Today, for instance, my job was catching sparks. Basically, this involves sitting around and waiting for an idea to come to me. I’ve been on a roll. I have six TV scripts written for Friday. Sometimes the sparks don’t come and it’s a bit frustrating. But the reality is, I am paid to come up with ideas that are original, interesting, compelling, persuasive, on topic, attention-catching and most importantly sellable. So they had better be good. If a client doesn’t buy it, it is nothing but a nice idea.
Some people are paid for their projects upon completion. Advertising is a like an idea factory, so you are commissioned for your brain up front.
Dressing up an idea to be sexy is another part of my job, and working on the pitch for it. Ideally, an idea has to be good to get anywhere, it needs a solid concept, because it has to be pitched through endless layers. But you still need to know how to present it for it to get off the ground.
Usually it works like this: I tell the idea to Azuma, the art director sitting next to me, if it gets the creative thumbs up, I need to sell it to KC, the executive creative director. He is looking to see if it satisfies the components above (it’s on strategy, original, creative enough etc). When he is confident that it is, he will go to bat to sell it to strategy. If it resonates with them, and they can provide the hard facts to help sell it as objectively as possible, we bring in the accounts team and give them the ammunition they need to sell it to the client. If the client likes it, they will then see how it works on their friends, colleagues, spouses etc. And then, on focus groups. If the focus groups buy it, it’s put out into the world.
But the true test is after you see it. As a consumer, do you turn to another consumer and explain it the way I did to Azuma. Do you even bother? Is the idea still there? If it is, I’ve made a good ad.
In a nutshell, that’s my job.
As the English writer, I also do a lot of proofreading, editing, as well as writing for the bread and butter English ads, long copy stuff. So I do it all.
It’s an interesting job. I like it. But I can see how my parents find it bizarre.
The point?
Working in an idea factory keeps the mind sharp and proves potential. Putting words and ideas to work can be profitable, but it can also be instrumental for change. However, I still have a lot to prove to myself, and learn, before I step back into that arena full-hearted.
If you would like to know about a day in the life of a English copywriter in Hong Kong, click here.
