Copy Samples

Copy Samples

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I wrote this advertorial for Health Source, a free magazine targeted to the general public. It first appeared in the February, 2006 issue, and has run many times since.

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This catalog was designed in 2005 by The Kurtis Group for Joy In Motion women's bikewear. I wrote the copy for the catalog. It was designed to appeal to buyers from sporting goods and bike shops, who tend to be male. My headline, "What Do Women Really Want?" got their attention, and the copy explained the product's features to potential buyers.

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This brochure was created in 2003 to promote the Jekyll Harbor Marina in Jekyll Island, Georgia. It was used at several boat shows and distributed to other marinas all along the east coast.

This advertorial appeared in North Florida Doctor magazine, and was targeted to physicians. I have written many of these advertorials.

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When my former company exhibited at a regional flower and garden show in Atlanta, we also had an ad in the show's program. I wrote this copy for that ad to tie in with our overall product campaign that was running on TV stations and in print media across the southeast. It featured TV star Dixie Carter, who was pictured in the ad holding one of our company's directories, and the ad copy was written as though Dixie were speaking it. The target audience was the general public attending the show.

Did you know...
that your old phone books can be recycled? Those folks at [Company Name] print their directories on recycled paper, with soybean inks that are easier on the environment. And once the books are recycled, they're made into all kinds of things - like gypsum wallboard, insulation and roofing materials for my new house, hydromulch for my landscape - even paper for new phone books!

People all over the south have been recycling their outdated [Company Name] phone books. Since 1989, we've saved almost a quarter of a million cubic yards of landfill space! And that makes good sense to me.

Have you recycled your old phone books?

The ad featured the company's logo for its recycling programs and its recycling website URL across the bottom.

One of the key pieces of our community recycling programs was collection contests in local schools. Students were an important audience for our message, as they would influence their families' behavior. When new directories were delivered during the summer school break, however, we had to find another way to reach this important audience. We did this by holding a PSA contest in which students submitted their ideas on how to promote the community's phone book recycling program. This was a flyer sent to teachers in the second year of the program. Graphics were also included on the original piece.

It's time for the Second Annual
Phone Book Recycling
Public Service Announcement Contest!

Did Your Students Submit An Entry Last Year?
Here are Comments From Some Schools Who Did:

[Four quotes from teachers at elementary, middle and high school levels were included here. Particular benefits of the contest mentioned in the quotes were featured in bold type.]

Need More Incentive to Enter? How's This - Your School Could Win A Cash Prize from [Company Name]!

Turn This Page Over to Find Out More!

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The reverse side of the flyer included more specific information about the contest that would entice teachers to seek information from their school principals to enter. Graphics were also featured on this side of the flyer:

We're looking for a new 20-second public service announcement (PSA) to promote the Jacksonville area's phone book recycling program for [year]. Students may submit their ideas, filmed with a regular camcorder, for the ad. The Jacksonville Phone Book Recycling Committee will judge the submissions and select the winners.

The contest is open to all Duval County public schools. Students submitting the top entry will star in their spot as it's re-filmed in professional format by local television station [station] for broadcast on local television during this year's phone book recycling campaign.

A complete package about the contest is being sent to each school's principal. Enclosed in it will be:
1) a flyer to help promote the contest to your students
2) basic information & rule sheets about the contest
3) an entry form to be completed for submission with each video.

There's no limit to the number of entries your school can submit, so individuals, clubs, departments, etc. may compete with each other or pool their talents for the contest.

Prizes:     First Place:          $500
               Second Place:     $300
               Third Place:        $200

Each participating student will also receive a [TV network] gift pack from [local TV station]! All cash prizes are awarded to the winning schools, not to the individuals or groups who produced the entries. You may use the funds in whatever way would best benefit your school; passing them along to the group responsible for winning is certainly an option.

The deadline for all entries is Friday, March 13, [year]. If you need further information than is included in the package being sent to your principal, or if your school doesn't receive the package at all, please call [company contact].

The bottom of the flyer featured the logos of both contest sponsors and a reminder that the contest was for the benefit of the county's public schools.

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When promoting a directory publisher's sale of co-op ads, the target audience was the company's sales force. Contests were designed to entice reps to sell more ads involving co-op to increase their overall sales. Sales reps, however, are not easily amused, and it was always a challenge to keep the contest themes fresh and humorous.

One directory's campaign theme within the sales office was "The Executive Life." I tied in the sale of co-op ads by using the theme, "Co-op Executive Jet". Handouts for each sales rep were designed to look like airline tickets. They showed the co-op sales objectives for the campaign and outlined the contest qualifiers and prizes. A banner of a jet in the office had the same number of windows as sales reps, and every rep who made their co-op objective got their picture placed in one of the windows. A chart on the back of the "ticket" allowed the rep to track their co-op sales by the day and week during the campaign.

In a sales campaign for neighborhood directories, the co-op theme was tied in to "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" on PBS, and a parody of it that had been done on a National Lampoon album a few years earlier. Flyers defined the office and individual co-op sales objectives, or "bogies," with the headline of "It's a beautiful day in Mister Co-Op's Neighborhood: Can you say 'bogie'? Sure. I knew you could." Sales reps and managers who made their co-op sales bogies were allowed to visit the "Magic Kingdom" (our sales incentive closet) to choose a prize.

When the "teamwork" concept was first in vogue, one directory sales campaign had a theme of "We..." to emphasize teamwork. Playing off that, I had a promotional sign made showing the Eiffel Tower, with the theme of "Say 'Oui' to Co-op!" Sales objectives and space for co-op sales leaders' names and figures were shown with the tower.

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I used to prepare testimonial visual aids for a directory publisher's yellow pages sales force. The target audience was potential advertisers. After interviewing each advertiser giving us a testimonial, I would write the letter using the customer's thoughts and manner of speaking. The complete visual featured a photo of the customer on one side with a pull quote underneath. On the back was the letter and a reprint of the customer's advertising program from the directory. Some testimonials were designed to feature the publisher's new products, or to address issues like competition. These are some of the letters, with the portions identifying the company and its advertisers removed. The pull quotes are shown in bold.

I've been in business for six years, advertising in [Company's] Yellow Pages for all six. My business has doubled every year, and I've won numerous sales awards from my major brand of lawn mowers.

A couple of years ago, one of those advertising consultants came in here, telling me how he was going to save me money on my yellow pages. It seemed like a total scam to me, to pay him to save me money. I didn't know what kind of credentials he had; [Company's] Yellow Pages had been working for me, so I saw no reason to cut my ads there -- in fact, I increased them that year!

This year I'm using co-op in my ads to emphasize my major brands -- I plan on winning the #1 sales award in '86!

Sincerely,

Gentlemen:

[Advertiser's Business Name] has been in business in [City] for two years doing residential and commercial buildings.

Custom homes are our specialty. We highlight this in all our Yellow Pages ads by using bold red letters. This year is the first time we have used the red in our ads, and it makes them really stand out from those of our competitors.

We know our ads have been helpful in the growth of our business, and take this opportunity to say, "Thank you, Yellow Pages!"

Sincerely,

Gentlemen:

[Advertiser's Business Name] was established in 1962 as a husband-and-wife-owned business. We started advertising in the phone book at that time. One year we thought it was costing too much so we discontinued. That [Discontinuing] was the worst thing we ever did. The next year we came back bigger than ever. We have been in there ever since with 75 percent of our advertising money.

We have found that a prominent display ad under all appropriate headings really pays off. I am a firm believer in Yellow Page advertising and feel it is an investment and not an expense. It is there 24 hours a day working for you and I feel I could not be in business without it.

Sincerely,

I've been in the florist business for 13 years. Four years ago I moved my business from [Large City] to [Smaller Adjacent City].

I've always advertised in the [Publisher's] Yellow Pages, but I'm amazed at how much more effective our half-page ad is in this smaller market. Although the town is smaller, we get about 20 calls a day from our yellow pages ad. People call because they recognize the picture of our little yellow van that is parked out in front of the store.

[Publisher's Directory Brand Name] have helped my business tremendously. The size and the impressive layout of our ad are the reasons why. In fact, you may have heard me on the radio in a commercial for [Publisher's Directory Brand Name]!

Sincerely,

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