April 19, 1955
Dear Mr. Calt:
On March 22nd you wrote to me asking for some notes on my work habits as a copywriter. They are appalling, as you are about to see:
1. I have never written an advertisement in the office. Too many interruptions. I do all my writing at home.
2. I spend a long time studying the precedents. I look at every advertisement which has appeared for competing products during the past 20 years.
3. I am helpless without research material—and the more “motivational” the better.
4. I write out a definition of the problem and a statement of the purpose which I wish the campaign to achieve. Then I go no further until the statement and its principles have been accepted by the client.
5. Before actually writing the copy, I write down every concievable fact and selling idea. Then I get them organized and relate them to research and the copy platform.
6. Then I write the headline. As a matter of fact I try to write 20 alternative headlines for every advertisement. And I never select the final headline without asking the opinion of other people in the agency. In some cases I seek the help of the research department and get them to do a split-run on a battery of headlines.
7. At this point I can no longer postpone the actual copy. So I go home and sit down at my desk. I find myself entirely without ideas. I get bad-tempered. If my wife comes into the room I growl at her. (This has gotten worse since I gave up smoking.)
8. I am terrified of producing a lousy advertisement. This causes me to throw away the first 20 attempts.
9. If all else fails, I drink half a bottle of rum and play a Handel oratorio on the gramophone. This generally produces an uncontrollable gush of copy.
10. The next morning I get up early and edit the gush.
11. Then I take the train to New York and my secretary types a draft. (I cannot type, which is very inconvenient.)
12. I am a lousy copywriter, but I am a good editor. So I go to work editing my own draft. After four or five editings, it looks good enough to show to the client. If the client changes the copy, I get angry—because I took a lot of trouble writing it, and what I wrote I wrote on purpose.
Altogether it is a slow and laborious business. I understand that some copywriters have much greater facility.
Yours sincerely,
D.O.
Because it was too good to pass up - what I overheard when the guys above me have a party
“I wish I had a paddle.”
“…I like this song, oh come on!”
“Let’s play beer pong! (Impatient guy 5 seconds later…) Let’s play some pong!”
“It’s a beautiful moment, and you’re ruining it!”
“Chug chug chug…”
[The next time they yell for someone to chug, my roommates and I fully intend on yelling with them to freak them out.]
(someone growls)
Unfortunately I can’t apply because I just graduated in December but anyone that is still in school and loves fashion should apply for this!
WWD.com is still looking for a Spring intern!
We’re looking to fill an internship ASAP with someone who is even more web savvy than they are fashion savvy. If you are interested in media and fashion, this may be the position for you.
Uh Oh… New Obsession Alert
My roommate invited me to pinterest because we were talking about it in the living room. I’m already obsessed. At least I only have work to worry about now. It feels weird not going back to school next week. Oh well, I’m ready to start the next chapter!
#thinkcolorfully vintage album design
Looking to purchase: Acapulco Gold 69ers Snapback (gold/red)
If anyone could help us find someone selling a 69ers hat, or would be willing to sell it to us themselves, we would love to promote you/your blog with five free promotions to our 300,000+ followers.
Thank you all so much in advance, we really appreciate the help. And we would love if you could reblog this post to help spread the word. (:
Also, the hats here are sold out, though yes, this is exactly what we’re looking for.
(via la-belle-vie)
Fashion, and Quite Possibly Marc Jacobs, Will Forever Have My Heart
I read the best article on Marc Jacobs in the January issue of Vogue today. Marc Jacobs has always fascinated me. My fashion class last year showed the documentary on him that talked about him and his work on his own fashion lines along with his work at Louis Vuitton. I keep up with his runway shows through blogs and twitter. I wear the Daisy Eau So Fresh perfume (it smells amazing, btw. - everyone should own it!) I’m borderline obsessed with Marc Jacobs the person and what he can do with fashion. He constantly pushes the envelope just because he can. It’s absolutely insane.
A few quotes from the article really summed up why I’m obsessed:
- Three words: Le mot juste.
Translation: the just word. Also stated as the right word at the right time and the right thing for the right time in the right moment.
Marc Jacobs is le mot juste at it’s finest. He just somehow does the right thing at the right moment in time. That is not a planned thing you can do. It’s natural.
- “I love fashion. That’s why I do it. No one’s forcing me to do this. And nobody forces anyone to buy it. It’s a real love affair.”
He is one hundred percent correct. When I think about the things in my closet, I know that I was not forced to buy them. I bought them because I wanted them. I loved them enough (with a little buyers remorse months later sometimes…) to spend my hard earned money on those pieces. The designers I love are not in fashion because they were forced to do it. They are in fashion because it is their passion. Fashion has never been a forced job or role. Fashion exists because people needed something to care about that was not about the government or education. Fashion is whimsical. It makes people happy. People love it because they can obsess over it whenever and however they want. It truly is a love affair. Which brings me to my next quote…
-“Fashion isn’t a necessity. It pulls at your heart. It’s a whim. You don’t need it. You want it.“
Like I said above. Fashion is something people want. Fashion pulls people in because it is so fluid in life. Fashion is everywhere whether you believe it or not. Trust me, I’ve had class on it. It’s quite intriguing once you begin to study the phenomenon that is fashion. It’s okay if you don’t notice though. But I will leave you with one last thing…
Fashion will never die. Well, maybe when everyone dies it will but for right now, fashion is here to stay. So until that day comes all I have to say is c’est la vie et de la mode.
Death Cab For Cutie - You Are a Tourist
Best lines from this song: “… and if you feel just like a tourist in the city you were born, then it’s time to go and define your destination.”
