Flowers and pearls: The fairy tale of the headless copywriters
In her column «Blüten und Perlen,» Sarah Pally, a linguist and partner at the agency Partner & Partner, takes a close look at (advertising) language. This time, she shares a humorous parable about how different creative roles work together, and how, in the end, pragmatic execution is what successfully brings an idea to fruition.
Once upon a time, in a distant kingdom, there was a gap. It had always been there. Until the king decided it was time to fill it. So he appointed the best copywriters in his kingdom and commissioned them to do so.
The text had to meet four conditions - if it didn't, all participants would be beheaded.
The conditions were:
- The text must summarize the merits of the king and his reign.
- The text must be exactly 2351 characters long (including spaces).
- The text must be professional.
- The text must be ready by next Friday EOB.
The costs were not an issue. The copywriters were already rubbing their hands: Well then, nothing could be easier!
The creative one shouted "I have the best idea: we'll do a brainstorm workshop first!". The others nodded eagerly. The genius added: "Preferably in a particularly stimulating environment... The Caribbean!" Flights were booked, accommodation googled and suitcases packed.
At the resort on Antigua, after a long nap and a little refreshment, we got down to work: advantages were listed, arguments were put forward, pool parties were thrown, priorities were prioritized, debated, feasted on, discarded and everything started all over again. Suddenly, the dutiful one shouts with eyes wide open: "It's already Thursday evening! We have to get to work on the text now!" At this point, the creative felt her work was more than done. The poetic one talked her way out of it: "I'm great at finishing, but someone else has to write the text first." The perfectionist added: "I'm unbeatable at proofreading, so the text should come to me last." The conceptualist exclaimed: "Maybe we should do more research!" The genius threw up his arms: "Well, I can't work under pressure anyway". Then the realist spoke up: "While you were booking the flights, I was doing research. While you were going round in endless circles, I was drafting the text. While you were avoiding work, I was polishing it. You don't even need your heads chopped off, you're already headless!"
"But is it also the best text of all time?" the creative and the genius asked maliciously in chorus. "Is it also absolutely flawless and beyond any stylistic doubt?" the perfectionist and the poet wanted to know confidently. "Well, the King thinks he's tiptop," said the Realist.
And if they haven't died, the headless lyricists still talk at length about how they once filled the king's gap.
Analyzed since 2025 Sarah Pally In her column "Blossoms and Pearls", she uses industry-related terms and comments on them with a personal touch, from a linguistic perspective - as well as with a precise view of developments in the industry. Pally is a partner in the Partner & Partner agency in Winterthur. She has been working in the fields of content marketing, text/concept and storytelling in the communications and marketing sector for 15 years.
