I’m not a copywriter. Though a voracious reader (or so I like to think) with an OK vocabulary, my first drafts are often cluttered with tired lines and clichés. And despite drastic editing, one or two trite phrases always seem to creep into my final drafts.
Arguably however, it’s worse for time poor agency-side staff, who write pitch presentations and case studies while suffering from the same problem.
So, imagine you’re a client-side marketing director reading through agency proposals on a Sunday afternoon (because your conference call schedule is too cluttered to allow for thoughtful consideration during the week). And the first line of every agency sales pitch starts with ‘We’re a top 100, award-winning integrated agency delivering unique and effective idea-led creative solutions to real life business problems.’
Yes, this is the type of line I write. I’ll admit it. This is why, in my agency days, having a good copywriter on my team was always so critical. And while it’s impossible (and a bore) to capture every single phrase that lacks meaning here, we have made a start.
Synergy
Brainstorm
Dedicated [to client success]
Friendly
Knowledgable
Integrity
Mindshare
Outside the box
Quality
Professional
Unique
Award-winning
Innovator
Best practice
Breakthrough
Turnkey
Disruptive
Social media expert
‘Top’ _____ agency
For those of you client-side, help to enlighten us and our agency friends, which words and phrases do you find tiring? And what kinds of phrases get agencies noticed?
