Term before
last (Summer 2013) four writers forced me to give them an A. Half the number I gave the entire previous
year.
Last quarter
(Fall 2013) there were none.
First assignment,
I pegged three of my Fall students As for sure. A few on the verge. Everyone
fully capable if they brought their game. The deciders of shirt-worthiness:** personal process, growth, attention to detail,
quirks, creative point of view, ability to determine, write on Concept, in a
strong Language of Concept, work ethic, professionalism,
external & internal realities, how well students learn and apply what I
teach, Copy Sins, Mercury.
Talent? Not on the list. If a student doesn’t have it, the Circus
process usually weeds them out before they get to me. If a student somehow manages to cry/BS/insist
their way through, they either put it together or crash and burn when they go Doreen.
I pushed. Prodded.
Exposed tricked forced called complained explained cajoled complimented. Like all writers, each used writing relics from
J-school, life, academic Creative Writing programs, high school English teachers
you love to hate. Writing tics so
ingrained in each student’s idea what professional, motivating communication is,
so habitual, writers spend all quarter learning to see them in their work.
They learned
well, changed how they read and consider copy, how they think about writing it,
what it needs to do. Except for one clunker
assignment (my fault), the class got most or came close. Students learned to think in Kamikaze Copy –
and the Kamikaze Creative Strategy driving it.
They tell me
they’ll never read or write copy the same way again.
Still, no As.
As different
as students are, too many suffer from the same personal Kamikaze Key Fact: Students slave over KKFs. Think them intuit them throw them against the
wall to see if any stick. Get confused,
get frustrated, come up with a few more.
Pick out one or two with potential.
Promptly forget what KKFs do. How to use them.
One saving grace, they get pretty good at Kamikaze
Prospect Definition and Prospect Driven work.
Ignore KKFs, all that’s left is product.
The Language
of Concept may speak fluent Kamikaze Prospect Definition. But without those KKFs to lead and feed
concept, the work becomes Product, not Prospect, driven.
Worse, it can
create creative product-based sameness. Prospect perspective, common human emotions truths
– in other words, Kamikaze Key Facts - Be Damned.
No matter how
good a student’s writing became, conceptual growth trended I got lucky. Often the
Kamikaze Creative Promise and KC Reasons Why took the place of Prospect
+KKF. Thankfully, most of last term’s
group did learn to integrate product features and benefits as if they were
Oxford and/or other unnecessary commas.
All of which
left a huge dilemma – and disappointment.
Not a single A, tons of Bs, B-s, B+s.
How does the lack of using their KKF doom otherwise excellent copywriting students to Bs at best?
My classes focus
on copy writing. So we learn a lot of tricky, often anti-grammar
minutia. What I call the Three* Sister Aspects/Koans
of Kamikaze Copywriting.
The Three
Sisters aren’t about proper grammar as much as the power of words. Words + Concept create Theater of the Mind. Put pictures into prospect’s conscious and
unconscious awareness. If you nail the
Language of Concept, the Prospect will read.
All. Knowing the rules of
American English grammar – by education or instinct – gives great ad copy power
to motivate manipulate sound structure content connection voice outside the rules. Where Concept lives. Where life happens. Where/how products are bought and sold.
Marry learned
knowledge/gut grammar to a Kamikaze Key Fact strong enough, unexpected enough;
you have classical archetypes of motivation and belief.
Kamikaze
Copywriting Sister Koan #1: To create
subtle emotional connections, powerful motivations and identifiable archetypes,
you cannot expect product + copy to do the job.
As Gypsy once sang (look it
up), You gotta have a gimmick. An idea.
Concept. To get those (sing along
if you know the tune) you gotta have a Kamikaze Key Fact.
Kamikaze
Copywriting Sister Koan #2: It’s not
enough to have a great KKF. No matter
how good it is, it won’t work if you don’t use it.
Kamikaze Key Fact – something bigger
picture in the Prospect’s life which unexpectedly puts the product within
relevant importance/in direct participation/perception of need to the
Prospect.
It may or may
not be a benefit. The Kamikaze Key
Fact’s not about the product. It’s about
the Prospect’s life, needs wants dreams fears relationships. About what’s going on in the Prospect’s
sphere of experience. It’s the link to where the product lives in the
Prospect’s life.
A good KKF is
NEVER about direct product benefits/features.
It’s about the Prospect’s world. Makes
unusual, conceptual connections driving the Prospect/Product connection.
This is where
the majority of Bs-shoulda-coulda-been-As come from. Students try to write KKFs like they study
for tests. And there is a test – weekly. Each Skype session, students bring in strategies,
with/without copy. I show them where
it’s good, where it sucks, how illogical it is/isn’t. I try to show them how I’d do it - not because
it’s the only or best way. I hope it’ll
lead to their way.
No matter how
good your writing is. You gotta have a gimmick. You gotta have – and use – a good KKF.
Unless you'll settle for a B.
Not one of
them took that step over the line of product expected into concept brilliant. Not one of them rode their KKFs to conceptual copy
brilliance. Most copy didn’t relate to
the KKF at all. Very good writers. A few Writers’ Writers – those who can
fearlessly tackle any structure, any style, any topic, any voice.
No A shirts.
Is it
possible? To get an A in my Kamikaze
Copywriting classes? A dozen people have
done it since I’ve been back at the Circus (six terms?).
It isn’t
enough to be a good – even great – writer. To be Kamikaze, solve the problem
creatively. With great smarts, great
skill. Motivate the Prospect to
participate in the idea, in your solution.
Come up with
that unexpectedly relational KKF. Push
it conceptually until the prospect has no other choice than to follow. Apply all your skill, product knowledge. Use the KCWP fearlessly. Be Kamikaze. Understand, concept from the Kamikaze Key Fact. Why? Here’s
the shocker – it’s easier to kill a great concept with so-so Copy than with Gawd
Awful Art Direction. The Prospect may
forgive the weak visual, design. The
Prospect will never forgive – or read – conceptless, artless no KKF Ad Copy.
* I
didn’t forget there are three Sister Kamikaze Copywriting Koans.
The third one is “Develop your Kamikaze Copywriting Gut.” Covered before, I promise will be covered
again. Not applicable here – gut or no
gut, nothing to do with grades.
**Earn
an A in my class, earn a t-shirt your ECD will envy.
As with all material published in KamikazeCreative@blogspot.com, this post is (c) Doreen Dvorin/Kamikaze Creative. This entry, (c)2014, Doreen Dvorin/Kamikaze Creative
