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Author Archives: Johnny Cullen
Culture Takes a Train: The Design Research Unit (1942-72)
Are you a fan of 60s and 70s design, typography and architecture? Then you should check out the fab Design Research Unit exhibition that’s currently touring the UK. Top graphic designer Richard Weston asked me to review it for his … Continue reading
Posted in Copywriting
Tagged Acejet170, brutalism, design, Design Research Unit, DRU, Festival of Britain, typography, Watney's
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The “Mad Men” Guide to Super Cool Copywriting
Take a lesson in style from the original Dapper Don. . . Set on Madison Avenue in the 1960s, “Mad Men” has got the lot. Glamorous copywriters, evil account handlers and enough cocktails to fuel a thousand illicit adventures. The … Continue reading
Posted in Copywriting
Tagged advertising, adverts, Bill Bernbach, business, business writing, Copywriting, David Ogilvy, Don Draper, leo burnett, Mad Men, ogilvy, Peggy Olson, salvatore, steve harrison
6 Comments
Unleash Your Secret Deadly Marketing Power! Results Guaranteed!
Remember those classic comic book ads for Bodybuilding, Amazing Sea Monkeys and Deadly Fighting Skills? These funky pieces of design and killer copy sent kids into a frenzy Sadly few of these ads lived up to their promises (apart from Charles Atlas), but … Continue reading
Posted in Copywriting
Tagged adverts, amazing sea monkeys, Charles Atlas, comics, Copywriting, design
3 Comments
How “The Wizard of Oz” Can Send Your Copywriting Over the Rainbow
Feel like you’ve been hit by a tornado? Struggling to write in Technicolor? Clicking your heels together not helping? You’re not alone. Every copywriter needs some “good magic” now and then. In the absence of any ruby slippers, here are five ways … Continue reading
Posted in Copywriting
Tagged copywriters, Copywriting, David Ogilvy, Mad Men, Over the Rainbow, Paul Rand, Peggy Olson, The Wizard of Oz
4 Comments
How to Write Bullet-Proof Copy in Five Easy Stages
“Dear Father Christmas. . .” Picture the scene. You’ve got an important copy deadline looming. Are you: Fighting hard to get your best work signed off? Feeling under attack from all sides? Tempted to surrender just to finish the damn thing? … Continue reading
Seven Things ABBA Can Teach You About Brilliant Copywriting
Back in the Golden Age of Disco, Swedish super group ABBA ruled the world. They had two hot girls, two cool guys and record sales of around 375 million. ABBA wrote chart-topping, catchy numbers that still retail over 25 years … Continue reading
Posted in Copywriting
Tagged ABBA, blogging, Dan Germain, Don Draper, Mad Men, writing, writing skills
2 Comments
How Turning Japanese Can Really Make Your Copywriting Blossom
Oh! oh! is all I can say For the cherries that grow On Mount Yoshino (Yasuhara Teishitsu) It’s spring and the cherry blossom season is upon us. Japanese haiku poets love this beautiful time of year, and often use cherry … Continue reading
Posted in Copywriting
Tagged advertising, advertising. Kerouac, blogging, cherry blossom, Copywriting, Ginsberg, Heaney, JD Salinger, Salinger, writing, writing skills
3 Comments
A Beginner’s Guide to 3D Copywriting
How to put your company name in lights. . . It’s easy for any business to forget its customers and clients have lives outside work. But your target audiences don’t operate in just two dimensions, so neither must you. For … Continue reading
Posted in Copywriting
1 Comment
Kiss Kiss, Buy Buy. . .
“We’re not selling cosmetics – we’re selling hope” (Charles Revson, founder of Revlon). Beauty billionaire Charles Revson may seem an unlikely copywriting hero. But follow his benefits-led sales approach and your copy will soon be kissing with confidence. . . What do your customers really … Continue reading