Self-help book Christmas premium

April 4, 2015

WTP-cover-freelance-copywriterThe more use you get from something, the better it is… Right?

This is a principle the Hong Kong English copywriter firmly believes in.

What’s the Point is useful little self-help book which demonstrates this principle in action.

The book details a series of simple but effective acupressure points that can be stimulated in response to a range of situation. Each point is illustrated with a fun cartoon.

The booklet started life as the annual Christmas gift that Hong Kong branding and creative communications company Stepworks sends to friends each year .

Subsequently a major luxury hotel chain picked out some of the pages for use in guest communications.

Even some book publishers have expressed an interest in taking it further.
[Read more…]

B2B copywriting, Consumer products copywriting

Kellogg-HKUST EMBA advertising/rebrand campaign

April 4, 2015

Education-copywriting-300x259The Kellogg-HKUST EMBA programme is consistently rated among the world’s top three by objective observers who measure a number of factors, including graduate earning power.

The success of this programme is a remarkable achievement and has helped put Hong Kong on the map as a regional destination for senior executive education.

The English copywriter in Hong Kong led the creative team for a student recruitment advertising campaign for the programme, and also coined the tagline: The world class as part of a brand enhancement exercise.

The advertising campaign posed intriguing questions, the answers to which were found at a URL.

Advertising copywriting, Brand taglines and slogans, Education copywriting

Scriptwriting for video and TVC

April 4, 2015

Brand Hong Kong is a unit of the Hong Kong Government that’s responsible for attracting foreign investment to the city.

They must be doing something right because Hong Kong’s flooded with foreign investment.

The English copywriter in Hong Kong wrote the script for the above film. I have written lots of video, TV, and film scripts for various purposes over the years. This one is unusual because the final production is virtually identical to Draft 1 of my script.

Perhaps I should rename to the video scriptwriter in Hong Kong.

Brand Hong Kong also spun off a 30″ television commercial from the production.

Advertising copywriting, Video and TVC scriptwriting

Print campaign for market research company

April 4, 2015

synovatehomework-197x300The English copywriter in Hong Kong completed quite a lot of projects for global market research specialist Synovate.

In fact I even came up with their breakthrough “curiosity” brand DNA/positioning.

When it comes to market research, this little print ad says it all, “To get to the top of your class you have to do your homework.”

This particular ad ran in Media magazine.

At one point I wrote all the copy for Synovate’s series of brochures and their website

I developed the navigation for the Synovate website too. I believe website copy and navigation should ideally be developed by the same person. That way you get a much tighter, more focused site that is more goal driven.

Advertising copywriting, B2B copywriting

An existing company gets a new name

April 4, 2015

beanstalkThe company formerly known as Asia Financial Networks develops software solutions for major financial institutions.

They sought a new company name that was memorable, evocative and communicated a sense of flair.

The Hong Kong copywriter solution?

Beanstalk.

Magic!

B2B copywriting, Company naming

Print ad for Intercontinental Hong Kong

April 4, 2015

intercontinentalwidescreenThe Intercontinental Hong Kong is one of the city’s finest hotels, and certainly offers one of the best views.

To highlight this view, the Hong Kong English copywriter developed this print ad for this magnificent property for an insertion into Conde Naste Traveler.

Advertising copywriting, Hospitality copywriting

Business writer for professional certification body

April 4, 2015

Hong_Kong_Business_writerHong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants is the only body authorised by law to register and grant practising certificates to certified public accountants in Hong Kong.

These two print executions were part of a rebranding exercise the Hong Kong copywriter (who specialises in English) helped them develop.

The objective of the campaign was to launch their new brand and highlight their brand DNA – “the success ingredient”. Who needs images when you have strong words? There’s another execution past the fold. [Read more…]

Advertising copywriting, Financial copywriting, Professional services copywriting

Jingle for HK Disneyland opening

April 4, 2015

When Hong Kong Disneyland first opened, the HK Government decided it would be a good idea to run an advertising campaign to alert the public to the various transportation routes to the park.

The Hong Kong copywriter came up with the pitch-winning campaign.

For me the most interesting aspect of it was my jingle, which became a popular success. You can hear it below without the voice over.

“It’s More Fun When You Plan Plan Plan”

The local mobile companies pirated it for a ringtone. Radio DJs were encouraging people to call in and sing alternative endings.

I think it was popular because of the inherent contradiction in the message… that something is more fun when you plan plan plan. In fact a little spontaneity and surprise is often more fun.

I heard that the kid’s accent annoyed some people. That’s another factor that helped it get noticed.

Advertising copywriting, Jingle writing

Hong Kong Disneyland pre-launch website text

April 4, 2015

hongkongdisneylandhotelWay back even before there was a Hong Kong Disneyland, the HK copywriter was working on their website copy.

Specifically, I wrote the prelaunch website text for the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Hollywood Hotel.

These two projects were quite interesting because of the subtle differences in branding and audience.

Later I wrote and designed a WAP (anyone remember WAP?) website for the theme park and wrote a weddings brochure.

The WAP site was particularly challenging because it required a lot of description in a very small space and also had to be easily navigated.

Hospitality copywriting

Corporate services print advertising campaign copywriting

April 4, 2015

Tricor-HKThe English copywriter developed this print campaign for Tricor, Hong Kong’s largest provider of corporate services.

Deceptively simple, the ads quickly communicate various services this company offers in an an engaging way.

The key to this kind of work is to find some way of presenting the brand in an understated way.

But if it’s understated, will it get noticed?

Yes.

This kind of advertising typically appears in trade media or special sections that are cluttered with busy, unfocused and poorly produced executions.

In such an environment, an interesting benefit-driven headline or pithy observation goes a long way to getting attention and conveying the quality of the brand.

Advertising copywriting, Professional services copywriting