CREATIVE COPYWRITING IN ADVERTISING

Are you working on a major campaign for your company, or even a simple flyer to hand out at an event? No matter what you’re producing, you’ll need to make sure you have creative headlines and copy. Don’t get us wrong, visual design is extremely important. However, creative copywriting can be just as important to developing a strong, memorable campaign. So, what’s the deal with good headlines, and what should they achieve? At ocreations, we always want to make sure our clients receive the best finalized product, not only from a design standpoint, but from a creative and practical standpoint. We value and encourage our clients to have good creative copywriting, and here’s why…

A creative headline can make or break an ad campaign.

A headline is the first thing you read when you look at an advertisement. And sometimes, it might be the only thing you read. However, the goal is to create a short headline that’s enticing enough that will make viewers want to read more. The ultimate goal is that viewers will remember your ad, which will generate better recognition for your brand as a whole.

For example, ocreations worked with eyetique on a campaign. The main headline for the campaign was “Practice Safe SPEX”. The campaign was a fun play on words, and definitely made for a memorable campaign.

Creative copy sets a brand tone.

All brands have a brand tone, or voice. Some brands are witty, some are serious. Some brands are casual, while others are more formal. It all depends on factors such as the company as a whole, the product or service, and the customers/target audience. Each brand should have its own unique voice – which is where the creative copywriter comes into play. Copywriters are able to utilize certain vocabulary to establish a consistent tone for your brand.

For example, at ocreations, the ocreations team has worked on numerous projects with Primanti Bros. that require creative headlines and copy. The Primanti’s voice is straightforward and simple. Their headlines are typically only a few words, and like to include word play, when applicable. For example, a recent project we worked on with the Primanti Bros. team was a billboard to encourage customers to come into any of the Primanti’s locations for happy hour. The headline? “Avoid Rush Hour. Get to Happy Hour.” Simple and to-the-point, yet uses the word “hour” as the focal point.

Creative copy elevates your brand.

Just as graphic designers are able to create custom styles and designs, copywriters can do the same (but with headlines and copy). Having custom copy can elevate your brand perception in numerous ways. For one, it illustrates that your brand has taken the time and effort to create custom messages to tell your brand story, which ultimately displays that your brand truly cares. It also creates a unique brand tone (as previously mentioned). Additionally, it establishes a quality for your brand, and pushes your brand to go beyond generic messaging. For instance, if your brand sells a luxury product, it’s important to have a copywriter who understands exactly how to write a headline or copy for an ad that portrays the product is luxurious, and utilizes words that will appeal to the target audience that will be interested in purchasing a luxurious product. Copywriters can truly create a feeling, with words alone.

For instance, ocreations has been working with Franjo Construction to help elevate their brand and generate more awareness about their brand and its unique capabilities. From designing capabilities brochures and safety guides, to the newly designed website, a lot of creative thought not only went into visual design, but also went into crafting the best copy to portray Franjo’s branding position. Each marketing piece portrays the message that Franjo is a reliable, family-owned company with its roots in the Pittsburgh area.

ocreations also recently completed a branding project with Junk Joeys, a Pittsburgh-based residential dumpster & home clean out service company. The logo / mascot is a kangaroo named Joey, and the tagline is “We grab your junk, then bounce.” Check it out below:

Creative copywriting is important pretty much in all facets of your marketing. 

Even on something like your website, it’s important to have a creative copywriter helping out. Not only do websites need creative copy to match the brand, websites also need copy written technically and properly for SEO. 

Typically, websites have a “hero” image when you go to a home page of a website. One web project ocreations recently worked on was a website for Pasta Too, Pittsburgh-based Italian restaurant. When redesigning their website, the team at ocreations came up with a series of rotating images for the home page, all with unique messages (like mini billboards). Each one had a different message to portray the voice of the restaurant. 

If you visit pastatoorestaurant.com, you can see the visuals that go along with the creative headlines:

Fresh Ingredients with Authentic Flavor.

Our secret family receipts will take your tastebuds to Italy.

Mouthwatering Plates of Pasta.

Our generous portions ensure you’ll never leave hungry.

Our Sauce. Your Home.

Find our sauce in a store near you.

(As an aside, we recommend you take a look at our blog on menu design, which touches on how copywriting can act as a powerful ingredient to creating a great menu.)

The work of a copywriter is not technically visual like a graphic designer, which may make it appear that they work behind-the-scenes.

However, their work can actually play just as big a role in creative, and shine just as brightly as visual designers. In fact, visual designers oftentimes base their designs off of creative copy and headline directions.

Extensive research, time, and creative conceptual thoughts go into visual designs, just as all of these things do for copywriters. Think of copywriters as designers, but with words.

Copywriters are able to find ways to speak to your customers, no matter where they are or what they’re doing, using particular words and phrases that will entice them to purchase your product or service. Copywriters can elicit feelings and persuade people to take action, with simply words alone.

Need creative headlines or creative copywriting for your brand’s next campaign? Contact us at ocreations. Let’s get writing, let’s get creative.