The federal certificate for copywriters has been launched!

A copywriter only has one exclamation mark per year, because what the text cannot express in one sentence, an exclamation mark cannot save. This was the premise with which Ursula Gamper, Managing Director of Schweizer Werbung (SW), opened the presentation of the new specialist certificate. Around 30 applicants gathered at the Metropol Hotel in Zurich, who next fall will be the first in Switzerland to be awarded a federal diploma for their skills in the oldest profession in advertising. This will still not be able to replace a missing idea with a certificate in the future. However, the initiators of the profession, which has now been officially defined for the first time, agree that copywriting must finally be declared a recognized craft in an ever more complex media world. The days of copywriters as "Mad Men", as depicted in a retro series about an agency in New York in the sixties, are now nothing but nostalgia. If you want to write copy, you don't just have to have the craziest creativity possible. You also need the right knowledge of the law and the various mechanisms of cross-media advertising in all channels. How do you learn to read a briefing? How do structures work in a team? A true professional must also be able to write about a new Maggi soup as well as the new NZZ Folio, depending on the daily assignment.

For around three years, exponents of the supporting association, consisting of Schweizer Werbung (SW), Schweizer Texterinnen- und Texterverband Script, Kantonale Schule für Weiterbildung EB Zürich and Publicité Romande, have been working on designing this professional certificate. Documents such as examination guidelines and instructions had to be drawn up and approved by the responsible Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology. The training now presented is primarily aimed at newcomers and career changers who want to learn their trade from scratch. The courses are currently offered by four organizers: EB Zurich, Sawi, Schreibszene and Schweizerische Text-Akademie. The costs for the 165-256 possible lessons are around 6,000 francs. The first exams will be held at these four schools this fall. "After the training, however, you are not yet a finished copywriter and are at around 80 points on a scale of 1 to 100," explained Roger Hausmann, president of the examination board at the launch of the new diploma. But he is convinced: "At the start of a career, the certificate is an important first step." And the demand for good copywriters is increasing. At Script, job advertisements have doubled within a year to 173 requests. In Germany, 364 of the 4670 job advertisements in advertising are for copywriters. That is an increase of 153 percent.

More information on the examination regulations can be found on the new website www.texterin-texter.ch. Andreas Panzeri

Three pillars of the supporting association: Roger Hausmann, President of Script; Ursula Gamper, Managing Director of Schweizer Werbung (SW); Heinz Egli, Training Officer of SW.