• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, February 7, 2023

Amsterdam-based ad agency We Are Pi has compiled a book of advice for copywriters and “everyone who writes.”

And it’s free for downloading here.

Called “Just Say It,” the book has contributions from senior creatives at agencies like Mother, Droga5, Anomaly and others. Including, of course, We are Pi. Creatives at brands like Adidas have also contributed.

Here’s an interesting piece of advice from contributor Adam Koppel, group creative director at Anomaly, part of Stagwell:

“Nobody likes ads. Don’t write an ad. Write anything but an ad. Write a joke or a poem or a story. Think of the media differently. Billboards are one liner jokes. TV spots are stories. Radio spots are phone messages someone leaves you. Just stop thinking you are writing an ad.”

Hmmm. “Just Say It,” “Think Different.” I’m beginning to sense a theme here.

Mother creative director Jed Cohen, writes, “Be a ruthless editor of your work. Look at what you’ve written and say, how do I simplify this until every word has a reason to be there.”

Imagine the time we'd all save if everyone did that.