Sayings are in demand again
Copywriter: A journalism school in Berlin offers insights into the copywriting profession. A recession experiment with an uncertain outcome—and one that does not serve as a model for Switzerland.
Copywriter A Berlin school of journalism offers insights into the copywriting profession. A recession experiment with an uncertain outcome - and without a role model for Switzerland It's true: good copywriters are rare. In the past, they belonged to the species of disguised literary figures with a masochistic willingness to suffer from the text. Today, there are writers in the industry who have Thomas Bernhard on the shelf - but haven't read him. And are only after one thing: the title of creative director. Just as true: the country needs new copywriters. Honorable attempts to promote creative talent - such as last year's BSW talent workshop for career changers, which has already been suspended for this year - have not borne fruit. The men from the Henri Nannen School are by no means discouraged. The school, which is sponsored by Gruner + Jahr and the weekly newspaper Die Zeit, offered the course "The advertising copywriting profession" for the second time at the end of March. The target group: journalists who are open to new ideas, i.e. unemployed. And there are plenty of them at the moment. Many a young editor who thought they would be firmly settled in their chair until they retired
stick, find themselves on the street. "It would be foolish not to scour this intellectual and writing potential for creative talent," says Olaf Oldigs from Springer & Jacoby, who is leading the two-day course in Berlin.
"Can you imagine working as a copywriter in an advertising agency?" potential participants are asked in the advertisement. And with the
The follow-up question "Or are you suspicious of slogans?" immediately makes it clear that most journalists are not entirely comfortable with this job by virtue of their profession. Whereas newspaper writers have to maintain a professional distance from the subject of their article, "pundits" identify with their client and their client's product. They have no opinion of their own, ideally not even their own style, but let brands and images speak for themselves - like a medium. And where thinking and writing are put at the service of the market, many a journalist turns away in disgust.
Can the craft of copywriting, which an intelligent copywriter once said can only be learned on the job, even be taught to this kind of clientele? "I try to give people a realistic picture of the tasks of a copywriter," says Oldigs, putting his objectives into perspective. At the end of the course, it's not a new job, but the question: "Do I like copywriting or not?"
One thing is certain for him: the two writing genres cannot be meaningfully combined. "There is no world-class footballer who is also a world-class handball player." And yet both have a feel for the ball. Nevertheless, the decision between advertising and journalism has to be one hundred percent. "Otherwise you're just enlarging the circle of mediocrities," Oldigs points out.
Armin Reins from Hamburg-based Texterschmiede also believes that you can't be good at both professions at the same time. "Journalists don't have to fulfill any strict briefing requirements. Copywriters have a harder time. They have to work harder on headlines and work under greater time and expectation pressure. The only thing the two professions have in common is 12-hour coffee consumption." In his book "Die Mörderfackel - Das Lehrbuch gegen das Mittelmass", Reins portrayed thirty of the best copywriters in Germany (WW 37/02). Seven were previously journalists. "Many good journalists have become very good copywriters," says Reins, "but I don't know of any copywriter who has made it as a useful journalist."
The Henri Nannen School in Berlin makes no secret of the fact that the course is purely a recession phenomenon. "It is the current industry and job market developments that have prompted us to launch this course," says its director Klaus Steiner. And adds: "If a journalist then decides to become a copywriter and gains a foothold there - all the better."
Dilution of skillsBut everyone involved should benefit from the zeitgeisty range of seminars. Springer & Jacoby by screening and recruiting young talent. - Talented newcomers are offered an agency internship if they pass the copy test. Journalists are offered the prospect of a second career - although only two participants in the first course were able to continue writing at least sporadically afterwards. And finally, the Henri Nannen School itself, which gained 15 new customers (each paying 290 euros) from the new course the first time it was held. The fact that this unconventional expansion of the offer could be interpreted as a dilution of the journalistic core competence seems to be gladly accepted.
The question remains as to whether this is an isolated phenomenon or a cross-border trend. Specifically: will the financially strapped Media Training Centre in Lucerne (MAZ) soon be adding copywriting courses to its program? "We maintain cooperative relationships with Sawi and SPRI and try not to compete with similar courses," replies MAZ director Sylvia Egli von Matt diplomatically. In other words: cooperation yes, but the specific subject expertise remains with the respective institute. The latent creative potential of Swiss journalists thus continues to doze away.
Language is hardly ever trampled on in the telephone directory: Telekom campaign with critic pope Marcel Reich-Ranicki.
This is the way to become a copywriterFour training centers offer copywriting courses - with no guarantee of jobs, but plenty of blood, sweat and tears: www.tex terschmiede.de, www.texterschule.de, www.wbstraining.de and www.ils.de. The Hamburger Texterschmiede also invites you to an open day on April 23rd and currently has the best reputation among Germany's copywriting schools - although the copy test is quite strenuous for prospective copywriters. Information about the copywriting profession in Switzerland is available at www.texterverband.ch (various download files). (cb.)
Francis Müller
stick, find themselves on the street. "It would be foolish not to scour this intellectual and writing potential for creative talent," says Olaf Oldigs from Springer & Jacoby, who is leading the two-day course in Berlin.
"Can you imagine working as a copywriter in an advertising agency?" potential participants are asked in the advertisement. And with the
The follow-up question "Or are you suspicious of slogans?" immediately makes it clear that most journalists are not entirely comfortable with this job by virtue of their profession. Whereas newspaper writers have to maintain a professional distance from the subject of their article, "pundits" identify with their client and their client's product. They have no opinion of their own, ideally not even their own style, but let brands and images speak for themselves - like a medium. And where thinking and writing are put at the service of the market, many a journalist turns away in disgust.
Can the craft of copywriting, which an intelligent copywriter once said can only be learned on the job, even be taught to this kind of clientele? "I try to give people a realistic picture of the tasks of a copywriter," says Oldigs, putting his objectives into perspective. At the end of the course, it's not a new job, but the question: "Do I like copywriting or not?"
One thing is certain for him: the two writing genres cannot be meaningfully combined. "There is no world-class footballer who is also a world-class handball player." And yet both have a feel for the ball. Nevertheless, the decision between advertising and journalism has to be one hundred percent. "Otherwise you're just enlarging the circle of mediocrities," Oldigs points out.
Armin Reins from Hamburg-based Texterschmiede also believes that you can't be good at both professions at the same time. "Journalists don't have to fulfill any strict briefing requirements. Copywriters have a harder time. They have to work harder on headlines and work under greater time and expectation pressure. The only thing the two professions have in common is 12-hour coffee consumption." In his book "Die Mörderfackel - Das Lehrbuch gegen das Mittelmass", Reins portrayed thirty of the best copywriters in Germany (WW 37/02). Seven were previously journalists. "Many good journalists have become very good copywriters," says Reins, "but I don't know of any copywriter who has made it as a useful journalist."
The Henri Nannen School in Berlin makes no secret of the fact that the course is purely a recession phenomenon. "It is the current industry and job market developments that have prompted us to launch this course," says its director Klaus Steiner. And adds: "If a journalist then decides to become a copywriter and gains a foothold there - all the better."
Dilution of skillsBut everyone involved should benefit from the zeitgeisty range of seminars. Springer & Jacoby by screening and recruiting young talent. - Talented newcomers are offered an agency internship if they pass the copy test. Journalists are offered the prospect of a second career - although only two participants in the first course were able to continue writing at least sporadically afterwards. And finally, the Henri Nannen School itself, which gained 15 new customers (each paying 290 euros) from the new course the first time it was held. The fact that this unconventional expansion of the offer could be interpreted as a dilution of the journalistic core competence seems to be gladly accepted.
The question remains as to whether this is an isolated phenomenon or a cross-border trend. Specifically: will the financially strapped Media Training Centre in Lucerne (MAZ) soon be adding copywriting courses to its program? "We maintain cooperative relationships with Sawi and SPRI and try not to compete with similar courses," replies MAZ director Sylvia Egli von Matt diplomatically. In other words: cooperation yes, but the specific subject expertise remains with the respective institute. The latent creative potential of Swiss journalists thus continues to doze away.
Language is hardly ever trampled on in the telephone directory: Telekom campaign with critic pope Marcel Reich-Ranicki.
This is the way to become a copywriterFour training centers offer copywriting courses - with no guarantee of jobs, but plenty of blood, sweat and tears: www.tex terschmiede.de, www.texterschule.de, www.wbstraining.de and www.ils.de. The Hamburger Texterschmiede also invites you to an open day on April 23rd and currently has the best reputation among Germany's copywriting schools - although the copy test is quite strenuous for prospective copywriters. Information about the copywriting profession in Switzerland is available at www.texterverband.ch (various download files). (cb.)
Francis Müller
