ROOFTOP banter

The Copy D. Word of the Week

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Copy D

Date: 

December 28th, 2009 /// Copy D. Word of the Week

skul⋅dug⋅ger⋅y [skuhl-duhg-uh-ree]
–n. plural -ger⋅ies.
1. an instance of dishonest or deceitful behavior; trick.

I knew there was some skullduggery afoot when I noticed my chair was on the ceiling.

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The Copy D. Word of the Week

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Copy D

Date: 

December 21st, 2009 /// Copy D. Word of the Week

tar⋅ra⋅did⋅dle [tar-uh-did-l]
–n.
1.    a petty falsehood; a fib.

I don’t know what you’re so mad about, I just told a tiny tarradiddle.

You told my niece you had a unicorn farm so that she would choose you as her favorite!

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The Copy D. Word of the Week

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Copy D

Date: 

December 14th, 2009 /// Copy D. Word of the Week

scha⋅den⋅freu⋅de [shahd-n-froi-duh]
–n.
1. satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else’s misfortune.

An inescapable sense of schadenfreude enveloped him as he witnessed the dog steal his brother’s burrito.

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This Is How I Cook Up Creativity

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Julie Jones

Date: 

December 8th, 2009 /// Inspiration

As a busy copywriter constantly juggling family, friends and career, it can be tough to find extra time to fuel my creative mind. I’d love to spend countless hours journaling, taking classes or writing prose, but I don’t have limitless time to give. So, I’ve resorted to making the most of everyday activities to stave off creative hunger.

I have to eat to live. I have to be creative to make a living. I combine the two and use the kitchen as a place to nurture my imagination. Cooking has a big pay off that’s unlike any other creative exercise for me – I actually get to consume my creativity.

Rather than connect words in ways that “resonate with target audience,” I unite ingredients to “please the palette.” I get to handle them, season, prepare and plate. And the physicality of being on my feet and working with my hands, has an odd ability to steady my soul while also making my neurons rapid fire.

Manipulating ingredients isn’t such a departure from wordsmithing. Food simply acts as the verbiage. With time and practice, I learned how to pair ingredients to create something unexpected. I know when and how to take risks that enhance the flavor profile of a traditional recipe. The variety in preparation is just like the variety in media – sometimes I braise, other times I blanch to achieve the desired result.

Feeding a creative mind is a never-ending pursuit. And finding inspiration in something routine can be a refreshing creative challenge. I’m probably not the first to recognize that when this portion of my mind isn’t consistently nourished, I’ll find myself starving for ideas when it counts.

I challenge you to take an everyday activity – doing the laundry, driving to work or shopping for groceries – and transform it into a creative exercise. We’d love to hear about it so make sure you share!

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The Copy D. Word of the Week

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Copy D

Date: 

December 7th, 2009 /// Copy D. Word of the Week

flib⋅ber⋅ti⋅gib⋅bet [flib-er-tee-jib-it]
-n.
1. a silly, chattering or flighty person.

If this flibbertigibbet next to me doesn’t shut up for two seconds, I might tear my own eyes out and plug my ears with them.

I can hear you, you know.

Oh really? I didn’t know you could do anything but talk.

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The Copy D. Word of the Week

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Copy D

Date: 

November 30th, 2009 /// Copy D. Word of the Week

ker·fuf·fle [kər-ˈfə-fəl]
-n.
1. a disorderly outburst or tumult, commotion.

What’s all this kerfuffle?

Someone’s claiming they saw a leprechaun.

In Alabama? Who would have thought?

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The Copy D. Word of the Week

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Copy D

Date: 

November 23rd, 2009 /// Copy D. Word of the Week

pon⋅tif⋅i⋅cate [pon-tif-i-keyt]
-v.
1. to speak or express opinions in a pompous or dogmatic manner.

We can pontificate about this all day, but we’ll never know who’d win a battle between Gandalf and Dumbledore.

Dude. Gandalf is a Maia spirit – he’s immortal.

Yeah, but Dumbledore has a phoenix.

Footnote: Curious about this argument? So were we. Check out what we found: http://bit.ly/3Ro7hk

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The Copy D. Word of the Week

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Copy D

Date: 

November 20th, 2009 /// Copy D. Word of the Week

The average American knows between 12,000 – 20,000 words. As copywriters, we understand and respect the power of words. The right combination can influence emotions, intrigue intellect, and even change lives. And some of them are just plain fun to say.

We want the world to see the wonder of words through our eyes. To this purpose, the Copy D. presents Word of the Week. Slip it into a few sentences over the next seven days. Revel in the reactions you receive. Soak up the expressions of entertainment, appreciation and awe that will undoubtedly result. When you encounter a blank stare, feel free to choose between enlightening your audience or exiting through your cloud of linguistic superiority. Bask in the glory of your new-found power. And come back next week for another fix.

clish⋅ma⋅cla⋅ver [klish-muh-kley-ver, kleesh-]
—n. Scot.
1. gossip; idle or foolish talk.

No one cares who got kicked off the Tool Academy last night; cut the clishmaclaver and get back to work.

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Confetti: Party Decor Transforms Into Mystical Marketing Messages

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Tom Keathley

Date: 

November 10th, 2009 /// Marketing Trends

We all know that breaking through clutter is a classic challenge for marketers, particularly with the ever-increasing bombardment of messages hurled at consumers. We believe the key is to offer up unexpected fun to entice engagement.

One of our favorite tactics is a marketing wonder that’s smaller than a business card. Confetti is the word we’ve coined as its name. On the surface, Confetti is a pretty little card with interesting visuals and a website URL. Like traditional confetti, it looks great when it’s spread around an environment as party décor. Unlike its festive counterpart, you can use Confetti to make people believe fate is calling.

Picture this: You sit down at your favorite restaurant and find a pocket-sized message on the table. Suddenly, you have the feeling that it was put there just for you. Almost like fate is talking to you. You put it in your pocket or purse, only to rediscover it later. Yet again, your interest is piqued, and you feel compelled to hop online to unravel the mystery.

That’s the beauty of Confetti. You can spread it around town in small doses or drop it from a helicopter (okay, don’t litter!) – restaurants, the library, and the gym – anywhere that’s appropriate. And it’s a little intriguing treasure that’s impossible to resist.

Proof positive of the power of Confetti.

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How shenanigans can make you millions

Posted By: 

Brandi Hensler

Date: 

November 3rd, 2009 /// Inspiration, Keathley Take Fives

Freestyle writing. Yoga. Radiohead. Creatives use many methods to get (and stay) inspired. An inspired and practiced mind is much more prone to moments of creative genius.

People may be born creative, but in order to harness creativity, it needs to be exercised. Creativity is not a bike. You can’t jump on it after years without practice. You’ll probably crash, and definitely won’t land a 720 bar spin.

Advertising agencies know this. Smart ones encourage behavior that inspires creativity because creativity impacts their bottom lines. The question is: Would this mode of thinking benefit other businesses that may view these behaviors as a waste of company time? Maybe the answer is no. Then again… more industries than advertising rely on ideas.

Creativity-inspiring activities aren’t necessarily time consuming.  A break from intense thinking for some short-lived fun has substantial positive results. Redirecting attention for a moment of entertainment and creative release refreshes creative mojo. We bet modern psychology can back this up. And we’ve known it to solve problems on many occasions.

In the names of all those whose work benefits from a 5-minute Fun-Time Refresh, we’ve decided to compile a collection of examples. We’ll call it the “Keathley Take Fives.” Keep an eye out for additions. Here’s one to get you started.

Situation: This Keathley Take Five manifested itself in the form of an email chain. Becki Cooper, Account Coordinator, had to stay home one morning for a kitchen appliance repair. She sent the following email to inform the staff of the situation:

Dishwasher guy said he will be here at 11. Probably be in around 12-12:15. Feel free to email me w anything.

Becki Cooper
Public Relations Coordinator
Keathley Advertising

As any levelheaded colleagues would respond, the staff took the last line of the email quite literally. The following is a glimpse at some of the responses.

Hey Becki:

Hate to bother you, but I have a pressing question I wanted to ask.  Typically, people don’t read labels properly and shampoo their hair incorrectly.

I’m sure you know this, but it says to “Lather. Rinse. AND Repeat.”  I know a lot of people don’t Repeat and only Lather and Rinse once.  This is a shame.  I just wanted to see if you were aware of this situation and were taking steps to assure that you are indeed Repeating as the label implies.

I just don’t want to get into a “He-said” “She-said” situation when it comes to these types of things.  Can you please put together a 20+ page internal policy report on how we can correct this issue in the future (and we might as well put together something on how it can be corrected in the past while we are at it).  If you could have that ready by noon for review that would be great.

Thanks.
–

Zachary Linquist
Director of Interactive Media

________________________________________________________________

Hey Becki:

I hope things are going well with your appliances. I was just sitting here pondering an important question: Twix: Cookie or Candy? I thought that, with your background in cake design, you might have some insight on this.

Would you mind doing some primary and secondary research on the subject? It’d be great if you could post a formal survey on your Facebook page and ask all your Twitter followers.

Please compile your findings in a detailed report, along with at least 22 related web articles and a summary of your final conclusions, by EOD today.

Thanks,

Jack                                                                                                                                                                           Associate Creative Director

________________________________________________________________

Hi Becki,

I need some consultation about an area of your expertise. American Idol, while obviously the most annoying and mentally insubstantial show ever to have disgraced the screen, is somehow the most successful show in history.

Is the success of American Idol due to it being a meritable reality program or a string of self-obsessed publicity stunts and scandals?

Topics of discussion:

• Paula Abdul and young boys
• Paula Abdul on drugs
• “Coke” cups: promotion or insinuation?
• Gay guys finish second
• Ryan Seacrest

Please advise.

Thanks

Brandi Hensler
Copywriter

________________________________________________________________

Conclusion: Did Becki deliver on these requests? No. Was the combined 15 minutes spent on this a waste of company time? Maybe. But the award-winning campaign that was concepted later the same day says otherwise…

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