100 Days of Leo Burnett, the Midwestern Master of Mascots DAY 32
Here’s today’s Leo:
“Half the pleasure of getting big, I think, is to thumb your nose at the indignity of getting dignified.” — Leo Burnett
In The Art of Writing Advertising | Conversations with Masters of the Craft, AdAge Interviewer Denis Higgins talks to Leo Burnett:
Q: What about the individual copywriter? You see in Advertising Age and the Chicago Trib and elsewhere — you see ads for copywriters with experience on a specific type of product. Do you think a copywriter must have experience in a certain area?
A: No, not generally speaking. On some types of products — drug products, for example, I think a background of information and experience is highly desirable — knowing what’s worked and what hasn’t worked, and knowing some of the scientific facts that are involved. Then I think in the food business it is desirable for a writer to have some basic knowledge of nutrition. But that knowledge and experience aren’t nearly as important as his expressiveness, his ability to think and to marshal his thoughts into persuasive English. These things he can learn.
But there are some instances where specialized knowledge is desirable. There are certain types of agricultural products where some background is desirable.