People often complain that I write in short punchy sentences.
They want to know why I can’t write in paragraphs.
The reason is I write like I talk.
So the next question is, why do I talk in short punchy sentences?
Not everyone likes it.
Some people get offended, they think it sounds aggressive.
Well that’s not the intention.
The intention for me is the same as in advertising.
To get heard.
People still discuss the question ‘is long copy dead?’
Personally I think that’s a silly question.
Like everything else, the answer is sometimes.
Long copy is one of the tools that’s available to us.
Like social media, like crowd-sourcing, like DM, like TV, like humour, like shock, like emotion, like music, like animation, like celebrities, like stock-footage.
You use what you need to do the job.
Different job, different tools.
But some people don’t see it that way.
They think you should have one tool and use that for every job.
I disagree.
For me, my start point isn’t ads.
My start point is other people’s attention.
I want space in their attention.
If want their attention, I need to get it in the most efficient way.
The principle I learned in New York is that roughly 5% of people who read your headline read your copy.
This tells us the headline is all important, for two reasons.
Either it has to be a great headline to get people to read the copy, it’s like a gatekeeper drawing people in.
Or it has to contain all the information necessary so that even if they don’t read the copy, the ad still works.
So if that’s how ads work, presumably that’s how people work.
Which is why I talk to people in short sentences.
Either you get the whole story quickly, or I make the sentence good enough that you want to know more.
Then we can go into details and do the verbal equivalent of body copy.
But either way I haven’t taken up your time, no wasted words.
That means it often sounds terse and clipped, which to some people comes across as aggressive.
And, as I say, it isn’t meant that way.
It’s just that I was trained in New York and it’s considered rude to waste people’s time.
Say what you have to say, then let them decide if they want more.
Rather than the English way.
Which is give everyone the long body copy up front because we think it sounds more polite.
For me, a good principle is the ad should work whether or not you read the copy.
The copy may even be considered as a visual.
It looks like you have a lot to say about your product, and that’s probably a good thing.
Even if the viewer hasn’t got time to read it.
So my personal default setting is “the best copy is the least copy”.
Of course ‘the least copy’ means the least copy you can use to do the job properly.
Sometimes “the least copy” might be quite long.
A few years back I opened up a paper and there was an ad about a pollution disaster in India, written by Indra Sinha.
It was an entire broadsheet page of nothing but copy.
It sucked me in and made me read every word.
The copy was both shocking and terrible, in the truest sense of those words.
I felt I had to do something.
So I took out my chequebook and wrote a cheque for £1,000 and posted it off straight away.
Not many ads can make someone do that.
But then every ad is a different brief.
And so every ad needs different tools.
Dave, I’ve written some terrible ads in my time. When do I get your cheque?
Tom - 20 March 2013 10:06 am
Tom,
Not bad ads, long ads.
Dave Trott - 20 March 2013 10:24 am
Dave, your writing style is what makes me read each article.
I know I won’t get bogged down in sentences of meaningless prose.
It will be as short as it can, but as long as it needs to be.
Someone probably said once that “the simplest messages are the ones most remembered”.
If not, I think there is some truth in it.
Paul Randall - 20 March 2013 11:14 am
Dave, the late Lord Denning was also well-known for using short punchy sentences.
Many in the legal field found it a wave of freshness after the usual whereas we want to be short and precise, nevertheless …
Robin. - 20 March 2013 11:17 am
Thanks, Dave. But I had actually realised that…
Tom - 20 March 2013 11:59 am
Robin, you may recall that Denning also said in the case of the Birmingham Six that it was better that innocent people remain in prison than have the integrity of the law questioned. So sentences can be short and pithy, but they can also be wrong…
Tom - 20 March 2013 12:02 pm
Tom,
Difficult medium print.
Irony is hard to convey without sound, I guess that’s why smiley punctuation exists.
Dave Trott - 20 March 2013 12:28 pm
You wrote “Some people get offended, they think it sounds aggressive.”
IMHO I think that is one of the main problems in business today.
People like to wrap a doily around their language, so as not offend.
It’s hard to solve problems when people present them in wishy-washy language.
I wish I could be more succinct, it is a real art isn’t it?
Jim Powell - 20 March 2013 1:24 pm
Jim,
I think it’s also my accent that makes the succinctness sound aggressive.
Because that’s how cockneys sound in Guy Ritchie films.
The same words said in a softer David Abbott/John Hegarty accent probably wouldn’t sound quite so bad.
Dave Trott - 20 March 2013 2:14 pm
Dave, I like the ‘Say what you have to say, then let them decide if they want more.Rather than the English way’ thought.
British people avoid to be blunt and I don’t see the reason behind that. Most of them take bluntness as an upper-level arrogance.
Saying something catchy + substantial + short is the best formula to get somebody to read you/listen to you/even at times understand you.
After all asking somebody about the time shouldn’t take people 3 minutes as it usually happens in the UK.
Angelina - 20 March 2013 3:45 pm
Dave,
I believe what separates the greats like yourself, David Abbott, and many others from the rest is these writers have utmost respect for their readers and treat them with respect and an equal level of intelligence.
After all, why should anyone take any time out of their life to
read someone’s copy unless they get something out of it?
It’s great to read something you can sense someone is saying.
I always remember the John Hegarty comment in Campaign:-
“We have to find people who are passionate about advertising”.
Let’s just hope for everyone’s sake Indra Sinha never writes an ad about todays British economy.
Kev - 20 March 2013 4:39 pm
” the least copy you can use to do the job properly ”
Absolutely.
Rob Mortimer - 20 March 2013 4:59 pm
Some times, today for instance, I wrote in Trott-like style. Short, clipped sentences. It seemed right for my post today. Other days, I write differently. It’s whatever works for that topic.
George Tannenbaum - 20 March 2013 5:44 pm
That’s right George.
Fun innit.
Kev - 20 March 2013 6:12 pm
Sometimes I think WTF are we doing?
then I think
dah…
Prime Minister’s probably thinking the same.
Kev - 20 March 2013 6:14 pm
So when some creatives say that the mobile screen is too small to be engaging, compelling, tell the full story etc from a copy point of view, at least, simply not true.
Matt Brocklehurst - 20 March 2013 6:36 pm
As Winston Churchill said “Sorry this letter is so long, I didn’t have time to make it shorter”.
Andy McKee - 20 March 2013 6:57 pm
Mr. Gossage – again: “… only use enough string to go around the package; sometimes it takes quite a lot; …”
Ciaran McCabe - 20 March 2013 8:29 pm
I’m surprised some enterprising typographer hasn’t invented Ironic Bold, and (if you’re being really blunt) Ironic Sans. You’ll know of course that Swift’s ‘A Modest Proposal’ suggesting dealing with famine by eating babies was thought to be serious at the time, and outraged people. I always used to hate people doing that ‘quotation marks’ thing with their fingers, just in case you were too slow to realise they were being ironic.
Tom - 21 March 2013 9:09 am
Being a Northerner I’ve found that speaking with my Yorkshire accent gives me an excuse to be blunt. People sometimes take offense, but often pass it off as ‘oh that’s just what Yorkshire folk are like’.
Dan - 21 March 2013 9:28 am
Dan,
That explains why I’ve always had lots of northerners in the creative dept.
Yorkshiremen, Mancs, Geordies and Scousers.
We don’t mind each others bluntness.
Dave Trott - 21 March 2013 9:48 am
Ciaran,
Nice Gossage quote.
Dave Trott - 21 March 2013 9:48 am
George,
Funny you call it Trott-like, I got it from watching what Helmut Krone did to Julian Koenig’s copy.
Dave Trott - 21 March 2013 9:50 am
I like it if people come back to me and say I’ve written too much copy. I in turn ask them if they have spent their lives reading blurbs on the backs of books rather than the books themselves.
Jason - 21 March 2013 1:35 pm
Nice post Dave, but perhaps a little long winded?
Ian - 21 March 2013 2:06 pm
Ian, nice.
Dave Trott - 21 March 2013 3:08 pm
If not everyone likes it.
It tends to stand out.
No worries Dave.
Irfan - 22 March 2013 3:11 am
I resigned today.
Sometimes it’s the only way to get people to sit up and listen.
Kev - 22 March 2013 4:26 am
Kev,
Resigning is good as long as you’re running towards something and not away from something.
Dave Trott - 22 March 2013 9:37 am
http://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_this_is_broken_1.html
Kev - 22 March 2013 9:37 am
Tom,
You’re quite right, also Noel Coward’s “Don’t Lets Be Beastly To The Germans” was banned by the BBC during the war.
In case people took it seriously and it lessened the will to win:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C_G48nQEmg
Dave Trott - 22 March 2013 9:47 am
Oh, thanks for your concern Dave.
Rest assured.
I’m not running away from anything.
It’s just that I’ve always believed in
principles before personalities
and if it costs me my job,
to retain my personal reputation
then so be it.
We live in a world where people
fear losing their own job so much
some will do anything to pass the buck
and try to blame others for their
own incompetence.
Left unchallenged
this compounds mistakes
by allowing people to act badly
to look good.
I don’t enjoy it. However, if a
principle is worth defending,
it’s worth defending to the death.
The same person has had a run-un
with five other people,
so I’m not alone.
This is the least copy I can use
to show you the tin
without spilling the beans.
lol
Kev - 22 March 2013 11:00 am
Three cheers for you Kev! This damn planet would be a lot better off if we had just a dozen or so more like you. As Wonka said: “So shines a good dead in a weary world.”
Kudos! At least your karma is intact.
Rob Hatfield - 22 March 2013 3:41 pm
http://styled-comments.blogspot.ro/2013/03/341.html
Anca - 22 March 2013 3:59 pm
Hi Dave, I just finished reading your book ” Creative Mischief ” I’ve been telling everyone to read it , I’m not in the adverting/ marketing business but your book has brought the rebel side out of me, got me thinking about being more out there…try new things that may upset the apple cart a little…. Fantastic book mate! I don’t normally write to authors but you come across as a very likeable down to earth bloke.
Colin Oates - 24 March 2013 4:24 pm
Yes it is.
rachel carroll - 24 March 2013 6:29 pm
Thanks Rachel and Colin.
Dav Trott - 24 March 2013 7:03 pm
Rob, I think the quote may have originated from Shakespeare.
“So shines a good deed in a naughty world”
Merchant of Venice.
But your comment from Wonka is more apt and closer to the truth.
You’ll find at least 12 good men or women on this site
and in their presence I consider myself last.
Kev - 25 March 2013 8:31 am
You must read Ken Bruen. Not a wasted word. Start with “The Guards.” (And the books, not the TV series…)
Mike Cane - 10 April 2013 12:09 am
I’m going on Amazon to have a look now Mike, thanks.
Dave Trott - 10 April 2013 9:10 am