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5/4 Thread (General):
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Anyone do any work in web3/blockchain/metaverse?
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I totally agree with you. People don’t “armchair-art direct” nearly as much as they do with writing. Because everyone thinks “hey, I can write!” Not giving nearly enough credit to the skill that professional CWs bring to the table.
Coach
My favorite question to ask when someone rewrites my copy is: "did you make it better, or did you make it yours?"
Yup. And if the agency is account run they’re like “mine” now take YOURself and leave.
When an art worker changes a word so that ‘it fits the space better’ 😐
AD1, cool then be prepared for the work to get sent back because the messaging is off 🤷🏻♀️
This rant is a little long, mind if I make some quick edits?
Please do. No one reads long copy anymore. You know, like books. Or Sorkin scripts. No one reads ‘em.
Coach
Haven't you heard, everyone's creative.
Yeah clients with lots of money now too are very creative.
I'm numb to feedback at this point. I just do what I need to do and call it a day after 5
If I started an ad agency at this point I’d call it: Take the money & run
Our clients tend to think they can make the copy so much better. Their versions are usually repetitive, run on, nonsensical gibberish.
To be fair, I’ve seen clients mock up their own layout too b/c they really do know best and truly anyone can art direct or write copy, but it takes a special POS to be a client.
Must be an industry thing. I’ve had the same happen on Comcast and T-Mobile.
Whenever I encounter it I ask myself: is this work I care about?
Usually it's not so I let it slide and go about my merry day. Making ads in 2022 y'all
💯 my coping mechanism is buying a little trinket for myself or just checking my bank acct & being grateful for the check - esp in 2022
I find there are two kinds of rewriting.
The first is when account and client make the work more strategically correct. I think this is not only acceptable but highly commendable.
Then there are those who rewrite for style. These folks are just frustrated writers who tend to ruin everything including morale.
CD4 I love when they rewrite the copy themselves and then on the next round they provide changes for their own copy. Absolute fools.
It all comes down to RESPECT. There is no excuse for people who disrespect other people's expertise on a professional setting. If client wants to change some thing, the communication should be about specific concerns or what they try to achieve. Not rewriting or redesigning. That applies to everyone. This is as offensive as us telling account director how to talk to the client word by word.
This happens to art directors too. I had account directors go to productions team behind my back and ask for different font as a headline, change sizes on things like logo, even color changes. Sometimes if they have power in the agency, they ask me to do it.
people get a way with doing it and I don't fight every battles. They generally have low self-esteem with major control issues. Or fail art director/writer turn to account and have other problems.
I agree with you. It is one of my biggest pet peeves.
Who is rewriting? Account?
This!!! Yes. That is my account director. Alwaya control issues because bo control in personal life. They even do it to the CD because the client does it to the account director.
I think your post would be a bit better like this…
*** RANT ALERT *** As a copywriter, I’ve never enjoyed when people rewrite my work. But these days, it seems to happen more often than ever. It’s particularly frustrating that their changes are subjective and seldom even improve the copy. People don’t take the same liberties with art direction because they don’t know how to use the tools needed. But everyone with Microsoft Word feels entitled to change copy, even for basically no reason. Microsoft Word? More like, “Word to your mom, crappy client.”
My favorite is when the account team wants to add an additional 6 words to describe product when you’re literally looking at a photo of said product. Every fucking time lol