Advertising copywriting is not. Advertising copy should not have a textual form that is independent of or overrides the purpose of the advertising campaign. Only the text form that conveys advertising information, communicates with the audience, especially the target consumers, and can prompt consumers to produce purchasing behavior and desire to purchase is the text form that meets the purpose of advertising copywriting.
(2) The relationship between the subject and the object of writing
Because of the important difference in purpose between the two writing behaviors, the two kinds of writing
The difference between behavior in handling the subject-object relationship in writing. Although advertising copywriting does not completely negate the main factor of the writer. For example, each copywriter has his own unique way of processing raw materials, discovering new themes, and creating new forms. However, the first thing that advertising copywriting focuses on is not how to express the copywriting. Human thoughts reflect the writer's talents, but how to use talents to process and express information more accurately, more perfectly, and more attractively. The writer's subjectivity serves the object's expression. As I wrote in Shackles: "Ogilvy is good at building a brand image from a correspondence between form and content, Reeves is good at finding a USP (unique sales pitch), and Bernbach is good at finding a USP (unique sales pitch). But he is good at writing humor into advertisements. "Everyone has his or her own style. The manifestation of the subject style is closely related to the advertising copywriter's understanding of the function of advertising, the means of expression of advertising, the foothold of successful advertising, etc., and the subject style is embodied for the purpose of the object.
(3) The use of literary expression means
In many advertising copy texts, we can find that writers often use literary expression techniques in order to enhance the attractiveness of the copy and induce the audience to read the entire copy.
For example, a TV commercial copy for "Kodak Film":
The terrifying sound of artillery fire in the Vietnam War has been left in the distant eastern jungle: call...return
Here we are, my long-lost hometown! The scenery of the dreamy town is still there, my parents are waiting on the windy path, and the tears of joy are shining in my eyes that have been tortured by the years. Mary came running, her blond hair flying in the wind, her cherry lips blooming in the warm sun, ah! She wanted to embrace and kiss the green grass of her home. Neighbors came from all directions, and family affection surged through the valley...
This TV commercial copy, together with the TV pictures, vividly and touchingly expresses a life scene using literary language, literary rendering, and literary brushwork. But the use of this kind of writing style, language, and sentence structure is just to let the audience be infected by the literary atmosphere, and to have gratitude and desire to buy the Kodak film that can record such extraordinary moments. Literary expression here is simply a means for advertising works to achieve their own goals. Therefore, writers with literary talent will face the possibility of failure if they do not regard the ultimate purpose of advertising as a touchstone for using literary creation methods.
2. The difference between advertising copywriting and news writing
Because some advertising copywriters in our country entered the advertising industry after changing careers from the media, many people use the writing methods and writing requirements of news writing to write advertising copy. In fact, although both are writing, and advertising copywriting can also use news-style titles and news-style writing methods to achieve the timeliness of copywriting, there are still many important differences between the two:
(1) Differences in authenticity requirements
One of the most essential characteristics of news writing is its authenticity. In press releases, the information content must be completely true, including time, place, characters, scenes, results, etc., and no false or fictitious factor is allowed. However, the authenticity requirements of advertising copywriting and the authenticity requirements of news writing are essentially different in terms of scope, scale, and objects. The truth of advertising copywriting is the truth of information content. In the Advertising Law, there is a clear regulation on the authenticity of advertising information content. If it violates the authenticity requirements of relevant information in the Advertising Law, it is an illegal advertising work. At the same time, the Advertising Law only requires authenticity in the form and style of expression.
It is the true measure of art. In terms of expression methods, it is not required to reflect reality and complete truth, but fiction is allowed. For example, whether the scenes, characters, events, and processes in the Kodak film TV commercial above are real, neither the Advertising Law nor the audience will delve into it.
(2) Differences in media use
There are certain media restrictions on the publication and dissemination of news works. Generally speaking, it is currently only published and disseminated in mass media newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. There are no special media requirements for the publication and dissemination of advertising copywriting works. In addition to the main media (i.e. newspapers, magazines, radio, and television), there are other non-main media in terms of media use, such as outdoor advertising media, direct mail advertising, etc. At present, online advertising channels have been developed. Therefore, the scope of media application of advertising copywriting far exceeds the scope of application of news writing.
(3) The difference in timeliness
News writing emphasizes the timeliness embodied in works, and timeliness is the life of news works. Therefore, news writers’ grasp of the timeliness of information content is an important part of news writing. Advertising copywriting has no timeliness requirements, and the information it conveys can occur at any time. Especially in terms of expression, in order to effectively convey advertising information and enhance the affinity of advertising information, advertising writing can even deliberately create a suitable era background. For example, in the TV commercial of "Centennial Conditioning" shampoo, in order to enhance the sense of historical depth, the expression method is used to express the emotions and different experiences of the characters in three eras. However, in order to take advantage of timeliness and achieve the news effect of information dissemination, advertising copywriting often takes advantage of the timeliness of the information itself and uses the special structure of news writing, the special language expression procedures and expression style of news writing to attract consumers' audio-visual attention. , expressing the needs of consumers. When advertising copywriting emphasizes timeliness and utilizes timeliness, there are two basic points:
First, it must be based on the timeliness and news value of the advertising information itself. If the information itself does not have timeliness and news value, using the form of news writing will not arouse consumers' desire to consume, and it will just be deceptive. Because, "No matter how skilled you are, you can't invent an advantage that doesn't exist at all. If you do it, and it
It's just a gimmick and it's going to fall apart anyway. “You must understand that it is related to the needs of consumers. It does not mean that imaginative works are smart creations. ”①
Second, the expression, structure, and wording of writing must all reflect news expression, news tone, news structure, and news language. Only in this way can the news effect be achieved. News-style expression is an effective way to take advantage of timeliness in advertising copywriting, but it can only be used under the premise that it does not violate advertising regulations.