Jessica Board from Taylor Strategy Talks on the Effectiveness of Copywriting in Advertising
On Tuesday, March 22nd, BOLD welcomed Jessica Board, a talented Jr. Copywriter at Taylor Strategy. As a copywriter, Jessica develops effective and concise writing for ads, posts, and emails. She describes this kind of work as the “story of a brand.” Jessica’s talent has given her the opportunity to work with well-known brands such as Instagram, Velveeta, and Volkswagen. During the zoom call, she took the time to describe the steps she took to get to where she is now.
She began her career journey working for Schlumberger, followed by a variety of internships with places like Amazon and non-profit organizations. She explained how these experiences were crucial to leading her along her desired career path, as there is something to be learned wherever you go. Aside from taking part in internship programs, Jessica recommends networking with people that have the same interests, or with people you aspire to be. Networking helps with the struggle of finding an internship or a job that can be beneficial for your career. Lastly, Jessica encourages students to create a portfolio showcasing their best work. A portfolio allows you to organize your projects and gives employers a better insight into your work and what you are capable of.
Jessica emphasized that without good copywriting, brands may fail to gain an audience, or the audience may simply be drawn away. To demonstrate how impactful copywriting can be, she showed a couple of examples of copywriting seen on commercials, emails, and posters, and made it into an interactive game. For instance, she showed an Uber Eats commercial called “Uber Don’t Eats,” and asked BOLD members whether they thought the copywriting was good, bad, or alright. She then gave her own insight as a Jr. Copywriter on what she thought of this advertisement. She personally thought the ad was clever and simplistic and explained that when copywriting, “you have to be talking to one person.” Even though Jessica liked the ad, some BOLD members did not. A few members expressed their thoughts by describing it as “forced”, and “not funny.” This comes to show how everyone has their own unique perspective and opinions.
Jessica wrapped up the meeting with a Q&A segment where she answered any questions the BOLD members may have had. The presentation Jessica gave helped give a better understanding of copywriting and how it plays a big role in advertising. The advice she gave was helpful to BOLD’s members, who will put it to use on their journey towards their dream careers. She left members with five beneficial copywriting tips:
1. Read a lot!
2. Become an expert in who you’re writing to and what you’re writing about.
3. The more specific, the more persuasive.
4. Headlines are always a great place to start.
5. Go live life!
Click here to connect with Jessica!
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Written by: Priscilla Estarellas, Media and Events Committee Member
Edited by: Camille Garcia, President