Copy Tips with a Cheeky Welsh Twist. Yep…You Found the Blog!

I expected a bloodbath. Swift and brutal retribution. But so far? Nothing. It beggars belief. You remember last time, right? I mentioned this veteran copywriter who went off script, claiming short copy will get you more biz than the long stuff. (Hogwash and sacrilege!) Well I thought by now, we copy bods would have exacted [...]

Every tribe…community….collective…has its sacred law. An unbreakable code of conduct – or an oath, sworn by every member. For magicians, it’s “Never share your secrets”. In business networks, “Refer other members”. For hairy bikers, “Don’t steal another dude’s gal while he’s getting a buttock tattoo”. (Probably) And for copywriters? The eternal truth: “The more you [...]

Chimpanzees can talk, you know. Well, up to a point. Back in the 70s, researchers taught a chimp called Nim to communicate. Giving him a row of buttons, labelled with signs representing all his favourite things. He learned hundreds of signs. Pushing the buttons whenever he wanted something. Okay, he was never going to win [...]

I hate people using my name. Hate it with a passion. Or rather…I hate people overusing it. (Do you know what I mean? Or is it just me? Am I crazy?) Maybe it harks back to childhood? Because back then, when you heard your name on the lips of an adult, you knew trouble was a-comin’. A [...]

Well – it’s been a year. On this day, June 8th 2017, Terri May chucked away Cameron’s majority…losing her authority with three poisonous words: “Strong and Stable”. Where did it all go wrong? Why did no-one believe her? I guess, lots of reasons. With “being crap” in the top two or three. But – There’s [...]

Remember “Pantsman”? The worst idea ever to come out of The Apprentice. I thought I’d forgotten him. Banished him to the dark side. But for reasons I’ll tell you anon, he’s popped back into my head. Remember this? The team was branding a brekkie cereal. And Philip, a surly estate agent with one brain cell [...]

Here’s a tricky question from Sandra, for a sunny Q&A Tuesday: “Hi James – how do you know when your copy is good to go, so you can stop editing and get it out the soddin’ door?” Hmm. Sandra might be asking the wrong guy. OCD types like me edit way more than we should! [...]

“I Wanna Be a Polar Bear!” The best Eurovision song ever was a winner for Israel in 1978…turning 40 this year. Okay. It turns out, the song is actually called “A-Ba-Ni-Bi”. As in “A-Ba-Ni-Bi O-Bo-He-Bev”. But when you’re a wee dot, it sounds like “I Wanna Be a Polar Bear”. See for yourself: Anyway. That’s my way [...]

“This parrot is no more!”…“It has ceased to be”…“Bereft of life, it rests in peace. If you hadn’t nailed it to the perch, it would be pushing up the daisies!” I promise, I’m not a Python Nerd. I’m not one to spout “What have the Romans done for us?”… “No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition”…and “We [...]