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Canyon College



COURSE SYLLABUS: ADVERTISING COPYWRITING

Course Title:	JC418 – Advertising Copywriting
Department:	Journalism and Communications
Instructor:	Duane Franceschi, M.S. E-Mail - Vitae
Office Phone:	850-385-1318
Toll Free:	1-800-293-2741 / Code 8183
Fax:	850-205-5296
Office Hours:	Monday thru Thursday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM / EST

Please print a copy of this syllabus for future reference.
Required Textbook:    Online Bookstore

Advertising: Concept and Copy, Second Edition, by George Felton. W. W. Norton & Company, 2005/2006. ISBN-13: 9780393731590    ISBN: 0393731596

A Recommendation From The Instructor

The best advertising copywriters are those who have a 'worldly view' of life. They are well schooled in art, literature, music, geography, world history, various cultures and religions. They travel well, and enjoy overseas adventures. They read a lot. Newspapers. Books. Magazines. They are curious about the great writers, philosophy and the sciences. They search the Internet, are inquisitive and wear out the Google™ button on their computer.

In a word, they love knowledge! To be a great – or even good – copywriter in the advertising industry, you must have this curiosity, this quest for knowledge. We don't assemble worldly knowledge in a month, or a year, or even a decade. But as we progress through life, learn, and mature, we become copywriters with a message.

And no good advertising can begin without a message.

So, be curious about everything. Enroll, and let's begin your quest for knowledge, with Advertising Copywriting as your roadmap!

Advertising Today

Advertising is omnipresent. TV, radio, Internet and print commercials and ads invade our lives 24/7. Many fell advertising messages are far too invasive, and purchase products like TiVo to 'tune out' the commercials and enjoy the program sans commercial interruption.

Others find advertising informative, enlightening, entertaining and an asset to be used when purchasing goods or services.

The bottom line: We are all inundated by ads on TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, outdoor billboards and of course, the Internet. Why do some ads work, while others don't?

Advertising Copywriting is a course designed to make you think seriously about this product called advertising. We all have 'favorite' commercials, ones we can recall almost to the exact wording because we have paid attention to the message and its delivery. Others are totally lost in the 'clutter' and are totally un-memorable.

Why is this so? What makes a great ad? What goes on in the creative process? How does one go from reading ads to creating them? Advertising Copywriting helps you find answers to many of those questions.

Course Description

Advertising Copywriting is a course for students who are interested in the fields of advertising, marketing, Internet sales and solutions, and public relations.

Many students are on a career path to become copywriters, graphic designers, art directors and creative directors, and this course is a fundamental training for those vocations. However, students merely interested in how advertising works will also enjoy the course, and the discipline needed to write persuasive copy.

Advertising Copywriting is a course designed to make you more aware of the advertising process, and to enable you to work with images and words to create powerful advertising messages.

The course is divided into three sections. First, we learn the Strategy of Advertising, and how to execute the ad so that copy and visual work together. You can't produce good advertising unless you know your product, and research its benefits, weaknesses and competition. We need to understand consumer behavior, market segmentation and the kinds of strategies.

Next, how do we Execute the Advertising Message? We discuss thinking in words and pictures, making headlines work with copy, and styling our writing to 'fit' the audience. Television, radio and other advertising genres are covered, with examples of the good, the bad and the ugly commercials.

Last, we learn the power of being creative. In the Toolbox Section, we discuss how to be creative and factual at the same time. Do testimonials work? Do clichés work? How about negative advertising? This section will give you a place you can go to for problem-solving tools. To help you make good ads – even great ads!

Requirements and Grades

There are no exams for Advertising Copywriting. Grades will be earned by completing the (1) Chapter Assignments and (2) Additional Copywriting Assignments.
Each Chapter will have an assignment. These will total 75% of your grade. The Copywriting Assignments will total 25% of your grade.

Chapter Assignments                75%
Copywriting Assignments          25%

Total                                            100%

Grading Scale

90-100	A-Excellent
80-89	B-Above Average
70-79	C-Average
60-69	D-Below Average
59 or below	F-Failing Grade