This is a snapshot of project information archived on 2 September 2022. Please contact the project team for most recent updates.
Copywriting is a superpower
Subject: Media, Journalism & Communication Studies
Book Language: English
Audience: Students, educators, industry practitioners
Created date: February 21, 2022
Updated date: April 10, 2022
Target Release Date: 2023-02-28
License:
- Attribution
- Non-Commercial
- Share Alike
Needs:
- Contributors
Description:
Overview
Copywriting is a superpower that everyone can tap into. In fact, you can use it any time you want to convince anyone of anything. Whether you need to write an email to your boss asking for time off; convince your spouse to buy that sporty new car; get your parents to let you go to a party; or convince a client to entrust you with millions of dollars to help them market their product or service - copywriting will help you accomplish your goal. For students of advertising, marketing, public relations and communications, learning how to connect a stated strategy with its creative, well articulated expression through copywriting will serve them not only in class but throughout their entire careers.
Why this book? Why now?
I wish more people - especially students - understood that the ability to persuasively tell the story of your idea can make the difference between success and rejection. This textbook can help spread the word. The fact that this is an OER resource, which can be updated constantly, is an advantage because advertising itself changes constantly. The most effective advertising mirrors society, drawing from whatever is going on at that moment. Therefore, no printed book can keep up with the pace of change. This OER textbook allows me to revise my lessons accordingly - not just each semester, but each week to reflect the context of daily life. Those revisions include references and contributions from industry practitioners and educators. This OER book is able to provide up-to-the minute methods, tools, and examples of copywriting for an undergraduate introductory copywriting course. It also makes the lessons of copywriting accessible to anyone who’s interested - not just those who are enrolled in my class. This is important because advertising - like many industries - is struggling to be more diverse and inclusive. In the case of advertising, there’s a lot at stake because the people being marketed to are diverse and inclusive themselves. So anything that makes it easier to become a copywriter in this “male, pale, stale” industry has the potential to make a real impact.
Who is it for?
Undergrad Ad, PR, Marketing and Communications majors; Educators; Industry practitioners
Undergraduate advertising, marketing, public relations and communications students will find this OER resource useful in their studies and beyond. Other educators who teach at the undergrad and graduate level who want to stay up-to-date with the latest trends, methods, tools, and references will have open access - and be invited to contribute. Industry professionals who either didn’t formally study Copywriting or who want to refresh their skillset can turn to this book. Anyone who wants to become a copywriter but can’t afford the time and money it takes to study advertising can pick up useful tips and methods to get started in their career. Finally, anyone can use this OER textbook to learn how to tell the story of their idea more persuasively, improving their chances of having it realized.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this textbook, students should be able to:
Identify problems, challenges and unique opportunities that can be solved and communicated through advertising campaigns
Analyze and apply effective research in order to generate concise advertising creative strategy statements and campaign proposals
Translate an advertising strategy into a compelling, persuasive, impactful creative concept and campaign
Execute, articulate, critique, and defend creative ideas as strategic solutions
Judge the meaningfulness and effectiveness of advertising that’s on strategy
Write effectively, strategically, and dynamically with the appropriate voice
Utilize persuasive presentation techniques to sell ideas to decision makers
Consider and apply appropriate ethical guidelines in practice
Short Description:
An open educational resource that teaches ad, marketing, PR and communications students how to tell the story of an idea in a way that compels their audience to connect, participate, and act.
Outline
Structure TBD
The structure of the book is TBD. But since this is a textbook, its structure will mimic the semester structure of a class taught for 15-16 weeks, with 1 or 2 lessons per week.
There will be a student-facing text plus instructor guidelines and materials.
There will be additional instructor resources, lesson plan presentations, sample quizzes and other materials that will be produced or collected. The structure of these ancillary materials will vary.
Copywriting is a Superpower WIP Outline
You can view my work-in-progress outline here: Copywriting OER Book Outline - Google Docs