Displaying 109 - 144 of 172 results
First it was Arnold Schwarzenegger shouting at Meerkats, now it's Sylvester Stallone delivering bread. What next? Jean-Claude Van Damme waxing lyrical about ice cold American beer? The new Stallone-starring spot by WCRS for Warburtons bread, is just...
Posted by: Creativepool Editorial
David Cameron won't serve a third term as Prime Minister. We know because, he's just told us on the telly. Which is odd, as he hasn't yet won a second term. Many hope he doesn't. Anyway, there'll be plenty of time for political manoeuvring and...
Posted by: Magnus Shaw
A few weeks ago, I urged you not to read my latest blog. So if you took my advice, well done, and I hope you enjoyed the five minutes of your life that I kindly gave back to you. If you didn’t, thank you for loving my writing too much. Note to...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
When does homage become theft? And when does inspiration tip into plagiarism? Can a creative endeavour ever be called completely original? These were the questions facing a U.S. court, which last week found in favour of the family of the late soul...
Posted by: Magnus Shaw
I don't know about you, but I'm getting a bit bored of reality TV shows. If we're not biting our fingernails during Masterchef just because the soufflé hasn't risen and Mr Big Food Critic is poking at it disapprovingly, then we're waiting for...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
It's Monday morning. Email hell beckons. I've got my Creativepool blog to write but I do also need to try and whittle down the daily glut of Groupons, StumbleUpons, Voucherclouds, More Groupons, and LinkedIn's “congratulate Billy-Bob on his new...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
In the latest “Go Fun Yourself” online film by Saatchi & Saatchi London for Toyota's Aygo, a group of four musical comedians make up humorous songs about passers by neat Spitalfields Market in East London. In the clip, which can be viewed...
Posted by: Benjamin Hiorns
Regular readers of the Creativepool blog will know that, although I am no artist, I like nothing more than to spend several hours at an exhibition, having a good moan. True, I don't need to be in an exhibition to do that; Ed Reardon lives - he's 42...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Coca-Cola bought its first 18% stake in Innocent in 2009. Four years later, in 2013, the soft drinks giant upped its ownership of the smoothie brand to 90%. Why was Coke so keen to spend hundreds of millions buying Innocent? We have a pretty good...
Posted by: bluemarlin
I'm going to let you into a secret. Not a massive one, like I know that Pop Idol was fixed back in 2002 and Gareth Gates should have beaten Will Young into second place. No, I'm talking about something really, really insignificant. My minimum word...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Recently, I've been hosting some copywriting seminars. And I'm delighted to say the participants have all been attentive, smart and enthusiastic.That's not always the case, however. So, if you're due to deliver a pitch, presentation or training...
Posted by: Magnus Shaw
Last week, I wrote a blog post entitled, Why on earth do I need a copywriter? I speak English and own a computer. As I'd hoped, the blog caught the attention of a lot of you - but not just copywriters, as it turned out. From designers to marketing...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Nobody likes being patronised. Even small infants boil with fury when some dough-faced adult leers into their pushchair and makes 'woo-woo' noises at them. Probably. I think being patronised takes us back to school, when we were bound by the...
Posted by: Magnus Shaw
I don't know about you but I've noticed that an increasing amount of people are chucking in their day jobs to embark on a career as a freelance copywriter. I'm not entirely sure why so many fancy their chances. I guess they believe they can write a...
Posted by: Creativepool
If you’re anything like me, you’ll belong to quite a lot of LinkedIn groups that are relevant to your area of work. For me, a lot of these are copywriting-specific groups, but I also belong to others to do with subjects like SEO, social...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Back in the eighties, I worked for a radio station which ran a campaign for a double glazing firm. This campaign never actually ended. Like those sofa sales, it just continued year in, year out. The ads were very straightforward, consisting of little...
Posted by: Magnus Shaw
Most days, I take time to read the work of other writers online - and today was no exception. Prompted by a link on Twitter, I visited an article which several users were recommending. They were right - in terms of subject matter and content, it was...
Posted by: Magnus Shaw
This weekend, I learned a valuable lesson. Content isn’t king. Or at least, to be more accurate, content isn’t always king. Copy does have to be top-notch to have an impact and to inspire people to buy, sell, share, offer, sign up,...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
I've always loved advertising headlines. Long before I embarked on a copywriting career, I'd amuse myself by creating new versions of lines I saw in magazines or tube trains. Even as a kid, my mum (an English teacher) would point out headlines she...
Posted by: Magnus Shaw
“That’s the power of social media” - that’s what they keep telling us. Yep, social media can indeed be harnessed and used to great effect by an enormous range of businesses - from sole traders to multinationals. For some of...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
I'm always impressed by people who plan their career. Or rather people who plan their career and realise those plans. Planning stuff is easy, making it happen is something else - particularly in this business. Let's say, on your first day in the ad...
Posted by: Magnus Shaw
I'm sorry for implanting a most unwelcome picture in your head, but I was taking a bath the other evening. The radio was on, I was leafing idly through a magazine and that's when I saw it - the least effective print ad of all time. In fact, it was so...
Posted by: Magnus Shaw
Last week, I wrote about the key differences between copywriting and 'writing'. And while I attempted to make the challenges inherent in copywriting clear, I wouldn't say the profession is in crisis. Unlike the art of writing comedy. Quite when the...
Posted by: Magnus Shaw
Do I moan a bit in my Creativepool columns? Don't answer that. As a fully paid-up, grumpy old copywriter, I know I probably do. But you can relax, because today I'm discussing something I really, really like. And handily, it's an...
Posted by: Magnus Shaw
Would your mum understand that? It's fair to say that most of us hate bureaucracy. And meaningless, wordy bureaucracy even more. I've lost count of the number of times I've received a massive epistle from Barnet council when all they really want to...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Design and branding specialist Shine Creative announces the launch of a new identity for the Royal Merchant Navy Education Foundation (RMNEF). Established in 1827, the RMNEF is a British national children's educational charity, which provides...
Posted by: Shine Creative
The Huffington Post reports that Khloe Kardashian (who?) is now being paid as much as $13,000 per tweet. The fee doesn't cover profound wisdom like "Remember sweat is fat crying" - it's for equally useful posts wherein she names brands and includes...
Posted by: Magnus Shaw
Over the last week, I've very much enjoyed reading a debate, prompted by one of my Creativepool columns, on LinkedIn. It's always particularly satisfying to find creative professionals reacting to a piece I've written and I'm grateful to anyone who...
Posted by: Magnus Shaw
The Creativepool network spreads far and wide and maybe you could help a fellow creative in need of help. Damien James is a US copywriter who has spent the last three years with his wife and children working in Krakow, Poland. Last week the time...
Posted by: Creativepool
by Magnus Shaw As the coalition continues to press citizens to find jobs, while simultaneously conspiring to reduce the opportunities available, jobseekers face further indignity. In recent weeks I've heard many opinion formers and politicians...
Posted by: Creativepool
by Ashley Morrison. I love comedy. I love the craft of it. I love how a skilled performer can take you one way, only to throw you in a completely opposite direction - which is the one that gets the bigger laugh. Being a successful stand-up comedian...
Posted by: Creativepool
By Magnus Shaw Have you used your Tripod today? How about your Mobi? There's a very good chance you have, but you knew it as your iPhone. It seems the obvious name for Apple's mobile handset doesn't it? After all, they already the iPod and its...
Posted by: Creativepool
Copywriting has never been more important. The success of digital media still depends on persuasive writing. Traditional media such as print, DM, or radio, cry out for great writers. But where do copywriters go for inspiration? Who Needs...
Posted by: Creativepool
by Ashley Morrison. I never thought I’d say it, but I have some sympathy with guests on the Jeremy Kyle Show. Not that I sit around watching daytime TV all day, of course. Well, apart from a triple-bill of Frasier to get me going in the...
Posted by: Creativepool
By Magnus Shaw Well, this should be fun. A column about poo (rather than one made up of it, which isn't unusual). You see, you're already wondering whether you really want to read on - and I don't blame you, who wants to read about that? Exactly....
Posted by: Creativepool
By Magnus Shaw Well, I'm just having a look around. Being on the new Creativepool is rather like moving into a swanky new apartment, where all the furniture has arrived, your clothes neatly hung in the wardrobe and you've been carefully placed on...
Posted by: Creativepool