The Copywriter Underground

 Photo by Daniel Deak Bardos.
Things have been a little sleepy around the Underground lately. I’m swamped with work, and I’ve been making some long-overdue improvements to the other facets of my marketing process.
Still, I haven’t forgotten my readers.
I’ve written a mini-case study featuring pair of fun ads, and have another post ready for final editing. [...]

David Airey’s design blog delves in the SONY Playstation 3 mess, and showcases a devastating anti-PS3 YouTube video that’s been viewed better than a half-million times.
First, Sony released an ultra-expensive gaming product (PS3) that actually inhibited online play (social networking).
Ouch.
Then they got caught running the Sony Flog (a fake fan blog), which not only deceived readers, [...]

Copywriting’s a stressful occupation. You’ve gotta be creative and effective, and do it all on a deadline.
Still, some writers seem to thrive on stress, and for those we have the following: the USB-powered Typing Speed Indicator:
 

The faster you type, the faster he pedals.
We’d thank the Spulch blog for this one, except I [...]

When you’re busy, it’s tempting to write copy, ship it and forget it.
It’s a bad idea, especially when response mechanisms are involved. You have to dial the toll-free numbers, click the buttons, visit the landing pages, and fill out contact forms.
Or risk letting your client down. Even if it’s not your fault.

A recent project illustrates [...]

Kathy at the Screw You! blog (”Daily [or thereabouts] diatribes of a frenzied freelancer”) posted about a Craigslist ad for a female writer that ended on an ominous note:
Please send some info about yourself and a picture as possible.

Hmm. A picture? Apparently the male advertiser was looking for more than help with his grammar, hoping to conjugate [...]

Good satire is a beautiful thing, especially when the ad game’s overblown egos are the target.
For your weekend viewing amusement: 2.5 minutes of accuracy masquerading as fiction.
[youtube]fclYmVaORbM&eurl=[/youtube]
[tags]advertising, ad sales, video, satire[/tags]

From the moleskinerie blog comes news of what has to be the ultimate writer’s office (especially for short-copy assignments):

“The team of researchers and designers based in London and at the Technical University in Munich developed the m-ch as an answer to an increasing demand for short stay living for students, business people, sports and leisure [...]

Nicholas Carr wrote an interesting piece about the desire (or demand) for brevity in the brave new Internet world (derived from a Tim O’Reilly piece, which didn’t resonate as strongly), and how the medium is damaging the message.
Both strangely echo a Michael Fortin piece about the death of the long-form sales letter (which isn’t concerned with [...]

Recently discovered via Carson’s new-paint-and-drapes Content Done Better blog is the provocatively named “Screw You!” - a freelance writer’s blog that’s destined to become a fixture on my RSS feed.

 She dug up a John Irving quote, good for a solid whack upside the head:
If you don’t feel that you are possibly on the edge of humiliating [...]

I like the freedom of self-employment. You make your own decisions and answer only to your own instincts (and those of your two-dozen bosses).
Simply put, it means if I want to work for a “green” company, I can.
Now I do.
It’s Easy Being Green
My wife and I try to keep our energy footprint to a minimum, [...]