A story of an epiphany: The Power of Written Words

I am writing copy for eight years now. Playing with words all day — Can’t get better. Right?

So I thought — until one day!

Until the day, I realized the power of written words.

___________

It was the month of May, just like this. The year — 2018.

My friend and I plunged in her sofa, huffing, and puffing. The scorching sun, although westward by now, had taken the best of us.

The lovely ‘us’ had just returned from the shopping for our soon-to start vacation. We were getting beach ready.

Unlike May 2020, physical shopping was a norm considered much normal, then.

(Stating this in the light of the ‘New Normal.’)

Let me hashtag here #COVID19

After giving some rest to my shoulders, back, and feet, I dragged myself towards the fridge. I investigated the six-foot-tall well-stocked refrigerator for a decent seven to ten minutes, only to be left in utter surprise.

All I knew, my friend’s love for cola during college days used to be legendary, and here I could see, her huge refrigerator — overflowing and colorful, did not have a single can of any fizzy drinks in there.

“No cola in your fridge,” I said. The tone of my voice smothered in sarcasm.

“I broke up with cola,” she replied with a snicker and a shrug, “a long time.”

“Ouch! How did that happen?” I asked in curiosity.

She dazzled me then that on one of her usual days when she was standing on her bus stop she noticed a passing by bus -

There was an image of a cola bottle on the huge double-decker bus with a copy that said:

“To burn this bottle, you will have to run from Stop K to Stop M.”

<Keeping the de facto names of the bus stops private>

My Takeaway:

I blew away when it sunk in me the magnitude at which a copy can motivate. Just a few simple words inspired my friend to make a life-changing decision.

It dawned on me that copy is not only about making sense or making a sale. It is about creating an impact. It should not have to stay at just encouraging the reader to take a specific action at that moment. It should continue to inspire people for much longer.

A copy should not have to be just about sales. It should be about defining and strengthening the values of the brand.

A good copy should have a vision!

And, the copywriter in me changed forever — for better!

The incident made me realize that the power of written words goes much beyond just one transaction. It encouraged me to tell stories that will stay with the audiences.

I don’t care today if the reader remembers the exact words I wrote or not. Nonetheless, I feel ‘the winner’ if the emotional energy that the copy yields continue to linger with the audiences for a little longer.