WELCOME
FEBRUARY 2019
IDEA WRITING
GINA COLLURA
CREATIVE DIRECTOR/CW

- Attendance is taken every week.
- "If you're not early, you're late"- Coach Carter
- Check Blackboard every week.
Assignments, videos, deadlines, etc, are there.
- Read the syllabus.
- Do the work.
- Go above and Beyonce. Every. Damn. Day.
- Grades. This is not an easy class.
GROUND RULES

A LITTLE ABOUT ME

- Understand the importance of the verbal,
not just the visual.
- Create advertising that uses the power of
storytelling.
- Bring emotion into your ideas.
- Gain a greater appreciation for words
+ their power.
- Have an amazing portfolio with a diverse body
of work.
MY GOALS = YOUR GOALS

TEXTBOOKS
FOR THIS CLASS
The Idea Writers, Teresa Iezzi
The Elements of Style, Strunk and White
The Book of Gossage, Gossage and Goodby

"I think, in general, people don't buy
products, they buy stories." – Ty Montague
FROM
THE IDEA WRITERS

“The ad industry’s traditional approach to a story
arc—beginning, middle and end in a 30-second
spot—is a thing of the past. Rather than telling
one story in one video and uploading it once on
YouTube, tell stories that can’t be contained.”
– David Droga
FROM
THE IDEA WRITERS

“...Are you setting up an idea that will have a life
of its own?”– Susan Credle
FROM
THE IDEA WRITERS

An eccentric 1960s ad-man who ran an offbeat agency
out of an old San Francisco firehouse. He was infamous
within the industry for groundbreaking and subversive
campaigns, witty one-liners, and a magnetic personality,
Gossage was disillusioned with the world of advertising.
He had one of the most prolific and influential
mid-life crises of the 20th century.
HOWARD LUCK GOSSAGE

An eccentric 1960s ad-man who ran an offbeat agency
out of an old San Francisco firehouse. Whilst infamous
within his industry for groundbreaking and subversive ad
campaigns, witty one-liners, and a magnetic personality,
Gossage was disillusioned with the world of advertising.
He had one of the most prolific and influential
mid-life crises of the 20th century.
HOWARD LUCK GOSSAGE

PORTFOLIO.
PORTFOLIO.
PORTFOLIO.

Your portfolio is your golden ticket to a job.
Agencies expect young creatives to write, design,
concept, and be able to craft a compelling
brand narrative using words and pictures.
YOUR PORTFOLIO + A JOB

Today, it’s about figuring out the story of
your product/brand. Successful brands have
a story/narrative built right into their design.
DOES THE WORK IN YOUR
PORTFOLIO HAVE EMOTION?
(NOT JUST FUNCTION.)

WRITER?
ART DIRECTOR?
UX/UI?
Your job isn’t to create an ad. It's to create something
useful, entertaining, or beautiful on behalf of a brand.

If storytelling is the essential job of the CW,
design is the starting point; design can inform
how a story plays out and how a brand touches
people at every stage in their interaction with it.
WRITERS + ART DIRECTORS
+ UX/UI

THIS SEMESTER.
THIS CLASS.

IF YOU HATE
WRITING,
YOU'RE IN THE
RIGHT PLACE
Visual Identity is one thing.
Verbal Identity is another.
Brand Voice. Brand Personality.
It's not just about what a brand looks
like, it's about what it says
and how it says it, too.

YOU WILL WRITE.
A LOT.
You will observe. Listen. You will turn your observations into stories.
You will turn a portfolio campaign into a better one.
You will become a better presenter and storyteller.

Don't cheat yourself from doing all of the
writing assignments in this class.
DID I MENTION THAT
YOU WILL BE WRITING
A LOT?

DO YOURSELF
A FAVOR
Get a journal/notebook just for this class.
Maybe you can add your ramblings to a
section of your Portfolio?

WHEN DO WE
HAVE TO TELL
A STORY?
Eulogies. Toasts. Roasts. Stand-Up
Comedy. Improv. Pitching new business.
Meeting new people.
Going on interviews.
There are a myriad of reasons why you'll
tell a story during your life.
Here's your chance to
put in the time and effort
for your Portfolio and your craft.

WHAT IS
VERBAL IDENTITY?

VERBAL IDENTITY
ACCORDING TO LANDOR
EVERY WORD ATTACHED TO YOUR
BRAND—WHETHER IT’S A PRODUCT
NAME YOU TRADEMARK OR A TWEET
YOU RELEASE INSTANTLY—IS PART
OF YOUR VERBAL IDENTITY.
YOUR CORPORATE NAME AND
TAGLINE, THE WAY YOU ORGANIZE
AND NAME YOUR PRODUCTS, THE
STRATEGIC MESSAGES YOU
CHOOSE, AND THE TONAL
DECISIONS YOU MAKE
ARE ALL PART OF HOW CUSTOMERS
PERCEIVE YOU.

VERBAL IDENTITY
ACCORDING TO INTERBRAND
DEFINES HOW A BRAND SPEAKS WITH
A DISTINCTIVE PERSONALITY, THROUGH
COMMUNICATIONS AND WRITING STYLE.

VERBAL IDENTITY
ACCORDING TO SIEGEL + GALE
IT'S A WINDOW INTO THE PERSONALITY OF A
COMPANY...IT CAN BE QUIRKY AND FUNNY.
OR NOT.

VERBAL IDENTITY
ACCORDING TO WOLFF OLLINS
AS THE CRAFT OF DESIGN EVOLVES, AND WE
CREATE INCREASINGLY INVISIBLE BRANDS
THAT THRIVE IN A VOICE-ACTIVATED
WORLD, WE NEED TO RETHINK THE CURRENT
APPROACH. IN THEORY, A GOOD INTERFACE
SHOULDN’T DRAW ATTENTION TO ITSELF.
IT SHOULD FADE INTO THE BACKGROUND.
IT SHOULDN’T DISTRACT THE USER OR GET IN
THE WAY OF INFORMATION. BUT WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT THE VALUE OF DIVERSITY,
DIFFERENCE, AND CHOICE HERE, AND THERE
SHOULD BE MORE ROOM TO PLAY.

WHAT ARE SOME BRANDS
THAT HAVE A DISTINCT
VERBAL ID?
DO NOT SAY APPLE OR NIKE

VERBAL IDENTITY
THE WORDS WE CHOOSE,
THE NAMES OF PRODUCTS,
THE COPYWRITING VOICE AND TONE
ON OUR WEBSITES — ALL THE VARIOUS
ASPECTS OF VERBAL IDENTITY MATTER,
ESPECIALLY AS MORE VOICE-ONLY
INTERFACES MAKE THEIR WAY INTO
OUR HOMES, CARS,
AND DAILY LIVES.

VERBAL ID + YOU
YOUR PORTFOLIO.
THE WORDS ON YOUR ABOUT PAGE.
YOUR SELF-PORTRAIT + WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT YOURSELF.
YOUR INTERFACE DESIGN + NAVIGATION NOMENCLATURE.
YOUR RESUME.

PONDER THIS:
VERBAL IDENTITY
AS VOICE-CONTROLLED AI ENTERS
MILLIONS OF HOMES, A MODERN DILEMMA
PRESENTS ITSELF: HOW DOES ONE
PROPERLY ADDRESS A VIRTUAL BEING?

BRAND VOICE +
TONE
CREATES EMOTION,
GIVES A BRAND A PERSONALITY,
CREATES A FEELING,
HELPS MAKE A HUMAN CONNECTION,
NEEDS TO BE AUTHENTIC

MINI COOPER
LET'S MOTOR
CAMPAIGN LAUNCH, 2002

nope. that's boring. mundane. a category norm.
this was a car launch––without TV!!!
it had to be different. look different. sound different.
it had to zag.
WOULD IT HAVE BEEN
AS GOOD IF IT READ,
"LET'S DRIVE?"

SHOE POLISH
LONG COPY, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN
WINS CRAFT CATEGORY

SNICKERS ON
SOCIAL
Extending a Big Idea on Social

FAMOUS CWS
TO KNOW
HOWARD GOSSAGE
LUKE SULLIVAN
SALLY HOGSHEAD
ARI MERKIN
SAL DEVITO
LEE CLOW
JEFF GOODBY
STACY WAHL
PHYLISS ROBINSON
BILL BERNBACH
DAVID OGILVY
NEIL FRENCH
MARY WELLS
JANET CHAMP
NANCY VONK
TY MONTAGUE
DAVID DROGA

JANET CHAMP
Helped create the Brand Voice
for NIke in the 90s'-2000's

WE WILL STUDY
GREAT WRITING
You will write and write and write and you
will become a better writer, concepter,
and creative.

STEPHEN
KING
“Bad writing is more than a matter of shit syntax and
faulty observation; bad writing usually arises from a
stubborn refusal to tell stories about what people
actually do―to face the fact, let us say, that murderers
sometimes help old ladies cross the street.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

ANNE
LAMOTT
“If you are a writer, or want to be a writer, this is how you
spend your days―listening, observing, storing things
away, making your isolation pay off.
You take home all you've taken in, all that you've
overheard, and you turn it into gold. (Or at least you try.)”
― Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

Carefully observe someone from a distance
without actually staring.
Listen to their voice. Were they happy?
Was their voice shrill, dull or softly spoken?
Was it heavily accented?
What language did they speak?
WE NEED TO BE
OBSERVERS

Helps us dream-up characters.
Helps us concept and rest our brains.
Helps us stay connected with the world
around us and get away from screens.
OBSERVATION

OBSERVATION
ASSIGNMENT
Due for Class 2: Spend some time at a coffee shop or diner.
Listen, observe, people watch.
What do you hear? What do you see?
Write 2-3 paragraphs about your observations. You will be sharing
your observations with the class―as you are required to write 2-3
paragraphs for this assignment.
It will be collected. so bring a print-out with your name on it.

ALSO
DUE CLASS 2
Look at your Portfolio. What campaign needs a boost?
OR grab a new brief. Be prepared to show me which of your portfolio
campaigns you want to amplify.
Project 1: Create the Brand voice for a Beverage Brand OR re-boot
an existing brand in your portfolio.
Beverage Brief is available on Blackboard.

2 ASSIGNMENTS
DUE NEXT WEEK
1. Observation Assignment: Read to class + hand-in
2. Portfolio Re-boot or Beverage Brief (Dirty Lemon):
One-on-One Reviews. Show me what you want to work on.

LET'S DO THIS!
NOW GO CHECK BLACKBOARD,
SIT IN A COFFEE SHOP AND LISTEN,
+ TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT YOUR PORTFOLIO.
LECTURE 1