ABSTRACT
There are 'bag-of-tricks' copywriters who would dazzle with their brilliant ideas for six months and then move to the next station for another dazzling six-month performance. Copywriters either string a few well-worn cliches together, grab a few historical figures and bung a product in, steal chunks from a well-known television show or film, or create a hammy 'slice of life' where the characters talk in brand names. It only takes a moment to sketch out in the mind a rough ad, using various techniques. The first idea one has is not necessarily the best idea; it is usually the commonest execution for the type of product or service. If the idea is very complicated and requires total concentration on the part of the listener in order to work, one has to think of something else. Most of the ads for four-wheel drives featured rugged outback shots of mud-covered vehicles doing gravity-defying manoeuvres.
