Copywriting

Copywriting uses words to promote a person, business, opinion, or idea. It may be used as plain text, as a radio or television advertisement, or in a variety of other media. The main purpose of writing this marketing copy, or promotional text, is to persuade the listener or reader to act — to buy a product or subscribe to a certain viewpoint, for instance। Alternatively, copy might also be intended to dissuade a reader from a particular belief or action. (Wikipedia)

Strictly speaking a "copy" meant for publication also includes graphics. In advertising parlance however, it generally means the textual or the verbal content. The art, craft or the practice of writing such "copies" is copywriting. Considering the motivational intent of the advertising copy, and the professional practice of writing such copies, I am tempted to define copywriting as "writing a strategic resume for a product, service or idea."

Advertising copies are created based on the brief of a product or service as supplied by the advertiser ('client') and drafted in keeping with the marketing objectives of the client. The advertising objectives set up by the ad agency also shape the copies in a particular fashion। The copy also gets modified according to type of advertising task and type.

A press copy typically includes a headline, a body copy, a visual and a concluding line or baseline। The structure is flexible and its main purpose is to attract and arrest the attention of the prospective consumer (target). The strategic theme or conceptual design employed in the press ad also gets expressed in the form of storylines or storyboards for audio-visual media and as snippets or catch-lines in outdoor advertising. The copy is suitably modified or altered to suit these forms.

To be attractive and arresting, the copy needs to be simple and relevant and should stand out employing wordplay and/or some psychological techniques। This demands that the copywriter has command over his language and general knowledge across various disciplines and subjects. Knowledge of social trends and practices in vogue, of fashions and happenings also helps. I remember having read a centre-piece in Times of India proclaiming in a lighter vein, "The copywriter needs to have superficial knowledge of deep things and deep knowledge of superficial things."

Copywriting is frequently confused with Copyright, making copies of written text, translations etc. Copywriting is obviously different from all these activities though it may involve some or all of them.