Top 10 things about being an advertising copywriter.

More than a few of my posts have been about the difficulties of working in advertising these days. It’s always been a competitive industry with high burn out and turn over. But it’s been even worse lately thanks to the economy and the rapid change in technology. But there are also some really great things about the being an ad creative. Things that make me glad I’m a copywriter when I come into the office every morning.

  1. The people. Sure they’re some real egotistical jag offs in the business. But I’ve also worked with amazingly smart, talented, wonderful people. Including other writers, directors, photographers and, of course, art director-partners – some are still close friends years after working together. If I didn’t have this job I never would have met them and had a chance to be inspired by them.
  2. The job is never the same. I once spent an entire year doing nothing but advertising sunglasses. But each day was different, with new problems to solve. With the advance in technology, that’s even more the case now.
  3. I write for a living. This was a dream of mine as a college student. Yeah, I imagined living on the west bank and writing brooding novels about the isolation of modern man, but I’m doing what I dreamed about even if the topics are more mundane.
  4. I love making things. Most people don’t make things. I do. From start to finish, I create things from the blank page.
  5. Production. The trips aren’t as fun as they used to be back in the day but standing on set for twelve hours a day, working with a production crew, and seeing actors bring your vision to life is just cool.
  6. Learning everyday. Maybe there are a few days here and there where I don’t learn something but most days I do. Much of it is really obscure stuff. But have you ever played trivia with a copywriter? We love this stuff.
  7. The challenge. Even with a “bad” client, the job is challenging. And I be bored if it wasn’t.
  8. You’re not expected to fit in. No one expects me to dress a certain way, talk a certain way or even behave a certain way. As a creative, we’re even encouraged to be a bit eccentric. Which is good, because I am.
  9. Loving pop culture is OK. Lets face it, where else in society is watching a ton of TV and movies, making Simpson’s references, reading comic books, and immersing yourself in social media encouraged?
  10. That feeling you get when you’ve really nailed it. It doesn’t happen often enough, but there are days when it all comes together, you walk out of a meeting and you know that your hard work just floored them. And it’s awesome.
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Posted on: August 25, 2010, by :