My Philosophy on Copy

The apexing aim of copy is to sell, educate, tell would-be buyers and customers about your product and/or service, reality. But my philosophy on copy is one-dimensional and multi-dimensional, concurrently. So what… what is it, Mike? Life. Copy should have a presence beyond the words presented on page.. there should be a unique life to the words written for your business. Those writing your copy should, yes, educate and sell and present your brand in some appealing angle. BUT, those writing your copy should show, not just tell, the life of your brand. That’s one dimension, but it goes in several varying directions and into the various moods and colors of your brand. Life is multidimensional, multi-layered and -purposed. Your company deserves copy that’s not only lively, but with richness and depth, attitude and appeal that’s more than how “appeal” is interpreted.

Some philosophies on copy are of the straightforward form. ‘Who, What, Why, Where, When’, and maybe a ‘How’ in there, too. There is a place for that, but if you want your brand to separate itself wildly and with some special circumstance, then the words for your business need to embody not just the life of your business, but Life empirically. As Plath wrote in ‘Bell Jar’, “I am I am I am.” A reiteration of her reality and a confirmation that she is significant and that she will keep going and her story will remain tireless against obstacles, and that she will be notice, because she more than exists, she LIVES. Copy should show, never merely tell, that your and your entity are alive and growing, thriving. Again, Life. I can’t say that enough. Life.. the living (not just existing). With characters’ lives, things change, realities evolve. They may stay consistent, but they evolve.

“So, ‘Life’? That’s it? That’s your philosophy?” Yes. That’s it. And it’s more than a philosophy. It’s a proven truth. Look at ever-present brands like Coca-Cola, Oreo, Charmin, GoPro… These voices not only deliver life through their products but show how their narrative is the embodiment of life… consistencies of happiness, reward, celebration, vacation, holidays. There’s a little informing taking place, education you could say, but the sentences stream with unique and very pragmatically punctuated vivacity. So, yes. Life, that’s it. If your copy doesn’t propel Life at the would-be customer, or the existing customer especially, then re-writing and possibly re-staffing need be actuated.

This “philosophy”, if you could call it that, came to me about a week ago, on a vineyard walk, one of my many during the week while on lunch. I looked at a growing cluster, thought of the vintage, and how this vintage is a story, a vocal, and is ALL about life. It informs me through its Life-boast. I’m learning simply through exposure, and I love what I witness. I’m interested. I’m caught. I’m smitten… in love. So there’s an additional parcel to this ideology… Love. Your copy should read as a love letter. Hmmm…. Let’s both think about how much potential there is in that…. write a love letter to your audience. If written well, the relationship persists, expands… hence more business Life. More growth.