Every good ad I see, I\u2019ve usually spotted while on the Underground. It\u2019s only appropriate that I cover something related directly to London, and the new poster promoting London Pride ale is ideal for the job.<\/p>\n
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Long copy is more or less the norm for advertising on public transport because ads have a (quite literally) captive audience in front of them. Every good ad I see, I\u2019ve usually spotted while on the Underground. It\u2019s only appropriate that I cover something related directly to London, and the new poster promoting London Pride ale is ideal for the job. Long copy is more or less the norm for advertising on public transport because ads have a (quite literally) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[314],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-copywriting-us"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nJust in case our image from the platform\u2019s a bit too far back, this particular ad reads:
\nBestseller<\/strong>
\nThe last two centuries have given us some great books. Many based in London. About Londoners. Like the pipe-smoking sleuth from Baker Street, the nanny that preferred her umbrella to the Routemaster, and the boy that never grew up. OK, so he wasn\u2019t from London, but he did visit \u2013 probably flew over our brewery \u2013 and while those authors were busy writing their stories, we were writing ours. Brewing books, dating back to 1845. They\u2019re not famous, but like any good classic, they\u2019re still being read today, by our brewers, who in turn continue our story with new recipes and tales of cask and keg. Not exactly populist, but to enjoy our story you don\u2019t have to read it, just take a sip.<\/strong>
\nThe whole thing sounds vaguely apologetic, with \u2018but\u2019 featuring three times in 123 words of copy as well as \u2018wasn\u2019t\u2019, \u2018not\u2019 and \u2018don\u2019t\u2019. It might be a nod to the fact that some of this copy feels a little off: I would\u2019ve used \u2018the nanny who<\/strong> preferred her umbrella\u2019 there, and \u2018pipe smoking\u2019 should probably be hyphenated. Maybe I\u2019m being picky – let me know if you agree<\/a>.
\nIt could well be that the unusual wording ties into the overall colloquial and friendly style of the copy and links back to the more familiar nature of a good book. The mix of very short and very long sentences is similar in cadence and scansion to a novel, and to a certain extent speech. There\u2019s an air of spoken word to it, but the medium is of course designed to be read rather than read out loud.
\nThe content of the copy closely follows the familiar story-telling method of bringing the conclusion back round to the same topic that opened the text. We start and (almost) end with books. The description of famous literary characters without actually naming them is a clever way of showing how the written word can have a lasting impact.
\nAnd, just as with every gripping tale, there\u2019s a twist at the end. The ad isn\u2019t ultimately encouraging us to read\u2013 it wants us to go and order a nice pint of London Pride, and \u2018taste\u2019 the history instead. Given the recent lovely weather and the packed pubs, I\u2019m sure a lot of people have been tempted to raise a glass.
\nWe can\u2019t end our take on this ad without covering the strapline: \u2018Made Of London\u2019. It\u2019s easy to do a double-take here. Yes, that says \u2018of\u2019 rather than \u2018in\u2019, as you\u2019d expect to see on a clothing label or the bottom of a porcelain jug. It\u2019s a clever substitution that intrinsically links London Pride to the city in much more than name. \u2018Brewed beside the Thames\u2019 written underneath puts the ale at the literal heart of London, adding to that image perfectly.
\nThe power of good copywriting <\/a>never ceases to amaze me. I\u2019m about ready to snap up a cool half of London Pride on the next sunny afternoon just to feel more like I belong here, and I\u2019m not even an ale drinker. I think that says it all.
\nIf you\u2019ve read something that stood out and could be our next Ad of the Week<\/a>, tell us about it! Link to it with a tweet @strattoncraig<\/a> or pop an idea in the comments below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"