Writing… - Advertising & Strategy

The last weekend I was engaged in a discussion about writing. For all those who have read Ken Roman’s (ex-CEO of Ogilvy & Mather), ‘How to write better’ will attest to his wisdom:

1. The reader does not have much time
2. Know where you are going
3. Make what you write easy to read
4. Short sentences & short paragraphs
5. Make your writing vigorous and direct
6. Avoid clichés
7. Avoid vague modifiers
8. Use specific concrete language
9. Find the right word
10. Don’t make spelling mistakes
11. Don’t over write or over state
12. Come to the point
13. State things as simply as you can
14. Handle numbers consistently
15. Avoid needless words
16. Be concise, but readable
17. Be brief, simple and natural
18. Don’t write like a bureaucrat or a lawyer
19. Never be content with your first draft
20. Have somebody else look over your draft

… & those of us who have been students of Kaizen understand the value of asking Why 5 times. It is so interesting to see the similarities and differences. Although Kaizen involves asking ‘why’ at the end (counter intuitive to what is expected to be already clear and precise) , better writing starts with asking ‘why’ before one starts.

It is the dichotomy between developing a strategy and analysis.

I might just add a certain amount of indulgence through ambiguity is an essential ingredient in the romance of a good creative.