Advertising: Concept and Copy, Second Edition

George Felton

Praise for Advertising: Concept and Copy, First Edition

"Felton has not just written a course on copywriting techniques, but rather a travelogue through the land of thinking. This is a guide through communication, marketing, imagining, presenting‹along the road to what advertising calls concept. . . . Though this book can stand as a copywriting textbook, it’s more than a class journal about writing. It’s about being a creative director, and it’s not just for students. Even the most long-suffering, jaded, cynical agency ad person will benefit from having this book in the desk drawer and secretly dipping into the ’Toolbox.’"

–Byron Ferris, Communication Arts magazine

"Advertising: Concept and Copy is full of incredibly useful stuff that will make anyone thinking about getting into advertising up to speed on the most important part, the Idea." –Steve Stone, Founding Partner, Black Rocket, San Francisco

"[A] wonderful textbook on the craft. Excellent, detailed advice on how to think, how to write."

–Luke Sullivan, from "Suggested Reading" in Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This

"Finally a book that strips away some of the smoke and mirrors of the creative process and gives students a groundwork for concepting an advertisement. I would recommend it to anyone considering this profession." –Christopher Cole, Vice President/Creative Director, BBDO, New York

"[E]xplains complex and abstract concepts clearly with vivid examples. Students love it."

–Tien-Tsung Lee, Edward R. Murrow School of Communication, Washington State University

"[T]he best advertising book I have ever read. Most books overextend with power phrases and industry lingo. Advertising: Concept and Copy, on the other hand, speaks superbly to anybody. I think it’s the clearest and most concise text yet produced for the advertising professional, covering all the most relevant topics without being boring or technical. It’s practical, intelligent, relevant‹and my secret weapon."

–Symon Morris, Director, P2P Interactive Marketing & Advertising, Melbourne, Australia

"I have used Advertising: Concept and Copy in Advertising Copy Writing and Production for nearly ten years. I have surveyed other texts and workbooks and never found a resource so comprehensive and useful in teaching students practical methods for creating advertising copy. Solidly based in principles of rhetoric and composition, Advertising Concept and Copy recognizes that the core of great advertising is still great ideas and great writing. It moves from strategy to execution, providing as well a ’toolbox’ of techniques indispensable to good creative. No other text comes close to what it accomplishes and students love its abundant examples and illustrations."

–Nancy Barta-Smith, Ph.D., Professor of English, Slippery Rock University

"[C]omprehensive. . . . A thorough and informative study. . ."

—Adbrands.net

“The crisp writing style and attractive layout and photography make this book as appealing as the ads it describes…Highly recommended.”
—Choice

 

Overview

 

A time-tested text, George Felton’s Advertising: Concept and Copy, Second Edition, is an innovative approach to advertising creativity. It covers the entire conceptual process, from developing smart strategy to executing it with strong ads‹from what to say to how to say it.

Part 1, Strategies, operates on the premise that the idea beneath an ad¹s surface determines its success. This first section shows how to research products, understand consumer behavior, analyze audiences, and navigate marketplace realities, then how to write creative briefs that focus this strategic analysis into specific advertising objectives.

Part 2, Executions, explains how to put strategies into play. It discusses the tools at a copywriter¹s command, from the elements of print advertising‹headlines, visuals, body copy‹to the wide variety of media and advertising genres available to advertisers. But creating great executions is never easy.

So Part 3, the Toolbox, gives advice about how to think creatively, then presents an array of problem-solving tools, a series of techniques that advertisers have used repeatedly to produce exceptional work. In brief, this book shows how to find strong selling ideas, then how to express them in fresh, memorable, persuasive ways.

Over 200 ads, many in color, demonstrate the strong thinking and writing that underlie the best advertising. This Second Edition features new sections on guerrilla advertising, interactive media, international and multicultural advertising, and postmodern advertising, as well as more material on the art of headlines, theme lines, slogans, and naming. Advertising: Concept and Copy is the most comprehensive text in its field, combining substantial discussion of both strategy and technique with an emphasis on the craft of writing not found elsewhere. It is truly a writer's copywriting text.

An Instructor's Manual for the Second Edition is now available as a PDF, including general advice, suggested semester and quarter outlines, and exercises to accompany each chapter. To request the IM, e-mail npb@wwnorton.com with (1) your name, (2) institution name, (3) the name of the course in which you are using the book, and (4) approximate enrollment. Please mention the Advertising IM in the subject or body of your message.

About the Author

George Felton is professor of English at Columbus College of Art & Design in Ohio, where he teaches writing and copywriting. His essays on advertising, popular culture, and his own perplexities have appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal, Brandweek, and Advertising Age. He has been a copywriter for projects honored by Print, Communication Arts, and HOW magazines, including the Best of Show entry in HOW's International Design Competition.

ISBN: 0-393-73159-6
March 2006
256 pages; paperback;
45 color and 180 black & white illustrations