Will Awdry, from an account man to a brilliant copywriter

I never liked to be on the first row at school, to be the first one that answers the question, to be in the spotlight with 20 people staring at me, judging me, or whatever I was thinking they’re doing. I rather listen than talk, especially in a group where I don’t really know anybody.

These feelings didn’t change too much in time, but last year I realized how important is the spirit, the aura of the one who asks the questions to make you feel comfortable, even if you’re in a room full of complete strangers - that happened at our School of Creativity, St Brendan, when I was attending a Masterclass in Copywriting with Will Awdry. 

Will is a brilliant man! 

First of all, he’s the brain behind the Dove Real Beauty campaign and has 20 years of experience in British advertising and second of all, he has the key to make you feel so relaxed and confident to express yourself, even if you’re a copywriter or you’re writing emails all day long. 

I’m really happy to have him next in my interview series. You should give it a try to his masterclasses, we’re organising 1h online masterclasses right now, see more details here.

Hey Will, tell me a secret.

I have a native American ancestor. She was a Mohawk princess called Oq. the daughter of a celebrated chieftain in (more or less) West Virginia. She married a Dutchman, but he decided he didn’t want to live in the US anymore and brought her back to live in England. Mohawks are supposed to be unafraid of heights and were the steeplejacks who built the skyscrapers in New York. I didn’t inherit the gene: I’m crap at heights. 

Oh, wow! What’s your favourite family tradition?

No-one gets to open a present (Christmas, birthday, anniversary, whatever) unless the whole of the family is there to watch.

Is there something you would love to come back into fashion?

Talking, not typing or texting.

Imagine you can have only one food for the rest of your life, what would that be?

Tomato pasta. The tomato is about forty foods and flavours in one confused fruit, endlessly giving and constantly reassuring. I think it would therefore be the least boring meal to have to endure.

What do you think about workaholics?

Lay two circles, one on top of each other. One is ‘life’, the other ‘work’.  If you have the fried egg effect - Venn Diagram style - with the yolk as work and a bigger life around it, good. Life is bigger than commercial activity. Besides, life lessons help you do better work. The reverse is true far less often.  

What’s the best career decision you made?

To switch from being an account man (I was hopeless) to being a copywriter (I had no idea). It forced me to learn more in a short time than I ever learned before or since.

What’s the advice you give to a junior copywriter?

Stay true to what you think is right. If you try and please every critic and mentor, you’ll drive yourself crazy. Try and restrict yourself to only two or three influencers of your work. Never hand over editorial control of your portfolio to anyone else. Stay open-minded.  

What about a senior copywriter?

It’s very unlikely you’ll survive as copywriter until retirement. So, start writing yourself into a plan that keeps you involved in something, or advertising might write you out of the picture.

Creative Director? 

See above. Unless you own the business you’re in, your days – like those of soccer team managers – will almost certainly be numbered. And if all your time is spent talking and not doing, the floor can disappear from under your feet. As the parent whale said to her child: ‘Beware of when you are spouting. That is when you are most likely to be harpooned’. 

How important is the media budget to make a campaign viral?

A banner, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, poster, TV, radio or billboard space is not infectious. It’s what is on it that counts. Sure, visibility helps, but only if you’re a) worth looking at and b) likely to cause conversation. Nine billion people are aware of Corona Virus and it never advertised once. 

Where do you find your inspiration?

Last place I looked.  It could be anywhere. These days, I read a lot of cookbooks. It’s interesting to see the different language people use when they talk about making things.  The variation and diversity around food creativity, when it’s good, is fascinating.

What did you know about Cluj/Transylvania before visiting and did it change after your visit?

I had all the creaky preconceptions: I thought it would all cloaked counts, baroque castles and an 18th Century landscape with a brutal Soviet overlay. Seen for real, I was blown away by the beauty of central Cluj and mesmerized by the youthful energy. If I’m right, the city has the most educated population in terms of further qualifications of anywhere on earth. A sort of dazzling theme park of sparkling intelligence, I loved – and love – it.  

Last year you held through St Brendan a 2 days masterclass in Cluj and this year you do 10 1h online sessions - which one works best for you?

Honestly, I think it’s too early to tell. The benefits of being together in Cluj for me was that I could take people away from their day jobs, with intense exercises that people had to address there and then. The subjective involvement is what makes the learning ‘stick’. Online, in the one-hour-a-week format, it is not so concentrated, but it does help to break the course down into chapters. People can pick and choose those sessions they wish to attend. Both have merits. I suppose the truth is that, in a room, the coach has more control. In a digital set-up, it’s the attendees who decide whether they really get involved or not.  

Do you think 2-days of online masterclass would work?

There’s enough to talk about. But, on the receiving end, I could think of nothing worse than staring at a computer for two solid days. It would have to be broken up into digestible chunks.

What’s your process when you come up with creative concepts for a campaign?

Truthfully? Buying time. Second thoughts and overnight checking are essential. After that, it’s about crow-barring enough space to let your thoughts breathe and expand in their own playroom, without knocking them down. I do have a checklist of questions I need to answer before I can start trying to grow those thoughts. They’re common sense and, I suspect, much like anybody else’s.  

What’s the trick to find the perfect naming for a brand and how do you make it global?

Keep it short, simple and expressive. Attention deficit means that, if you can do it one word, you’re more likely to win. 

You get to name a new country, how do you name it?

I’d start by asking the people who live there what they call home. And finish by checking that my recommendation worked for them.

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Check out the last interview with our COO, S-P O’Mahony, who recently moved to London.

Alice

until next week, stay awesome