TOV Consultant Vikki Ross Helps Brands To Become Human & Humans To Become Copywriters. (Sorry Robots.)
INTERVIEW BY TREY ALSTON / CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Vikki Ross probably knows words better than most ever will. With 24 years worth of experience as a Copywriter, she speaks with confidence about the power of words — and her esteemed background proves that in her hands, they change lives. She's been Head of Copy for Sky and has worked with brands like Sony Music, Spotify, Harper Collins, and Twitter just this year alone.
But Ross does much more than work on copy for brands — she also is shaping the industry to become better for writers around the world. She created events like #copywritersunite and @copynights to connect creatives in a sequestered industry. She also started #CopySafari, an ongoing task and challenge for advertising creatives to spot copy in the wild (on the streets) and understand it from the perspective of the consumer.
Add in the fact that she’s a D&AD masterclass trainer and regularly speaks at various industry events, and you have the complete picture of her impact on the creative world: implementing copywriting practices that become industry standards, and now she’s teaching others her ways.
Ross opened up on her career, tips for rising copywriters, and what she thinks of AI copywriting for Working Not Working Magazine.
Why do you love copywriting?
I love words. I love playing with words. I love writing words that appear on TV, a poster, or in press. I love writing words about products (especially shows and movies — most of my clients are in the entertainment industry) that people will see, and even enjoy. I love writing words that bring a brand to life and tell a story.
What’s your backstory? How did you discover that advertising was what you wanted to do?
As a kid, I liked the pictures that were accompanied by words in magazines. I didn’t know they were ads, so I thought I wanted to be a journalist. When I got older and understood the difference between writing articles and writing copy, I went to college to study Media Studies and Graphic Design. I failed the courses and got a job as a receptionist, then a PA, then an office assistant.
By pure coincidence, the office assistant job was at a tiny direct marketing agency—they created what I thought were ads (they were reader offers) in magazines. So after a couple of months of being there, I asked the Creative Director if I could write one. He let me write a full-page reader offer promoting a mini washing machine and dishwasher in Camping & Caravanning. It went out and as far as I was concerned, I’d written my first full-page ad in the British national press. Because it was direct marketing, the response was measured and it did well, so I went on to write about more products in more magazines. Newspapers too.
What helped you improve as a copywriter? Was it more about experience or changing your mindset?
Reading and writing. The more you read, the better you write. And the more you write, the better you write. Yes, there are loads of ways to learn, but you have to put the work in and keep writing to write better. Also, being around different copywriters and creative directors in different jobs taught me to write differently. And better.
Olli Beale for Bumble
Olli Beale for Bumble
Mother for Uber
Mother for Uber
How has the importance of copywriting changed over the past twenty years?
Can we go further back than that? Copywriting was once the only element—in the earliest days of advertising, ads were copy only. And lots of it. Fast forward to the Mad Men era and there was still loads of copy about, and copywriters opened agencies with their names on the door. Later, as life advanced and new technologies were introduced, someone somewhere made the assumption that people don’t have time to read, don’t want to read, and prefer images for a more instant message. So ads prioritized art direction over copy.
But then Covid-19 came and changed things around again. With businesses closing their physical stores and customer care departments, reducing their opportunity to talk to people in person, they shifted their focus to their communications – emails, DMs, and social posts. All full of copy. And with shoots shut down and client budget cuts, ads were quicker and cheaper to make with words, so as much as I love going on a shoot and appreciate amazing art direction, I love seeing copy as the hero element more.
“Someone somewhere made the assumption that people don’t have time to read, don’t want to read, and prefer images for a more instant message. So ads prioritized art direction over copy. But then Covid-19 came and changed things around again.”
What are some of the most important elements of copy that make it memorable?
If the idea resonates with the audience, they’ll recognize themselves in it and they’ll remember the message within. So know your audience and talk directly to them and about them.
On a more technical level, rhythm makes copy memorable. A line that’s fun to read and even more fun to say can really stick in someone’s mind. You don’t need to be a professional poet, but rhyming helps. The power of three. Alliteration.
Or shock. Write something unexpected. Let the audience think they know where you’re going with a line, then do the opposite. The easiest way to do that is to take a familiar phrase and twist it, like Fisher Price’s “You’ll understand when you’re younger” by Pentagram.
Pentagram for Fisher Price
“Rhythm makes copy memorable. A line that’s fun to read and even more fun to say can really stick in someone’s mind. You don’t need to be a professional poet, but rhyming helps. The power of three. Alliteration. Or shock. Write something unexpected.”
What tips do you have for aspiring copywriters who don’t yet understand the craft?
Read and write. Read as many books as you can about the craft. Start with Junior by Thomas Kemeny, Read Me by Gyles Lingwood and Roger Horberry, and The Copy Book by D&AD. Then How To Write Better Copy by Steve Harrison and Persuasive Copywriting by Andy Maslen. Later, add Copywriting Is by Andrew Boulton and The Art of the Click by Glenn Fisher.
I know, I know, that’s a lot of men. Where are the women? Read A Big Life (in Advertising) by Mary Wells Lawrence, Pressure Makes Diamonds by Valerie Graves and Macy’s, Gimbels and Me by Bernice Fitz-Gibbon – they aren’t practical guides to writing copy, but they’ll inspire you to think differently and write better.
That’s a lot of books. Aspiring copywriters are often young and not earning much money yet, so see which books are free to download online. And read this for my key copywriting principles.
Here’s another tip: read ads to find a style you like. Then look up the agencies who made them, and the people who wrote them. That’ll help you find who you want to work for and with. Try writing some ads yourself. For example, if you want to write for Nike at Wieden+Kennedy, take a Nike ad you love and imagine extending the campaign. Write a couple more for the series. Then you have something to start your portfolio and something to send to someone at the agency that could start a conversation. It’s important to be interested and interesting.
“Read ads to find a style you like. Then look up the agencies who made them, and the people who wrote them. That’ll help you find who you want to work for and with.”
What tips do you have for copywriters who do understand it, but want to get better at it?
Read and write. Not just books on copywriting. Anything. The noticeboard at the laundrette, the poster at the dentist, the drinks menu at the pub. You won’t get words out if you don’t get words in. And the more words you have going around your head, the easier it is to get them out as soon as you start writing.
Also, challenge yourself. Mix things up. Try writing a line with two opposite words next to each other. I recently wrote “Where the truth lies” for the new crime drama TV channel on Sky. Or write a couple of words with a full stop between them so together they mean one thing, but alone they mean more. Like Apple’s “Light. Years ahead.”
Apple
Got a new job or client and need to nail their tone of voice – fast? Write out what they've already written – an ad, a web page, an email – you'll feel like you already write for them so anything you then write fresh will come more easily.
What’s the origin of #CopySafari?
I’m always looking out for ads and reading copy wherever I go. And I miss how much I used to review work on the wall in The Body Shop creative studio (where I worked for eight years)—most other places I’ve worked mostly review work on screens, which isn’t how our audience sees it.
Knowing other creatives would feel the same way, I invited industry friends out in search of words in the wild with me, and we tweet our findings as we go, using the hashtag #CopySafari. We look at in-store promotions and consider who the brand is talking to and what their objective is, and we judge their creative execution. It’s one thing to review copy at work, but it’s another to see it in situ. The Twitter response has been amazing – I didn’t expect so many people to join in, so now (when not socially distancing) I take bookings for brands and agencies looking for a different way to learn.
“I invited industry friends out in search of words in the wild with me, and we tweeted our findings as we go, using the hashtag #CopySafari...The Twitter response has been amazing—I didn’t expect so many people to join in.”
What about #copywritersunite?
Copywriters often aren’t valued or respected, so in 2012, I created the hashtag on Twitter to connect copywriters around the world. Now people use it all day every day to talk to each other, support each other, celebrate the craft, and share opinions, articles, and jobs.
A couple of years later, and off the back of the hashtag’s huge popularity, copywriters wanted to meet. Like most creatives, I was happy hiding behind my screen—the thought of social networking in real life terrified me and I put it off until fellow copywriter Andy Maslen took control and organised the first #copywritersunite night in London.
Five of us turned up. But it was brilliant. We had so much in common and wanted to meet more like-minded people, so I organised the next one a few months later and about 30 people turned up.
Now (when not living through a pandemic) 50-80 people turn up to quarterly #copywritersunite nights across the UK. I host the London ones and fellow copywriters host the others. And a couple of years ago, we went global with #copywritersunite nights in Berlin, Amsterdam, and New York City too.
The nights are so popular that non-copywriters also come. I call them Copy Lovers. And they’re always a huge success – copywriters have made friends and found creative partners, mentors, employers, or people to collaborate with.
What are some things that you teach brands as a consultant?
Often I have to remind brands how brilliant they are—how they have amazing, distinctive brand assets that they aren’t using or could use more. A brand’s personality and tone of voice should flow consistently through everything they do, so I identify where it doesn’t and advise changing that. Things like making a website’s error page on-brand, like Pixar does, are so quick and easy to do.
And I encourage brands to be confident with what they say and how they say it. I work with some of the biggest brands in the world and it’s so frustrating when they look to their competitors for inspiration when they could and should be leading the way for their category.
“I encourage brands to be confident with what they say and how they say it. I work with some of the biggest brands in the world and it’s so frustrating when they look to their competitors for inspiration when they could and should be leading the way for their category.”
How do you feel about AI copywriting that comes from computers? Do you think it can replace copywriters?
Nope. AI isn’t as creative as some people would like us to believe. You see, AI is programmed with data, which is fine for writing facts but to tell a story—an interesting and inspiring story—we need more than data. An effective story that compels consumers to feel something and, even more importantly, do something like buying a product, relies on something far bigger and far more important than data.
Think about it. When we tell a story, it comes from our mind, body, and soul. I once Googled “How do I make a robot?” and found that I’d need all of this:
1 microcontroller
2 continuous rotation servos
2 wheels that fit the servos
1 caster roller
1 small solderless breadboard
1 distance sensor
1 mini push button switch
1 10kΩ resistor
1 USB A to B cable
1 set of breakaway headers
1 AA battery holder with 9V DC power jack
1 pack of jumper wires or 22-gauge hook-up wire
No mind, no body, and no soul. No heart, no memories, no life experiences or nostalgia either. And that’s what’s missing – that’s why robots can’t write copy that will engage us humans. We’re programming robots with data but as author and journalist Steven Poole says, “Writing is not data, it is a means of expression and a computer program has nothing to express.” Steven continues, “Until robots have rich inner lives and understand the world around them, they won’t be able to tell their own stories.”
Read more here: https://www.marketingsociety.com/empower/robots-are-coming
“When we tell a story, it comes from our mind, body, and soul. I once Googled ‘How do I make a robot?’...No mind, no body, and no soul. No heart, no memories, no life experiences or nostalgia either. And that’s what’s missing – that’s why robots can’t write copy that will engage us humans.”
Who and what has taught you the most over your career, and what did you learn?
Who: Franco Bonadio, my creative director at The Body Shop (he’s now doing big things at Interbrand). He taught me to keep pushing—there’s always a bigger way of thinking or a better way of writing. Reading A Big Life (in Advertising) by Mary Wells Lawrence taught me a similar lesson, and left me wishing I could think like her.
What: Quality over quantity. And never present an idea you don’t believe in as it’ll probably get picked. As a junior copywriter at The Body Shop, I once presented loads of headline ideas thinking everyone would be so impressed at how many ideas I’d had, even if some of them were rubbish. A rubbish line was chosen (it was something like “Colour, whatever the season” which didn’t do anything for the product or the audience) and lived on the front cover of their mail-order catalogue for six very long months.
What are some of your favorite lines of copy that have stuck with you?
Oh my word, there are so many. But off the top of my head, right now, I’ll say VW’s “Have you ever wondered how the man who drives the snowplow drives to the snowplow?” by DDB New York. All at once, it’s smart and witty and implies the performance of the product. And it talks directly to the audience, asking them a thoughtful question (asking questions is a great copy technique, unless you ask one an audience can answer “No” to—then you’ve lost them).
Another line I like – like, really like – is Lego’s “Rebuild the world” by BETC Paris. It so brilliantly yet simply stays true to the brand and its product while speaking to, and about, the state of the world. In just three words. Wonderful.
A line that really tickled the 80s Bananarama fan in me was “Robert De Niro’s waiting” in Warburton’s GoodBagels ad by Engine. I love an ad that makes me laugh, and I love an ad that looks as good as the shows and movies it sits between on TV.