Clarity & chips

 

 

I get asked (a lot!) what exactly a copywriting agency like Clarity does and why it’s even necessary to engage us in the first place. Most ad and pr agencies or consultancies already have their own in-house writers, so surely there’s no need for Clarity (pun intended). In a sense this is correct, and yet ironically, it’s also way off the mark! 

Ye olde days before ye mac.

Ye olde days before ye mac.

 

The talent pool for good, experienced writers in Malaysia is small, trust me. In Ye Olde Days when I was Senior Writer at a local agency and my boss tasked me with the mission (impossible) of recruiting writers, I would hide under my desk with my voodoo boss-doll and a box of thumbtacks. No matter how many boss-dolls I pin cushioned or how many votive candles I lit in silent prayer, the results were usually pretty dismal. Prospective writers would trickle through the office, only to be rejected. I’m not going to go in to all the reasons, but the main factors for the “high rejection, low success” rate boiled down to:

 

  • Weak basic writing skills i.e. poor grammar, spelling, sentence construction etc. Without a solid foundation it’s impossible to create focused, effective writing for a client.

 

  • Inability to adapt their writing “style” to clients’ requirements. When you’re dealing with clients from different industries, who are trying to engage consumers/readers from various market segments, adaptation is crucial; otherwise the words are merely POINTLESS RAMBLINGS!

 

  • Mistaking creative writing for effective writing. Creative writing 101 just doesn’t always cut it in the real world where clients have real deadlines and real targets to meet. Effective copywriting always has an end in mind, and isn’t about using the most flowery, most bombastic words.

 

  • Wrongly prioritizing ‘inspiration’ above ‘research’.

    These little “gems” might sound familiar:

 

“It doesn’t matter if no one understands, as long as it sounds good.”

 

“Oh, was that section/fact/etc important, I didn’t think so, so I left it out.”

 

“Facts are boring!”

               

So, ‘what’s the point of Clarity?’ - it’s very simple, really.

 

As an agency we’re like the all singing, all dancing

These chips make you fat.

These chips make you fat.

 

‘INTEL-ligent’ chips tucked inside PCs. As these groovy little chips power your computer, Clarity powers marketing, pr and corporate communications campaigns with clear, effective writing. Because all our writers have extensive writing experience on top of different skill sets and competencies, we are able to deliver targeted copy – our writers include ex-agency copywriters, journalists, a teacher and even an accountant!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Response to “Clarity & chips”

  1. Roz,

    Excellent thoughts. God knows it’s tough finding real writers. Usually people think that writing is about stringing 2 sentences together. Or some odd phrases here and there. Let’s strive for clear copy and clear meaning. ;-)Maybe we should set up a Clarity Club of Penang, Malaysia just to weed out the sloppy writers!

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