Tony Lopes

My copywriting career started in 1998 when I attended the AAA School of Advertising in Cape Town. There, I was thrown into a new world of concepts, big ideas, working through the night to meet deadlines and all the other shenanigans that go along with being an unpaid advertising intern and student.

As copywriters we were teamed up with art directors and given brief after brief from local ad agencies and real clients. I worked on print advertising, radio advertising and even packaging ideas. We were thrown into the belly of the advertising beast and learned to develop thick skins as our ideas were rejected time and time again.

Over time our ideas improved and eventually we started to get it. Advertising was not just about getting awards and recognition from our peers (and at the time it really was a big deal) but it was also about selling. Advertising that works is all about persuading, influencing and convincing people to buy.

My grandfather introduced me to his friends and told them that I work in propaganda. I’m not sure to this day that he was wrong. Our job as marketers is to sway opinion in favour of our client’s product or service. It’s all about making the sale. Getting people to sign on the line that is dotted. The biggest lesson I have learned since 1998 is to make it all about the customer. It’s not about you or your product. It’s about them and meeting their needs.

Audience • Message • Action

At advertising school we were taught to leave a smile in the mind. Create an ad concept that makes the audience fill the gap and go aha, I get it. This talks to knowing who your customer is. Be in their shoes. Understand their pain. And then it’s about crafting a message that addresses this pain and how what you’re selling will help. Finally, it’s about persuading them that your product or service will solve their problem and getting them to take action and buy.

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