Ben Popken of The Spunker wants to be a copywriter.
Here’s one of the spec ads from his developing portfolio:
Popken had a portfolio review at Y&R last week and people have been emailing him with suggestions. What a difference a few interweb years can make.
Wowzers. My portfolio got a really high response. Thanks everybody. Now I hate all my ads. But it’s a good hate. Really, my reaming was surprisingly gentle. Though it’s still galling to bust ass and get told, “Nice, you’ve demonstrated you can tell an ad from a nutrition chart. Do it again, with feeling.” That’s how it goes. Take it on the chin and grin.
Good attitude. It’s easy to get impatient when you’re in Ben’s shoes, wanting that big break so badly.
In the interest of helping Ben improve, let’s examine the Kotex spec ad above. I have some opinions on it, but why don’t you start.