’ (Applegate, 2005, p. 55). Questions a consumer would
ask have to be answered in order to be able to convince him or her.
In order to do so successfully, Van Poecke discerns three rhetorical methods of conviction:
ethos, pathos and logos (Van Poecke, 2002, pp. 51-56). The first method tries to convince on
the basis of the impression already available in the mind of the audience: ‘Ethos is
persuasion through the character of the speaker’ (Johnson, 1996, p. 243). Testimonials are
an example of this technique. Pathos on the other hand stresses the receiver. When using
this technique you try to convince using emotions. This can have three functions with the
consumer: grabbing the attention, creating a greater acceptance and supplying information.
In the latter case, the emotional value of a product becomes a selling argument (Van Poecke,
2002, pp. 54-55). Information can, however, also be an example of logos, if it focuses on
rationality to convince:
Rational benefits are promises to satisfy utilitarian needs; emotional benefits are
promises to satisfy social or psychological needs (Nylen, 1986, p. 427)
The differences between pathos and logos also relate to the difference between hard sell
and soft sell: A hard sell is a rational, informational message that is designed to touch the mind
and create a response based on logic. The approach is direct and emphasizes tangible
product features and benefits. Hard sell messages try to convince the consumer to
buy because the product is very good, better of best.
Soft sell uses an emotional message and is designed around an image intended to
touch the heart and create a response based on feelings and attitudes (Wells et al.,
1992, p.397).
The construction of a decent body copy relies on three elements: the lead, which has to
make the connection between the headline and the rest of the body copy; the body, where
28
the product description, the values for the consumer and the appeal belong; and the closing,
which is a summary and a call to action (Moriartry, 1986, pp. 127-135).
Apart from this structure, copywriting consists of playing with language and style. Instead of
summing up all possible figures of speech I put a list by Van Poecke in the appendix. In the
next chapter, in which I present real life cases from the internship at Edison, I will explain the
techniques we used when creating advertising and elaborate upon the figures of speech.
29
Chapter 3. The internship
3.1. Introduction
From April 21st
until July 6th
2008 I worked as a copywriter at Edison. During these seven
weeks I was able to contribute to a number of different jobs. A selection of the work I did
will be discussed in this chapter as case studies in order to test and apply the knowledge
from the previous chapter.
3.2. Case 1: Biotène
Background
Biotène is a brand of the American company Laclede. The Biotène product range consists of
dry mouth treatment care such as toothpaste, mouthwash and moisturizing gel. Edison is
responsible for the European campaign for Biotène, which is built up around the central
image of a man with a cactus as a tongue (cf. image 3 ).
Briefing
One of my first jobs during my internship was the
writing of an article that would appear, after
journalistic adaptation by one of the editors, in a
health magazine aimed at the elderly (50+). Using
existing POS-material and other available
information, I had to create a convincing article that
would elaborate on the general dry mouth problem,
also known as xerostomia and the benefits of the
Biotène product range.
Apart from this article, I was also asked to look at
other aspects of the Biotène campaign, such as a
medical conference banner slogan and certain
aspects of the new POS-material.
Image 3: Biotène campaign image.
Source: www.edison.be
30
Execution
After reading up on the given information and further desk research on xerostomia, I began
writing the first draft of the article. The freedom was both liberating and though, because I
had almost no guidance when trying to create the right structure for the article. Also, finding
the right tone to address the specific target audience proved to be challenging. During the
writing process, which was interrupted by other work, I got feedback from the creative
director, Eric Debaene. Due to the fact that the article was a long-term engagement, I was
not able to finish it within the internship period.
Evaluation
Since the Biotène job was one of the first things I had to do at Edison, it was quite hard to
start. The writing of the article took place throughout the internship and it was useful to be
able to let the text rest for a while so I could think of something else. Also, some of the
times, the feedback I got was not as clear as possible, which created some doubts about
whether I was going in the right direction. This was also due to the workload of the creative
director, which influenced the amount of time he could spend on a relatively unimportant
task like this. Nevertheless, it was gratifying to see the text grow and become a more or less
finished project that would find its way into a magazine.
On this job, I did not have to use the creativity that is needed when looking for a campaign
concept or a headline. Therefore it did not confront me with the fact that the lack of any
standard creativity techniques. In the second case, this absence was more acute.
3.3. Case 2: Ace-Groep T
Background
ACE-Groep T is the adult education division of Groep T in Leuven. ACE is an acronym for:
Anticipative Continuing Education and according to their website, ‘ACE-Groep T offers
courses for 8 languages: Chinese, German, French, English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch as a
Foreign Language and Thai. The courses are open to everyone who wants to learn a new
language or polish up their existing knowledge.’13
13
http://www.groept.be/www/volwassenenonderwijs_ace/concept/
31
Apart from languages, ACE-Groep T also offers postgraduate schooling in the fields of
automatisation, technology, accounting, logistics, marketing and more.
Briefing
As any education centre, Groep T wanted to attain its enrolment goals for the next academic
year and this is why they contacted Edison. The school had a double assignment for us: make
sure 200 people enlisted for a open day at Groep T, and create a campaign which had to run
during the summer. Part of this briefing is added as an example in the appendix.
Execution
Since Edison does not employ a full time copywriter, an external one was hired to work on
the project. So together with Tom Apers (art director and my internship mentor) and
freelancer Frederik Dewispelaere14
I worked on this briefing for over 5 days.
We gathered
information about
ACE and adult
education, looked
at their previous
campaign style
(image 4) and
started to think.
Creative director
Eric Debaene wanted a more positive approach instead of the black and white tone of the
previous campaign.
With all this in mind, we began proposing possible ways and different approaches to look at
the briefing. In hindsight it is clear that a structured plan to think creatively about the
demands of ACE-Groep T would have been helpful. Because although the ideas started
flowing, on many occasions the freewheeling became increasingly unproductive and we
would have benefited greatly from the techniques presented in the previous chapter.
14http://www.themaffia.be/Home/Copywriting/CopywritingAK/DEWISPELAEREFREDERIK/tabid/1225/Default.a
spx
Image 4: previous ACE-Groep T campaign posters.
Source: www.groep-t.be
32
The general summer campaign theme proved to be a rather difficult challenge. The product
differs greatly from, for example, a beer or toilet paper brand and adult education is not very
sexy. Nevertheless, we came up with a number of ideas (see image 5) and we made a first
rough selection of them.
Tom created quick drafts of
these ideas so we could hang
them on the wall for the severe
opinion of the creative director,
account manager and other
possible critics. They had their
say and with this feedback we
adjusted our direction. Finally,
after much consideration and
more than a week of intensive
work, three ideas were
proposed to the client. They
chose the ‘push yourself
further’ theme and the
execution of it could start.
Together with the art director,
decisions had to be made
regarding the photography,
models, timing and this within
the budget and deadline
restrictions.
For the other task, where 200 places had to be filled, many spectacular ideas were cooked
up, such as creating a scene with 200 red chairs or one incredibly big one but due to fear of
problems with the police and the relationship with the local government, they were
abandoned in favour of a rather conservative flyer and print ad campaign to attract
attention.
Image 5: example of brainstorm notes.
Source: personal scan
33
Evaluation
One of the biggest jobs during the internship, the ACE-Groep T assignment was also one of
the most gratifying. Being able to propose creative ideas, cooperate with the others and
contribute to the success of a campaign gives satisfaction and joy. It was also agreeable to be
an integral part of the team without being regarded as somewhat ‘less’ because of the fact
that I was an intern. Every idea was evaluated on its own merit, although I sometimes had to
explain them a bit further or even defend them.
It was during this assignment that I started to feel the need for more guidance in the
creative process. As mentioned earlier, the way we approached the brainstorming sessions
was head-on and without much consideration. In hindsight, the potential benefit of the
creativity techniques discussed above can hardly be overstated. While we used some of the
techniques, the lack of a structured approach became clear when we had the feeling we
were running around without guidance or when the lack of inspiration became a burden.
3.4. Case 3: De Rouck Geocart
Background
De Rouck Geocart is a Belgian company that makes maps. With their detailed range of maps,
the company is market leader in Belgium. De Rouck is also active on the digital side of map-
making and cartography, with an online service15
, multimedia products and geo-marketing
tools.
Briefing
The initial briefing consisted of a request to come up with an event to promote traditional
map reading for a female audience. De Rouck Geocart wanted to tackle the prejudice about
the lack of orientation skills in women, and asked Edison to find a playful way to tackle this
irrational image.
Execution
Together with art director Tom Apers, I worked on this case from May 27th
until May 30th
.
We came up with numerous event ideas, and after consideration and discussion, the
15
http://www.gocarto.be/
34
rickshaw-idea was eventually pitched to the client (see appendix 4, below). With this idea,
we wanted to create a playful orientation game where couples or teams would have to find
their way around the city in a rickshaw. By doing this, we would be able to show that the
women in charge of directing the vehicle are capable of doing so, and that the prejudice
about their skills is unjust. Also, the event would confront the participators with the benefits
of a paper map, by giving them an overview of the city.
One of the benefits of the advertising sector is the fact that a simple spark can lead to a
completely new usable concept. This is what happened during this brainstorm. While
thinking about the event, I thought about the ongoing political problems concerning the
federal government. This inspired the slogan: ‘Get to know Belgium before it is to late.’ (See
image 3, above and appendix 5, below). Tom Apers immediately told me that it was a
valuable slogan, and it was proposed to De Rouck some time after the end of my internship.
They agreed on it and on the 14th
of July, the ad was published in both the French and the
Dutch version of Metro.
Evaluation
Again, when Tom Apers and I were trying to come up with ideas for the event, I felt the
limitations of our brainstorming strategy. We were able to fill pages and pages with ideas,
but the lack of guidance inevitable influenced the level of concentration. I am convinced that
the simple measures and techniques I propose above can be implemented in order to
improve this situation.
Nevertheless, we succeeded in creating an event that will satisfy the client and that will
almost certainly also get lots of free publicity.
The fact that a small idea for a slogan could very quickly become a finished and published ad
is something that adds to the appealing nature of the advertising business.
35
Chapter 4. Conclusion
The seven weeks during which I worked as a copywriter at Edison were overall gratifying and
valuable. Although the agency only started to shift its focus more towards mainstream
advertising since 2008, I was able to contribute to interesting cases with positive result.
Seeing work I contributed to appearing in public is a pleasant experience.
On a professional level, I acquired better insights in the advertising industry and more
specifically, in copywriting and creative thinking. Understanding and challenging briefings,
working together with other copywriters and art directors, finding the right focus and
delivering better results are all things I learned or better mastered at Edison. The specific
and somewhat rudimentary approach to the creative aspects of advertising at Edison also
influenced my decision to elaborate on creativity-increasing techniques and copywriting in
the theoretical part of this paper. The work I created or helped to create will be added to my
portfolio, which will certainly increase my chances if I try to pursue a career in copywriting.
On a personal level, the interaction with my colleagues was friendly but not casual, because
as an intern, I was to some extent, a passer-by. This makes it harder to feel completely equal
and it also instigates some reservation, since I would leave after less than two months. The
open plan interior design nevertheless contributed to the reduction of status differences and
it made everyone equally approachable.
When it comes to MTB, this subsequent master degree helped me in many ways. Not
necessarily with the tasks I was asked to do during my internship, however I learned to
better cooperate and work with deadlines in Ghent. More importantly, MTB created the
conditions in which it was possible for me to do this internship. It supplied my fellow
students and me with a valuable network with splendid opportunities. This will certainly also
be beneficiary when applying for a job in the future.
All in all, for a person like me, with a previous degree in communication sciences, MTB was
the ideal addition. I value the focus on practical and real life exercises most. By working for
real companies, my fellow students and me got real experience, which is what best prepared
us for our first job. In addition, the coordination of MTB is sound, and Luc de Bie is both
approachable and cooperative.
36
Of the areas where improvement is possible, the company visits and the French classes are
most important to me. In the former case, the added value of the visits is not always
undisputed. That most companies are worthy of a field trip is probably so, but if this
sometimes means travelling for three hours, one can ask oneself if it shouldn’t be more
appropriate to invite the speaker to Ghent instead of moving 60 students by bus. In the
latter case, it is not so much the level of the two courses I attended (as a French minor
student), as it is the choice of location and content. I would have preferred to follow this
course in a more suitable auditorium and with more stress on verbal skills.
This being said, coming to Ghent to pursue the multilingual business communication degree
was one of the best decisions in my life and adding this degree to my academic record has
improved my career prospects significantly.
37
Lexicon
Above the line
Above the line is a type of advertising through media such as TV, cinema, radio, print,
banners and search engines to promote brands.
ACC
Association of Communication Companies.
ACE
Adaptive Continuing Education. Name of the adult education division of Groep T.
AD
Art Director.
Ad Hominem
Attacking an opponent's character rather than answering his argument.
B2B
Business-to-business. Term to describe transactions that occur between businesses and other
businesses.
B2C
Business-to-consumer. Term to describe activities of businesses serving end consumers with
products and/or services.
Blog
Abbreviation of weblog. An online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published
on a Web page.
Dtp
Desktop publishing.
IPO
Initial public offering: a company's first stock offering to the public.
John McClane
A fictional character and the protagonist in the Die Hard series of films, portrayed by Bruce
Willis.
MTB
Meertalige bedrijfscommunicatie.
POS
Point-of-sale.
38
SWOT
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.
Xerostomia
The medical term for a dry mouth due to a lack of saliva.
39
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41
Appendix
1. Alex Osborn’s Question Summary
Put to other uses? New ways to use as is?
Other uses if modified?
Adapt? What else is like this?
What other idea does this suggest?
Does the past offer parallel?
What could I copy?
Whom could I emulate?
Modify? New twist?
Change meaning, color, motion, sound, odor, form, shape?
Other shapes?
Magnify? What to add?
More time?
Greater frequency?
Stronger?
Higher?
Longer?
Thicker?
Extra Value?
Plus ingredient?
Duplicate?
Multiply?
Exaggerate?
Minify? What to subtract?
Smaller?
Condensed?
Miniature?
Lower?
Shorter?
Lighter?
Omit?
Streamline?
Split up?
Understate?
Substitute? Who else instead?
What else instead?
Other ingredient?
Other material?
42
Other process?
Other power?
Other place?
Other approach?
Other tone of voice?
Rearrange? Interchange components?
Other pattern?
Other layout?
Other sequence?
Transpose cause and effect?
Change pace?
Change schedule?
Reverse? Transpose positive and negative?
How about opposites?
Turn it backward?
Turn it upside down?
Reverse roles?
Change shoes?
Turn tables?
Turn other cheek?
Combine? How about a blend, an alloy, an assortment, an ensemble?
Combine units?
Combine purposes?
Combine appeals?
Combine ideas?
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2. Van Poecke: overview of different figures of speech in advertising copywriting
De afwijkingen van wat men normaliter had mogen verwachten, noemt men in de klassieke
retoriek nu retorische figuren… (p. 32)
Doorgaans stelt men dat hier vier operaties kunnen worden onderscheiden:
- de toevoeging (waaronder de herhaling valt)
- de weglating
- de vervanging
- de verplaatsing.
De toevoeging (pp. 34-42)
1. reclameteksten gebruiken in vergelijking met informatieve teksten meer adjectieven
2. op basis van onderzoek blijkt dat ook substantieven meer voorkomen.
3. Opvallend is de aanwezigheid van de retorische figuur van de accumulatie, de
opeenstapeling.
4. het drievoud, de drieledigheid, de drieslag.
5. herhaling
a. verdubbeling
b. anafoor, waarbij twee of meer aangrenzende zinnen met hetzelfde woord of
dezelfde woorden beginnen.
c. Bekrachtiging
d. Vormen van rijm
e. Metrum
f. Parallellisme, waarbij reeksen van zinnen dezelfde zinsbouw hebben.
6. de antithese: een oppositie van twee objecten op basis van één criterium ofwel
wordt één object op basis van twee tegengestelde criteria onderzocht.
7. de hyperbool of de overdrijving, het overstatement
de taal die in een reclameboodschap gebruikt wordt, onderscheidt zich van de
alledaagse communicatietaal door haar sterke, positieve, lovende en vaak
overdrijvende uitdrukkingswijze. In de beschrijving van een product vertoont
bijna elke reclameboodschap de neiging tot verhoging en overdrijving van de
eigenschappen van het product: zonder die kenmerken zou men zelfs moeilijk
over reclame kunnen spreken, want hoe zou een adverteerder de lezer
kunnen overtuigen om zijn product te kopen wanneer hij niet alle mogelijke
middelen zou aanwenden om zijn product zo rooskleurig mogelijk voor te
stellen?
a. Hoogwaardewoorden: prachtig, schitterend, zalig,… (Aerts en Mens, 1986, p. 110)
b. absolute termen: nooit, altijd, steeds, niets, overal, iedereen,…
c. vergelijkingsvormen van het adjectief: comparatieven: beter, witter, veiliger,
goedkoper,… en superlatieven: best, witst, veiligst, goedkoopst.
d. Verhogende samenstellingen: supergeconcentreerd.
e. Uniek refererende lidwoorden: Stelatex: Dé duurzame latexverf.
f. Onrestrictieve tegenwoordige tijd.
De weglating (pp. 42-43)
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1. reclametaal is elliptisch taalgebruik. (Aerts en Mens, 1986, p. 69) ‘dat er in de
reclame een algemene tendens bestaat tot zinsreductie’.
2. de litotes is de tegengestelde retorische figuur van de hyperbool en berust op het
understatement, het verkleinen van iets, het ontkennen van het tegengestelde om
op die manier een bepaald punt juist sterk aan de orde te stellen.
De vervanging (pp. 43-49)
1. de gemiddelde woordlengte is korter in reclameteksten.
2. de gemiddelde zinslengte is relatief kort.
3. er is een grote aanwezigheid van ongebruikelijke samenstellingen zoals
kleurveiligheid of portiebuiltje.
4. ongebruikelijke woorden uit wetenschap en techniek
5. Poëtische vrijheden.
6. metaforen en metonymieën
7. woordspelingen (substitutie)
De verplaatsing (pp. 49-50)
1. anastrofe: hierbij wordt een bepaald zinsdeel naar voren of naar achteren geschoven
met de bedoeling het op die manier de meeste klemtoon te geven.
chiasme of kruisstelling: de herhaling van een woordpaar of woordgroep in de
tegengestelde, gekruiste volgorde.
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3. First page of ACE Groep-T briefing
46
4. Artwork De Rouck Geocart Riksja-challenge event
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5. Example of published De Rouck ad