The Word Gym

Whatever the language, you write copy to sell something, be it an image or brand, a product or service - or even an idea or preference.

The basic message is always the same: whatever you're selling is positive and desirable, not boring or negative.

The importance
of (cultural) context

Selling stuff...

The message may be simple, but communicating it in an innovative, attention-grabbing way is not. Good copywriters know how to reinforce the core message by applying carefully-chosen rhetorical devices. At the simplest level, they may introduce secondary messages or amusing wordplay. But clever campaigns also manipulate readers' expectations, or play the "simple genius" card that leaves readers or viewers smiling or even gasping.

But copy works best in context (although designers beware: don't focus on context to the exclusion of copy!).

Copy isn't effective copy without some kind of context, often supplied by various non-textual means (visuals, design/layout, soundtrack, lighting effects, smell, even taste). The more effective the marriage between copy and context, the easier it is to convey the main message by using a kind of cultural shorthand. This technique is what defines truly great local copy.

We write copy in a wide variety of styles for a wide variety of media - print (e.g. press releases, packaging, brochures, advertising), TV, film and radio (e.g. scripts, subtitles, captions) and the Internet. You'll hear our copy in speeches and presentations. Or it may appear in digital form, on the web or in e-mailers, often presented in unusual and graphic ways involving sophisticated animation.