Ruby Wax and the curious mind

Recently, I listened to Ruby Wax talking about why her career dropped off post 2000. Or as Gabby Logan termed it, ‘The Louis Theroux effect’. Effectively, Ruby was dumped by TV executives because women over a certain age weren’t welcome on TV. They hired Louis Theroux instead. She says, he took her job and her career pretty much ended. 

The woman who helped to birth Absolutely Fabulous. The woman who wrote the first Patsy skit. Come on, this woman is a creative genius! But I guess all of that talent was only skin-deep according to society. 

As an aside, when I was 18, I dressed up as Patsy at a party. My Edina, Sara Nicolson, has since sadly passed from breast cancer. But I will never forget that evening of pretending to be Joanna Lumley at Sara’s shoulder. As a petulant soon-to-be English and Drama student, I stayed in character all night, drank fake champers and generally annoyed everyone. It was a quality evening. So I have an affinity with Patsy. And, ergo, with Ruby Wax. 

If we don’t accept the future, we become irrelevant

Ruby Wax has since studied at Oxford for a Masters in Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. As anyone with a curious mindset knows, it’s important to always keep learning and adapting. “Women have to reinvent constantly because we live too long”, says Wax. She was always interested in people and their stories, their “puzzles” as she calls them. I relate to this as a writer. Roald Dahl said of writers they’re “terrible nosey parkers”. I think that’s true enough. I certainly don’t stop asking questions, which can often be a bit much, I know. 

It’s a fascinating look at life as an older woman. Ruby is, for many today, a lesser-known polymath and unlike, the David Walliams’s and Matt Lucas’s of this world, she hasn’t been celebrated as such. I hope this is Ruby’s time. 

Hiring creative women inspires a generation

And now we get to the really interesting bit. Ruby says she was a terrible mother. She was always working as the main breadwinner. She can’t remember birthday parties. But with age, her children respect her now. They see her hard work and it sounds as though they have fed off it. And on top of all of that, Ruby Wax has been incredibly ill over the years. So ill, the anxieties of menopause have almost passed her by.  

If you know anyone who has had a breakdown, it often comes with major memory failure anyway. And the most intelligent people are often more adversely affected, with one in six people having a mental disorder at some point in their lives. She became ‘frazzled’ and wrote a book about it, with the same name. “If you’re not frazzled, you’re either in a coma or you’ve reached enlightenment,” says Ruby. But at the time, we were fed the mantra that her ‘craziness’ was wrong. That mental illness was wrong. 

The creative mindset is unique

Now if this isn’t relevant to copywriting, creativity and advertising agencies, I don’t know what is. It’s certainly relevant to the recurrent problem of ageism within recruitment and employment. Check out Ruby’s interviews now showing on Channel 4 on Sunday nights. 

Absolutely fabulous. 

The business of lockdown

I’ve been busier than ever this lockdown. Firstly, there has been the pressure that any minute now, copywriting work might drop off, in a postapocalyptic nightmare-type scenario. 

I wake at night, dreams burgeoning with the shadowy figure of a giant grimreaper-esque figure of Rishi Sunak frantically waving his IR35 paperwork in my face so that I’m unable to breathe, while sending a long line of creative associates into a queue marked ‘End game’. It’s the place where old copywriters and art directors go to pay even more taxes and to die alone knowing they didn’t give quite their best to the economy. 

Of course, this is not why I wake at all. I simply need the toilet. I’m over forty now, after all. A rare copywriter beast, being female and a mother with tweenage children. The lockdown however, has allowed me to enjoy my copywriting career in a way I have often struggled to: I’m able to work full-time hours. 

With no long commutes to deal with, shaving a good two or so hours off my day, not to mention train delays, I can perform the small miracle that is juggling caring for two children and holding down a relationship whilst maintaining my ageing mother’s needs. Normal life for many people, of course. 

This does not affect my work. My copywriting work is everything to me and more. Being a working mum has actually improved aspects of my work, but that’s another story. 

Lockdown has empowered me as a mother but also, it has given me a new mountain to visit as well. But I have already climbed several before now – creative types often have – so I’m actually well placed to tackle more. I’ve got the skills and the passion, and of course, bags and bags of wisdom. And that has helped me to become even more incisive. I don’t want to be seen as past it and not ‘thirty under thirty’ enough. One thing I hear from time to time is that more mature creatives have a really positive attitude to their work, which is great to hear. Sadly, I add this in as many of my contemporaries joke they are dead and buried, even though they’re really not.

This year, in a full-time freelance capacity, I came up with concepts for a major car retailer’s Valentine’s Day campaign, working remotely alongside an Art Director, whose time was being simultaneously stretched across two other jobs. I then executed creative rationale, sold in the work to the client over Zoom and developed the copy lines and thinking required for the entire UK dealerships to take the ideas and implement them across all their social media channels. And the continuity and joy that brought me as a copywriter, was simply wonderful. When I work remotely, I can get more done. And freelancing doesn’t always allow you to have that autonomy. Sometimes you might not even get in front of the client at all. You might not be ‘trusted’ because you’re not an employee. But when you are, it’s a fabulous feeling. 

Christmas adverts 2019

PLANNER:

HOW CAN WE MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY THIS YEAR WITH A LIGHTWEIGHT MESSAGE THAT WILL RAISE A SMILE. BECAUSE, WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME OF CHANGE FOR THE PLANET. CHRISTMAS DOESN’T REALLY FIT IN WITH THAT, DOES IT?

CREATIVE DIRECTOR:

CHRISTMAS ISN’T SUSTAINABLE. BUT WE’VE GOT FAMILIES TO BRING CHEER TO. ESPECIALLY AFTER THIS DISASTEROUS BREXSHIT MALLARKY.  

WE CAN EITHER FOCUS ON PRODUCT OR WE CAN TALK ABOUT SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT. LIKE MAKING PEOPLE SMILE. IF YOU CAN BUILD ON/RECYCLE LAST YEAR’S IDEAS, EVEN BETTER. BOOTS. OR IF YOU CAN’T, RECYCLE LAST YEAR’S IDEAS AND ADD A CATCHY SONG. THAT’LL DO IT. ALDI.

TAP INTO TRENDS. PEOPLE LOVE THE 90s RIGHT NOW, MAKE IT ‘FRIENDS’, THE MORE CENTRAL PERK THE BETTER. MARKS AND SPENCER. NOSTALGIA IS THE THING. BRING PEOPLE’S CHILDHOODS TO LIFE. HELP THEM TO SMELL CHRISTMAS IN THE 80s/90s/00s OR WHATEVER. BRING NAN’S PERFUME TO LIFE, YOU KNOW? ARGOS.

THE OTHER THING IS, MAKE IT CUTE. IF YOU MAKE SOMETHING CUTE, GEN Z WILL RESPOND. YOU JUST HAVE TO LOOK AT INSTAGRAM TO KNOW THAT. JOHN LEWIS.

BUT IF YOU TRY TO SELL TOO MANY PRODUCTS, THAT’S NOT VERY ECO-FRIENDLY. BUT SOME PRODUCTS ARE GOOD. PICK YOUR PRODUCT. A CHRISTMAS PUDDING WON’T OFFEND ANYONE. WILL IT? BUT IF YOU ASK SOMEONE TO RESTYLE THEIR WHOLE HOUSE, YOU MIGHT OFFEND SOMEONE. MIND YOU, IT REALLY IS IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO OFFEND ANYONE SO MAKE IT CUTE. ADD A SONG, MAKE IT GOOD. IKEA. HELL, THROW IN SOME REINDEER AND YOU’VE LITERALLY GOT A CAMPAIGN. MCDONALDS.

PLANNER:

WHAT ABOUT THE BRAND?

CREATIVE DIRECTOR:

WELL, BRANDS AREN’T JUST FOR CHRISTMAS. I SUPPOSE YOU COULD TALK ABOUT BRITISHNESS AND THE BRAND. I MEAN, WHAT HOOK HAVE YOU GOT TO GO ON? NOT MANY ANGLES LEFT AT THIS TIME OF YEAR. IT’S NOT LIKE WE WANT TO PLAY CHRISTMAS BINGO, IS IT? UK HERITAGE IS GOOD, BEATS THE AMAZON NOT PAYING TAX THING. SAINSBURY’S. YOU’RE A 100 YEARS OLD THIS YEAR? TELL PEOPLE. BUT MAKE IT ENGAGING. I MEAN, IT’S NOT REALLY COOL BEING OLD. TESCO. MAGIC. THAT’S WHAT WE NEED. A DUSTING OF CHRISTMAS MAGIC. SPARKLE. ASDA. BUT MAKE IT GOOD.

IN FACT, IF YOU DO HAVE A MESSAGE, YOU COULD ALWAYS THROW THAT IN AND MAKE AN AD ABOUT IT. VISA.

PLANNER:

BUT WHAT ABOUT CHRISTMAS?

Freelance Copywriter for Hire

I like to think that if you really want something badly enough, you have to go after it and make it happen.

As such, I read a lot of profiles about senior female copywriting peers of mine who haven’t necessarily had children, but who have had a dream and have pursued it and lived to tell the brilliant tale. I’m not sure anyone is going to be writing about me any time soon, so I’ve written a piece about myself, for myself instead…!

Always a copywriter

When I was little, I just wrote and wrote. I had many penpals and I loved to send my classmates letters in the long summer holidays. Some of these lovely ladies have kept some of the letters and have since shown me them.

My favourite subject at school was English and I was so bored in those holidays, I would entirely lose myself in books. I’d read nearly all the Agatha Christie books by the time I was 12.

My first ‘official’ job post graduating was in financial PR. In the interview, I said I wanted to write press releases. I hadn’t heard about copywriting at that time. The role was off Liverpool Street, in Artillery Lane, often frequented by Jack the Ripper tours. One of his victims was found out the back of the office and in the winter months, you’d hear voices creep up to the window with talk of foul deeds and bloodcurdling chill.

It was there that I saw the events of 9/11 unfold, around the corner from the Stock Exchange, which was immediately shutdown. It was a truly terrible day, particularly for our clients in the Merrill Lynch office. It was also pivotal in my copywriting journey as it was also where I realised somebody had to write all those Abbey National Offshore brochures…

After knocking PR on the head, I moved to Dublin for a time. It brought me closer to my Irish roots and gave me an appreciation for what I really wanted to do. I worked in a marketing department in an Irish bank and when I returned to the UK, I had several more varied and interesting roles.

I also had a side-hustle during this time, training as a CELTA and ESOL teacher, as well as completing an adult literacy course in London. I’ve always been a grammar nerd, and it was wonderful to teach adults to learn to read and write.

The middle years

I am a firm believer that the more life experience you have, the better. It sparks creativity, and also means you learn skills to cope well with moving into new environments. As such, I made sure I gained experience at small independent agencies and also mid-to-large companies. It was a great time working in central London and I learned so much.

As a mid-weight copywriter at a WPP agency, I directed Zoe Wanamaker in a TFL London radio advert. It gave me so much pleasure to ask her to repeat a line. I felt like I’d arrived! What an upstart…  

My peer, celebrated copywriter Vikki Ross has worked in two creative professional marketing agencies in London. I was the long-term freelance copywriter at one of them until I decided to move on. It was at the one that played Chaz and Dave on a Friday evening. 

“Have some fun with it”

The best agencies have been the ones where we had fun on the job. Nobody is saving lives writing copy, but equally, as a professional copywriter, it’s nice to be appreciated.

You’ve spent your life writing copy, so you’d like to think you know a thing or two about it. While it’s good to get feedback, there’s nothing more soul destroying in a client rewriting the copy, just because they can – especially when your original lines were, in your opinion, epic.

It begins and ends with subjectivity

If you have an agency rule that some feedback is objective and some is subjective and stick to the rule that you will happily accept a certain amount of subjectivity, that’s fine. But if every other comment is subjective, someone needs to be pushing back to the client about that. Because, somebody somewhere down the line will articulate this. And you don’t want fingers being pointed at you, the original copywriter on the brief.

Jerry Della Fermina of Madman, Madison Avenue fame, once said that advertising is the best fun you can have with your clothes on. I can’t claim to know all about advertising, but copywriting comes pretty close for me.

Getting under the skin of new briefs is just a wonderful feeling; researching a business or an industry and coming up with creative treatments to answer a client’s dilemma or problem – it’s the best.

The people you meet

As a freelance copywriter, I get to work with and meet all sorts of wonderful people, every single week. Some of the best of these people have been Creative Directors and Art Directors I’ve met along the way.

Today, many of my peer interactions happen on the internet. I can’t praise Twitter highly enough for bringing rays of light to my door when working at home alone on projects.

Sometimes jobs have come from these interactions and I’ve met some of these online creatives in real life and that’s always fun. Like imagining a character in a book and seeing them come to life on screen, wearing a real pair of shoes and pulling faces at you.

Amazingly, many people still don’t ‘get’ Twitter. For the creative mind, it’s like having a living, breathing treasure chest of ideas at your fingertips. You just need to know how to work the filter. Block the noise you don’t want to hear.

Back to the copywriting

In one of the creative marketing agencies I worked in, voices crept in at the window once more. No, real voices again. Instead of Ripper tours, graffiti tours were being held down in the street. Marketing agencies have crept into Shoreditch now, leaving the expensive office space of Soho well and truly behind. It was here that I worked with an incredible strategy director and I learned a lot about market trends, start-ups and brand platforms.  

At the WPP agency where I left to go on my first maternity leave, I applied to come back as a content writer – a floater who could work at home when needed and with every creative team when cover was required. This idea was rejected. But ten years later, most agencies have a content writer like this. It became a ‘thing’.

My freelance rebirth was a positive moment – I went on to work with Table19 for many years while my children were small and this was a good time for me. I don’t know if anyone has ever written about Creative Director Damian Kirby, but I will always remember the laughs we had during this time.

I am currently working directly with agencies and clients alike and continue to build on the experience I have. This works well as I balance my home commitments with my career.

Available for freelance

I’m excited about the next chapter in my copywriting career. Am seeking freelance copywriting briefs, large and small. You can throw in some proofreading or strategy as well if you like. Yes, I’m a senior copywriter with creative director tendencies, but that makes me easier to work with in many ways as I cut straight to the task at hand and am old enough and ugly enough to take criticism well and collaborate effectively for the good of the work.

Get in touch if you need a freelance copywriter for your next marketing project. And who knows, we may even have some fun with it. I look forward to hearing from you.

Need a specialist copywriter?

I’ve been told it helps if you can market yourself based on your specialism. That’s true enough. But if you’re a creative copywriter, you probably thrive on change. You love to whittle out facts about all sorts of brands and write headlines with awesome angles.

If you solely write for one aspect of business, good for you. But what if you get stale? Churning out the same old ideas with little focus on what’s new and exciting?

Personally, my mind loves a challenge. I find curiosity and interest in all sorts of industries and organisations. If I had to be pinned down to one, maybe it would be charity. Maybe. Because, that makes everyone feel good, right?  

Copywriting for financial services

Thing is, I also love big business, like financial services. Just look at what HSBC is doing just now. Big, beautiful, thought-provoking copy-led creative. Fabulous, engaging copywriting that gets people talking.

Lloyds Bank and AXA have positioned themselves as financial institutions supporting good mental health. You’d never have thought that possible ten years ago.

Copywriting for entertainment

Some of my other favourite briefs have been, unsurprisingly, in the entertainment world. NOWTV is such a fun brand to work on, particularly when you’re being paid to watch movies and interpret what they’re about in a matter of three sentences for an email campaign.

It’s fun and engaging copywriting that shows why the written word is still super important in bringing about cut-through, leading to marketing ideas with impact.

I am just as happy writing incisive press releases for TV and film companies. And as for writing film scripts, that’s another specialism that not everybody gets right. But it is so rewarding writing engaging copy that needs to be well timed and spoken out loud.

Copywriting for B2B clients

Some of the other stuff, some of the involved B2B work has been so rewarding too. I get a great kick out of interpreting a company’s services and finding their point of difference in order to share it with the world at large in a creative and compelling way. Just because you’re in business, it doesn’t mean you can’t be clever with language or find ways to inject human warmth into the dialogue.  

Back to charity. The interesting element with charity briefs is the call to action and the impactful nature of this. Direct response campaigns can be some of the most challenging briefs to work on. They’re measured with such precision so every word counts. And often, there are strict guidelines on what can and can’t be said.

I have had the privilege to work on campaigns for MAP (Medical Aid for Palestine), and the Royal Marsden, where I was able to have tours of their world-leading hospitals. When you get up close to a business, you really begin to see where the conversation starters lie. And that’s true of big business and charities alike.

Keeping up with trends

I hope you begin to see where an all-round copywriter who can come up with engaging copywriting but also, with an eye for strategy and business concerns, is more important that hiring a copywriting specialist. So I would argue, it’s best to take ‘specialist’ and leave it firmly in the medical world.

Also, it’s worth checking to see if your copywriter is ‘current’. If you’re seeing reams of brochures in a portfolio, and you need a brochure writer, that’s great. But if you also see social media and film scripts, you’ll know you’re getting a quick thinker who gets new ideas quickly and readily. And somebody who isn’t set in their ways or their thinking.

Give me a call if you’d like help with your marketing challenge. I’d be more than happy to talk it through. As anyone who knows me will agree, I like a chat.

(Apologies for blatant SEO headlines. Am seeking new opportunities from January 2020, so you can’t blame a girl for trying).