People think they are very good at three things:

SEX, THEIR JOB, AND COPYWRITING.

Most people think copywriting is a piece of cake (“Just give me a line for …” is the usual refrain.) And they are right. Only, they fail to understand that to make even a simple cake, first you have to get the mix right and then get it baked at 220 degrees Celsius for around three quarters of an hour. Even then there’s no guarantee that you would end up with something edible. Try walking on burning coals — it’s easier.

After 35+ years of writing copy for FMCG, financial, industrial… and other clients, all I can say is writing copy is blood, sweat and tears (and not beer, as David Ogilvy famously titled a book). It calls for extensive reading, a wide range of interests, command over language and dialects, an ear for dialogue, understanding of the psychology of the consumers… and more (just indulging in some self aggrandizement).

So, remember that behind every throwaway line of mine lies 35+years of blood, sweat and tears.

PS: Featured above a well-known ad from Trikaya Advertising released circa 1993. Copywriter: Christopher Rozario Art Director: Vikas Gaitonde