Comments on: Copy Test: “Write If You Want Work”

By: Akash Singh

Akash Singh — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 05:19:54 +0000

Hi Billy
I too would love to see your submission , my mail-id is aakashsingh@gmail.com .
And thanks to all for sharing the infromation . Its invaluable for ad industry aspirats like me.

Just wish there was some sort of copy test in India .

By: Taylor M. Chambers

Taylor M. Chambers — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 18:03:06 +0000

Never saw that ad – I was by that time marketing director in a different field. In the sixties I was a copywriter in San Francisco for BBDO and later JWT – my heroes were William Bernbach, David Ogilvy, and Leo Burnett – it was a wonderful, crazy time – we flew first class – enjoyed hotel rooms with twin king-sized beds – and ate well – the highlight of my career was working for an Irish ad agency and doing a campaign for a Jewish resort in Southern California (From Mishmash to Hoo Hah in 90 minutes!). Also did freelance copywriting in Europe for 12 – 13 years. What a bunch of super sensitive, out-sized egos! You’d have thought our text was sacred! I’m 82 and in Pittsburgh of all places and I’d do it again. I’d do it right now, in fact. God bless.

By: admin

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:31:28 +0000

Hi Billy,

Thanks for getting in touch. 2 down — you and Chris G. — now, only 8 to go! We’d love to see your submission. Just send it to lawrence@infomarketingblog.com

By: Billy Bloom

Billy Bloom — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:06:28 +0000

I also was among the 10 people hired. If you’d like, I still have a copy of my submission–just let me know. I ended up hating advertising, and I went on to own a volleyball league, start a website, and now I’m back in school to become a teacher.

By: how to be innovative, practical, educational and fun – all at the same time « a PR & copywriting blog by Katy Evans-Bush. My other blog is Baroque in Hackney. My website is katyevansbush.com.

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:25:33 +0000

[...] got it from the wonderful Info Marketing blog, which specialises, educationally, in vintage ad material. Always interesting and often quite [...]

By: admin

admin — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:54:07 +0000

Did a follow-up post on this.
http://www.infomarketingblog.com/write-2/

“Monkmail”…brilliant!

By: Chris Grabenstein

Chris Grabenstein — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:46:01 +0000

Well, remember this was 1984. Computer modems were these cradles you had to jam a telephone handset into.

So, I told the Trappist that the rest of the world had caught up to him: “We’ve stopped talking and started communicating.”

Buy purchasing a phone and a modem, he would be connected to Monkmail a way to stay connected with Trappists all over the world.

Weird how it really came true…

By: Cathy

Cathy — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:43:50 +0000

So Chris..just how DO you sell telephones to monks?!

By: admin

admin — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:49:44 +0000

Hi Chris,

Thanks for taking the time to comment and actually connect us with this most interesting moment in advertising history.

I find it fascinating that you had a stand-up comedy background because so many of our successful direct response copy colleagues have had door-to-door or at least face-to-face sales experience.

Certainly, doing stand-up demands one can think on his feet, like all good writers are supposed to. God knows, it hurts a shade more being booed off stage than merely flubbing a sales pitch.

Good luck following in the footsteps of your multi-talented mentor!

Lawrence

By: Chris Grabenstein

Chris Grabenstein — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:04:26 +0000

Hi! I was the first writer hired as a result of the test! I had done improv comedy for five years prior so the test was a lot of fun for me.

Now I am attempting to follow Mr. Patterson’s footsteps and am writing mysteries and thrillers!