copywriting

Another copy qualm (little girls as decor)

Posted on by amberhj

That anxiety-inducing daily deal site I recently mentioned has done it again.

Being a copywriter myself, you’d think I’d avoid tearing apart some other copywriter’s work. But apparently that is not the case. I’ve written for many fabulous clients but I’ve also written passionate, emotive copy about cat-themed chip clips and Cinnabon. So I’m not above this. Besides, my copy has been crapped on, too. In fact, it’s probably happening right now. Some Godforsaken banner ad on the outer edge of the internet is offending someone due to its excessive enthusiasm about small business phone systems and it’s all my fault! Plus, the writer of the copy I’m about to share is just following the messaging points dictated in a creative brief, and using the tone mandated in a company’s style guide. All of that is out of the writer’s control. So this is really a critique of the company, and advertising in general, as opposed to an attack on a lone copywriter. I’ve been where this person is but have still managed to enjoy this line of work, overall. And I honestly hope that this person can say the same. Despite having to write about magical dresses that attract butterflies, ice cream cones (perhaps) and cupcake-excreting unicorns (definitely).

So. The copy below, promoting yet another must-have summer dress that has supposedly been “marked down” to the jaw-dropping low price of $19.99, induced an eye roll so huge and swift, I strained my corneas and ruptured an eye brow.

“She is the embodiment of summer and all the joys warm weather brings when she dons this cheerful dress. With its tiers of ruffles she’s sure to be the centerpiece of every family picnic this summer. The soft material with a bit of stretch lets her move about freely as she reaches for another slice of watermelon. Dress features a keyhole button closure in the back.”

Okay. It starts off with a bit of overly dramatic flair pushing the “summer” message. Fair enough. I’m sure some parents really do expect their daughters to carry an entire season on their backs and, with it, the responsibility to deliver its fleeting joys. Fine. But here’s the kicker–joy and summer are only evoked “when she dons” this pile of ruffles. Otherwise, she’s not summer-y at all. Wearing, say, un-frilly shorts and a tank top, she evokes a cold, joyless and androgynous wasteland, therefore letting everyone down. EVERYONE!

“The centerpiece of every family picnic this summer?” What? I’m picturing a blond pony-tailed four-year-old stationed in the middle of a picnic blanket, family fun and chaos unfolding around her while she remains motionless with palms up. A human napkin holder. It’s this little girl’s job to look good, and give visual cues to help set the tone of the gathering. “What are we celebrating? Oh wait–Susie’s wearing puffy pastels. Happy Easter!” It’s all about what the kid wears. “Susie! Tone down the personality, put on this dress and be a star!”

And the crown jewel in this toddler tiara: “The soft material with a bit of stretch lets her move about freely as she reaches for another slice of watermelon.” Really? Really? We have to point out that this sleeveless summer dress, as opposed to the restrictive petticoats, corsets and straight jackets normally worn by little girls in 2011, allows her to move about freely? And they’re not talking about the extra movement required for soccer or even tag, they’re talking about grabbing a piece of fruit. Because that’s as active as little girls get. Judging from this copy, I’m guessing that normally, little Ella would be wearing fabric with no stretch whatsoever, like upholstery or a fine blend of steel wool and platinum. She typically asks her mobile, cotton-clad brother to fetch the watermelon and place it directly into her mouth. But what a treat! In this frock, she can go get it herself. A sweet little taste of freedom! Assuming she has energy left over, you know, after centerpiece duty.

Blogging. Stella. Me me me!

Posted on by amberhj

Feeling anxious. It keeps being said in the media and whatnot (on blogs, probably) that blogging is extremely narcissistic. I’m worried that I’m not measuring up because this blog is only somewhat narcissistic so far.

You see, I need to write about things in addition to vision therapy but I’ve been afraid to. So I apologize to my optometrist and vision therapist readers in advance.

Obviously, it doesn’t get much more “niche” than this blog. I may not reach too many people but some of the ones who do come here find stuff that is very, very directly helpful or interesting to them or their child. I need to figure out a way to organize the site into clear sections so my three different audiences of subscribers (of roughly ten people each whom I ADORE) can find the niches (great word) that they’re looking for. Or maybe I’ll keep Stella and motherhood stuff going here and start a new blog for other stuff. We’ll see. Deep breaths, everyone. It’s going to be okay.

The three current subject areas are broken down as follows:

  1. our feeding tube weaning journey and associated learning (a ton of my traffic comes here for this)
  2. strabismus, amblyopia and vision therapy experiences, information and associated amazing breakthroughs and fearful frustrations (more and more of my traffic is being generated by this)
  3. random crap that I find interesting or amusing as a mom or writer or wife or human being (no one comes here for this stuff–even my humor is a niche)

I’ll try to figure out how to enable you to opt in only to posts about Stella’s eyes, or tube weaning (once in a while I still find tube weaning information and stories that I’d like to share here!), or random (entertaining, maybe, I hope?) crap. That way you won’t have to deal with the rest showing up in your inbox. Here’s a good example of something you may like to skip. I took it from my Facebook page but find it amusing enough to post here:

Navy Hibiscus Sundress on Zulily

Navy Hibiscus Sundress / Unicorn Butterfly Bait

I am considering this summer dress for Stella, but the product copy is just too cute! I’m too busy rolling my eyes to make the purchase. Am I just jaded? Here it is: “A just-right cotton poplin dress like this one has magical properties, inviting colorful butterflies to land on her nose in between twirls. And after that, maybe a strawberry ice cream cone appears in her hand.” Yeah, and after that, maybe a unicorn craps cupcakes in our backyard.

I love Stella. And I want to continue to share the oh-my-god discoveries (like prism goggles, thanks to Dr. T) that have made such a difference–first for her gastrointestinal tract, and now for her eyeballs. But frankly, she’s really thriving and therefore is not giving me enough material. So I’d like to share other stories involving Stella, but not too many because I want to protect her privacy, and non-Stella-related topics. I don’t really know what to write about at this point or how to do it but I will get there, damn it! I’m a copywriter by trade but want to do other types of writing again (I’ve flirted with “real” writing before). I need to write! About stuff! That I care about! As a whole person! Though I don’t think I’ve been 100% “whole” since those two months when I had to give up cheese in 2008. A small part of me died due to deliciousness deprivation.

The last thing I write will be typed through awkwardly teary eyes. Thank you so much for reading my blog. We (and by that I mostly mean me/I) had some dark times amid the wonderful ones these last couple of years, and sometimes, just knowing that people were reading our story and relating to it or cheering us on or somehow benefiting or even laughing at my desperate attempts at humor–it saved me from really plummeting. This story could’ve gone a lot differently. And the comments. Oh my gawd the comments. Soul-soothing and life-affirming, just like cheese! I’m making a really ugly crying face right now. I wish you could see it so you’d know how much I mean this. Okay maybe not. Phew.

And with that I’m going to go collect a cupcake from our backyard. I ordered the dress from one of those anxiety-inducing daily deal sites–and it’s already working its magic.