The Spartan Copywriter

Roots in Rural America

My parents always questioned who (I know it’s whom but I refuse to be that guy)
I obtained my creative side from.
I say it was a mix of both blended with only child universalities and pop culture obsession contributing heavily to the cause, but my dad was a big influence.
He has a great talent for telling stories and jokes and he does it with such economy; making the joke or story his own by shaving it down considerably. He attributes “being Spartan with his words” due to the way he was brought up. Which is to say, being raised by his grandparents – two Silent Generation saints – in rural Southern Ohio.

Resisting Writer Tendencies

As a copywriter, I adapt Dad’s method to avoid copy clutter, redundancy and increase recall. Don’t get me wrong though, I love words and yes, sometimes I’m tempted to incorporate certain literary devices or add a choice nomenclatural gem to a staid piece of collateral – after all, writers have their writer tendencies – but I resist, employ the “less is more” aesthetic and become The Spartan Copywriter.

Long Form ≠ Long Winded

We all know quantity doesn’t equal quality and if you can sum up what you want to say in a couple of paragraphs or a sentence – do it.
Unfortunately, I’ve encountered resistance in the past with this philosophy and have even, at times, been asked to expand at the request of the powers.
This counterintuitive action is usually taken out of fear.
Ex: “If a client is billed for copywriting, then by golly, they’re going to get their money’s worth.” Sigh.
The truth is (and I think most advertising professionals would agree) the client’s copy needs are best served with effective on-target messaging that the audience will actually read (read: short copy). Sure, it may affect the layout slightly or be the difference between a font size or two but it can really be the difference between greatly increasing product/service name recall and your value with the client.