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Copy Test: your words unlock your imagination

If you’ve a way with words, the world deserves to know — Alistair King

  •   16 Mar 2020
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by Sabrina Forbes. Each year, as more students graduate from South Africa’s creative schools, the disparate number of marketing vs copywriter graduates continues to be alarming. Alistair King, King James Group co-founder and group CCO and MarkLives #AgencyLeaders2019 Most-Admired Creative Leader in South Africa, doesn’t buy that copywriting’s no longer needed, and he’s set out to remedy that through launching a new copy test.

Copy test

Alistair King

Alistair King

Up until the early 1990s, the standard way to get a job as a copywriter in an advertising agency was to submit a copy test, and variants of the same question were used by agencies worldwide to invite budding copywriters to apply. Today, very few know this test ever existed and even fewer know exactly what a copywriter does.

Besides the copy test slowly moving into obscurity, advertising schools also happened, says King; these offer students the opportunity to leave with a portfolio of work as long as they are paid and creativity here is moulded, drafted, and curated by lecturers. In his opinion, students are left with portfolios don’t really show their true skills — there’s a clash between those who want to be a copywriter and those who can afford to study for it.

Looking at copywriting as a rare skill that was in trouble, as well as the need to transform the industry, King first met with other industry leaders such as Ahmed Tilly (outgoing FCB Joburg CCO) and Xolisa Dyeshana (Joe Public United CCO) and, after approaching the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) with their concerns, they raised enough money for 20 pure copywriting bursaries. These commenced in January 2019 at the AAA School of Advertising in Johannesburg.

Reinvented

You Have a Way with Words logoNow, King has reinvented the copy test for our era. Launching today, Monday, 16 March 2020 — which just so happens to be his birthday — You Have A Way With Words (@thecopytest) is intended to be channel-neutral and reflect South African viewpoints, challenges and perspectives.

The copy test covers everything from poetry and music to digital, social media, and long-form copy, while trying to capture the full diversity of our industry, cultures and heritage. Copywriters are presented with 18 questions, inspired by old copy tests and/or by what King has picked up on during his career, of which only seven need to be completed for submission. All questions are available in 11 official languages and responses in any are welcome.

The website is meant to be a ‘living, breathing entity’, meaning copywriters may update their answers and/or respond more questions all the time (each ‘portfolio’ will be entirely gender-, age-, and race-neutral). It will also host educational and informative video series from industry creatives on specific components and things they’ve learnt in the trade.

Rating system

King also plans to create a unique rating system and he’s calling upon leaders from around the world to choose their favourite copywriters to be featured in a leaderboard.

“In my mind, writers are essential. People who use words to persuade are at the heart of humanity,” he says, naming Graham Warsop (of The Jupiter Drawing Room fame), Fran Luckin (Grey Africa CCO), and Brett Morris (Nahana Communications Group GCEO and GCCO) as having been part of strong copywriter/art-director partnerships at some of the greatest South African agencies of our time.

See also

  • Flugelbinders & other harsh copywriting realities — Wendy Shepherd

 

Sabrina ForbesSabrina Forbes (IG) is an experienced writer covering the food, health, lifestyle, beverage, marketing and media industries. She runs her own full-stack web/app development and digital-first content creation company. For more, go to moonwrench.com. She is a contributing writer to MarkLives.com.

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Columns

  • #AdChamps, #AdOfTheWeek & #AdOfTheYear
    #AdChamps, #AdOfTheWeek & #AdOfTheYear
  • #AgencyLeaders – Most Admired Poll
    #AgencyLeaders – Most Admired Poll
  • #CoronavirusSA – Special Section
    #CoronavirusSA – Special Section
  • #CustomerFirst – Craig Hannabus
    #CustomerFirst – Craig Hannabus
  • #NotSoOrdinary – Taazima Kala-Essack
    #NotSoOrdinary – Taazima Kala-Essack
  • #TheInterlocker – Emma King
    #TheInterlocker – Emma King
  • #Transformers Transform 2020
    #Transformers Transform 2020
  • #WritersBlock – Tiffany Markman
    #WritersBlock – Tiffany Markman
  • An Accountant in Adland – Siwe Lawrence
    An Accountant in Adland – Siwe Lawrence
  • Big Q – MarkLives Panel
    Big Q – MarkLives Panel
  • Big Reads on MarkLives
    Big Reads on MarkLives
  • By Invitation Only – Motive
    By Invitation Only – Motive
  • Campaigns – MarkLives
    Campaigns – MarkLives
  • Circulation Data – ABC Analysis
    Circulation Data – ABC Analysis
  • Clicks ’n Tricks – Charlie Stewart
    Clicks ’n Tricks – Charlie Stewart
  • Curiosity – Marguerite Coetzee
    Curiosity – Marguerite Coetzee
  • Dear Radio – Paulo Dias
    Dear Radio – Paulo Dias
  • Extracts — Books & Research
    Extracts — Books & Research
  • Fair Exchange – Erna George
    Fair Exchange – Erna George
  • Hard Relate – David Alves
    Hard Relate – David Alves
  • Herding Words – Wendy Shepherd
    Herding Words – Wendy Shepherd
  • Hermaneutics – Herman Manson
    Hermaneutics – Herman Manson
  • Masterclass Notes – Johanna McDowell
    Masterclass Notes – Johanna McDowell
  • Media Redefined – Martin MacGregor
    Media Redefined – Martin MacGregor
  • Mission – Tom Fels
    Mission – Tom Fels
  • Press Pass – Carey Finn
    Press Pass – Carey Finn
  • Q5 – Carey Finn
    Q5 – Carey Finn
  • SA TV Ratings – MarkLives
    SA TV Ratings – MarkLives
  • Spotlight – MarkLives
    Spotlight – MarkLives
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    The Martini Shot – Bobby Amm
  • The Power Report – Megan Power
    The Power Report – Megan Power
  • The Suit – Jason Harrison
    The Suit – Jason Harrison
  • Thinking B2B – Warren Moss
    Thinking B2B – Warren Moss
  • Watched – Richard Lord
    Watched – Richard Lord
  • WTF?! – Leigh Tayler
    WTF?! – Leigh Tayler
  • Young, Gifted & Killing It – Veli Ngubane
    Young, Gifted & Killing It – Veli Ngubane
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