Kalvimalar

Home » Article

More on Copywrting - Part II- 23-Jul-2010

A faculty member at Mumbai based college, who teaches advertising, tips, "The one essential fact for copywriters to keep in mind is that a lot of advertising is psychological and requires lateral thinking by the copywriter".

What is it all about?
Copywriting is a sub-branch of advertising that uses words to promote a product, person, enterprise, concept or opinion.

It is meant to influence the intended target audience to subscribe to a product, service or concept. It uses a variety of promotional media such as television, radio, the Internet, press releases, commercial scripts, white papers, direct mail, tag lines, catalogues, brochures and billboards.

Copywriters can work on the web, help in search engine optimisation (developing key words to increase traffic to a site). They can freelance. Those good with promotional material can work as marketing, sales, PR, print and broadcast copywriters.

Copywriters can work in advertising agencies, public relations firms, with broadcasters, etc, in stores, and the print media

Daily Schedule:

Payoff:

Skills:

How do I get there?

This field requires more natural talent, creativity and an ability to write, which is honed during job training. The most common method of entry into copywritng jobs is by compiling an excellent �book� or portfolio highlighting the ads created and the written work done as a student or an intern with an agency.

Institutes & Websites

Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad
www.mica-india.net

Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi
www.iimc.nic.in

Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication, Pune
www.simc.edu

Xaviers Institute of Communication, Mumbai
www.xaviercomm.org

School of Broadcasting and Communication, Mumbai
www.sbc.ac.in

The Institute of Copywriting, Somerset, UK
www.inst.org/copy/index.htm

The Learning Institute, UK(Distance Education)
www.emagister.co.uk

Pros & Cons:

• Stimulating work.
• Get to meet many people.
• Informal working environment.
• A very high-pressure profession with long hours as there are tight deadlines.
• Constant need to come up with creative copy.
• Can be tough as creative bosses often tear up the copy.
• It makes you versatile

The demand for copywriters is increasing as companies realise how vital communications are today

Is the field of copywriting getting bigger in this country?
With companies in almost every business sector becoming increasingly communication-savvy, the field of copywriting is doing better than ever before and promises to do even better in the future.

What is the scope for a copywriter in India?
Copywriting is a promising career. The skill set of a copywriter makes him eligible for employment in the strategic planning function at advertising agencies, corporate communications departments of big corporate houses and in brand management. There have been well-known cases of copywriters becoming film script writers, film makers and even novelists.

What kind of demands does the profession place on you?
Today�s copywriter has to very quickly grasp the business problem at hand,  constantly push himself to come up with fresh, clutter-cutting ideas that work for clients, and develop large-scale integrated campaigns working within deadlines that are often extremely, well, pressing.

How competitive is the field?
It is difficult to say how many people take up copywriting as a profession every year or every two years... But yes, it is definitely a very competitive field for the youth.