CL snapshot: brand strategist jean railla

a flash interview with jean railla

brand strategist

three words that sum up your job:

impossible! what i say is that i am an observer and creator of culture.

[I’m a:]

published author

freelance copywriter, with an emphasis on digital and social tools

instructor on ‘brand writing’ and ‘copywriting for the web’

cultural producer for public radio’s word of mouth

food blogger mealbymeal.blogspot.com

passionate cook

the highlight of your career (so far!):

creating the online community getcrafty.com (no longer exists) and publishing Get Crafty: Hip Home Ec with Broadway Books (Random House)

working with Nike (at R/GA) on the launch of NIKEgoddess

rebranding PS3 with a team of fellow parents

teaching cooking to kindergartners…

the best advice you’ve ever been given:

don’t take it personally.

if you weren’t a creative, you’d be:

full-time blogger/writer

copy or campaigns you admire:

i love how seamless of a brand experience the Hendrick’s Gin has created.  I also admire how Starbuck’s has created a public space with their coffee houses.

best two reasons to attend your Copy Lab event:

i offer new ways of looking at interactive media.

gain a better understanding to how brands are allowing their consumers to shape what they do.

jean joins us tomorrow for a look at digital advertising and the disappearing line between brand and culture. sign up now!

from jean’s portfolio:

the NIKEgoddess experience

email copy that equals stellar sales

need help connecting the dots between your email copy and its sales results? sophie donelson, editorial director of C. Wonder and Monika Chiang, presented pertinent tips on how to make your subject lines, headlines and subheads rock the analytic charts. here are a few quick tidbits from our charming guest speaker if you weren’t able to join us:

tap the inverted pyramid technique.
break out your notes from journalism class and use this article-writing tactic to prioritize your message. the premise is simple: the most important info goes at the top, followed by significant details, followed by the least newsworthy stuff.

grammar rules: bend (or break!) them.
emails should be evocative and stir feelings. do whatever you have to do to make them that way. have a field day playing with fragments, hyphens and weird punctuation as long as your message stays clear.

subject lines: don’t get in the way of what’s tried and true.

new arrivals
sale!
introducing [insert new product]

you might balk at these subject lines because they seem so… blah. but sometimes what seems boring is actually just a straightforward way to get results — according to sophie, the three lines above are almost fail-proof when it comes to scoring good open rates. want some extra oomph? sophie swears by an ellipsis to add intrigue and up your opens.

stay out of spam: avoid these words.
don’t use the words “free,” “help,” “reminder” or “percent off” (the symbol % is okay though) in the subject line and you’ll help keep the email from the junk folder.

think of the subject line as a promise.
then ensure your content fulfills that promise once the email is opened. sophie offered a tip she read at copyblogger.com, a writing resource she recommends: the best subject lines tell what’s inside, the worst sell what’s inside.

hop online to cwonder.com and monikachiang.com and sign up for their mailing list to check out some of these tips in action.

we’ll see you next month (tuesday, march 12th to be exact) when brand strategist jean railla discusses the digital frontier and the space where brands and culture collide. reserve now to save your spot!

–kelley granger

CL snapshot: sophie donelson

a flash interview with sophie donelson

editorial director, C. Wonder & Monika Chiang

three words that sum up your job:

deadline is today. (or, collaborative, challenging and super-fun.)

C. Wonder’s first New York Times ad, 09/12

the highlight of your career (so far!):

despite spending almost a decade as an editor and journalist for national magazines, the return policy on the C. Wonder receipt is probably my widest published and most-read “work” and therefore a highlight. but opening the C. Wonder store last fall and seeing my work simultaneously splashed across The New York Times, taxis, tv and billboards was a crazy and memorable high.

the best advice you’ve ever been given:

don’t kiss up, kiss down. (i.e. it’s your intern, not your boss that’ll give you a big break one day.)

if you weren’t a creative, you’d be:

happier. just kidding. probably a zumba instructor or a d-list cable show tv host. <– not kidding.

when i say i write a lot for C. Wonder, i mean i really do write it! this is me on opening day of our soho flagship.

copy or campaigns you admire:

i’m always delighted by the inventive copy penned by Kiosk, the soho (and online) shop. they tell funny, honest stories and never let fancy language hinder the message. it’s a remarkably effective sales technique. and Journelle. it’s hard to spin lingerie in a fresh way almost every day and they do it with elegance and verve. and i like the way Land of Nod and Boden include thoughtful messages on collateral like e-com packaging.

best two reasons to attend your Copy Lab event:

1. high probability you or your employer (and probably both) will make money off some of the ideas i’ll share. 2. you’ll probably laugh a bit. i’m prone to using inappropriate language and telling off-the-record stories. sign up now    more details

the sketch (created by moi) of a scratch-card for a store-opening event

the actual scratch-card!

my desk, which is rarely this neat, but always this colorful.

C. Wonder at spring street station

our holiday 12 campaign included a buyout of spring st. station. i worked on the ads and wrote the “titles” of these small gift books. how meta!

dropping teddy off at day care before work.

C. Wonder candle packaging with my copy

our holiday 12 campaign included a buyout of spring st. station.

design crash course for copywriters

last night design pro roy wiemann translated years of experience (illustrating for the likes of the New York Times and the Smithsonian) into actionable nuggets of info for eager copywriters looking to transform their spec copy into something visually portfolio-worthy. if you weren’t able to join us, here are a few quick pointers to steer you toward a better designed DIY piece.

Shutterstock and Google Images = your new best friends.

DIY on the cheap? Google Images if rife with pictures you can borrow for your designs. If you’re prepared to invest time and a little more money, consider a month’s membership to Shutterstock, where you can download a couple hundred images for a spec copy project now (and a few to inspire another project down the road). roy’s tip—make it even cheaper by splitting the cost with a designer who needs some new images too.

don’t underestimate the influence of your font.

as roy illustrated in his presentation, the font alone can change the entire mood of your piece. he suggests sticking with a simple font to keep the focus on your copy, not on fledgling design skills.

resolve to check your resolution.

a poor resolution makes any piece look a bit off. 300 dpi is the standard for print while 72 dpi is fine for digital work. (stick to 300 dpi if you can, you can always size down!) also a quick reminder—work in RGB colors if your final piece will be digital; CMYK if you’re planning to print it out.

give your background some forethought.

a background that’s too busy will detract from your copy and overall design, and a background’s that’s too boring might make it fall a little flat. roy likes adding a little gradation to give a hero image a nice glow.

get familiar with Photoshop alternatives.

we know you’re not a designer and probably don’t want to shell out a small fortune for Adobe software. we were amazed and encouraged by the alternatives our event attendees had used to create some pretty impressive designs. don’t underestimate programs like MS Word and Powerpoint, and also check these out: Sumopaint, Gimp and Photoshop Elements (a pared-down, way-way-cheaper version of Photoshop).

you’re not a designer, but you know what looks good.

roy mentioned a thought from a j.d. salinger character who said to “write what you want to read.” keep that in mind when you’re plugging away at your design—use your intuition to make it something appealing. if you’re at a total loss, team with a designer to get your concept completed (we can help you find someone affordable! join our april networking event) or feel free to post your pleas for insight on our facebook or linkedin groups.

happy designing!

–kelley granger

kelley@thecopylabnyc.com

for more on roy: click here

our february event: C. Wonder’s sophie donelson sheds some light on copy that sells. prizes will be involved! learn more