MarkTrueblood

In the past few years, there has been a lot of discussion exploring the impact of the digital world on advertising. Effects on account service, media, brand planning, design, and culture have all been evaluated numerous times. But not much has been written on how it has specifically affected the role of a writer.

With The Idea Writers, Creativity Magazine Editor Teressa Iezzi attempts to fill the void. I think this book is very helpful to writers trying to figure out what to do in our rapidly mutating industry. However, I feel there are some things missing as well. Still, The Idea Writers is well worth your time and your $10.

Good:

-The Premise.
As the title might indicate, the author argues that more than ever, we are writers of ideas rather than the writers of ads. She also reminds us that the idea, whether ad-like or not, needs to persuasively sell. That gets overlooked sometimes, and it diminishes our standing in the eyes of clients.

-The Mission.
Teressa Iezzi writes, "If this book has a philosophical point of view, it's that you the copywriter are responsible for putting things into the world, and those things should be useful, entertaining, or beautiful, or all of those things. They should make people feel better, not worse, about themselves, the brand involved and living in the world in general."

-The Storytelling.
The author does a wonderful job on an in-depth exploration of what it means to be a brand storyteller. I especially enjoyed a brief section on how dramatic tension can help your story along and keep your viewers interested.

-The Empathy.
There was great thinking to be found in a section that discussed how to get into the minds of your viewers. Important stuff.

-The Team.
Lots of well-balanced insight on how writers fit into the changing nature of the creative team.

-The "Golden Age" That Wasn't.
Several times in the book, Iezzi cautions us not to look on past advertising eras with rose-colored glasses. I agree with this. While I enjoy Mad Men, I find the ad industry's all-consuming obsession with it to be moderately creepy. It's a wonderfully-acted soap opera with great writing and art. But I would not take it as instructive of how things actually were back then, or what we should aspire to today.

Not So Good:

-The Too Pretty Picture.
In the book, strong writers are portrayed as a valued part of the creative process. I am afraid the reality in the trenches is much less happy. 15 years of the oft-repeated assertion "Nobody Reads Copy" is having a visible effect. For every CP+B that genuinely covets skilled writers, there are five agencies & interactive firms that consider them optional. I can understand why the author may not have wanted to tackle this depressing issue.

-The Unexplained Romance.
I'm going to tell you a love story. "When Joe first saw Mary, he knew he wanted to be with her forever. He spent night and day coming up with the perfect way to woo her. They got married. The End." What was missing from that story?
The Idea Writers does a remarkable job of telling us how agencies create and produce evolutionary ideas. But besides a few details on Pepsi's Refresh Project, we know nothing of how agencies sold their ideas. Those of us who have worked in the business know that selling exceptional work, and protecting it throughout client approvals, is often the hardest part of the process. How can we, as idea writers, inspire our clients to evolve?

Summary:
I've read a fair number of books on the evolving nature of advertising, and I'd rank The Idea Writers near the top. Recommended. You'll find much more information on this book at www.TheIdeaWriters.com.

Shameless Self-Promotion:
If you're looking for an idea writer who can write well, you may want to take a gander at my work.