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How to put a “Spec” Book together.

J. Walter Thompson Chicago

How to put a “Spec” Book together. PURPOSE In order to get your first job in advertising, you need a book or portfolio filled with ads that show people how you think and what your creative abilities are. Unfortunately, you need to get a job in advertising before you can get ads produced. Therein lies the age-old dilemma of every aspiring writer and art director. This dilemma is cured with The Spec Book. A spec book (speculative book) should help you get a job in advertising by demonstrating several things: 1. That you have a basic, instinctive understanding of this business. 2. That you know how to think. 3. That you know how to do an ad. 4. That you have a point of view about what is good advertising. 5. That someone other than your parents will want to read your ads. 6. That you know why you did an ad the way you did it. Allow us to be more specific: 1. That you have a basic, instinctive understanding of this business. No one expects you to be an ad genius at birth but you should have

some natural ability to know what advertising is all about. Why do we do ads? What do we hope to communicate for a specific product? What are we trying to sell the consumer? A product? An image? An idea? What are we trying to persuade someone to do? How are we trying to change someone’s behavior? What problem are we trying to solve? You have to identify a problem before you can provide the creative solution to the problem.

Some examples of problems to solve: • A product that no one has heard of yet. It’s either new or has never been advertised. • A mature product that’s been around for a long time and lacks excitement. • A generic product that doesn’t have much of a difference. • A product that suffers from a poor image. • A product or service with a lot of competition. • A product in a low-interest category. 2. That you know how to think. You don’t necessarily have to be right in your solutions to problems, but you should have an intelligent reason for why you think you have the solution. In an interview, how you articulate the thinking behind your work is critical. If you are creating in a vacuum, doing ads just because you have a swell idea for something, you will be discovered. Think about the ads you’re doing for your book; think about why you want them in your book. 3. That you know how to do an ad. A print ad has a headline, a visual, some body copy usually and the name of the advertising along with a positioning line (e.g., KFC: “We Do Chicken Right” or Nike: “Just Do It.” or GE: “We bring good things to life.”). People who look at your book want to know that if you’re a writer you can write headlines, body copy, and positioning lines. If you’re an art director, it would be nice if you could write the headlines and the positioning lines as well. It’s hard to think of a concept without that. As an art director, though, you should also be able to design a good layout (aim for simplicity rather than complicated visuals and design). Remember that the idea is more important than the execution. If you do a spec storyboard, make sure that it’s easy to understand and has a strong idea to it. Radio scripts are hard to appreciate. 4. That you have a point of view about what is good advertising. It’s better to have fewer ads that are consistent in their quality than to have a number of ads with a range of taste levels. You can expand your horizons after you have your first job. Remember that every piece in your book is an example of what you think is good advertising.

5. That someone other than your parents will want to read your ads. Is your ad a stopper? As people leaf through a magazine, will your ad stop them from turning the page? Will they read the headline? Will the headline make them read the body copy? If they read the ad, will it make any difference to them? Does anyone care about what your ad is selling? Is it rewarding to read the ad? Is the visual interesting, unusual, dramatic? Is it ordinary or is it fresh in its approach? Have you seen this idea before or is it really original? Don’t be easy on yourself. No one else will. 6. That you know why you did the ad the way you did it. Do you understand the people you’re aiming the ad at? Why should they buy what you’re selling? What do you know about the product you’ve chosen to do a spec ad for? Don’t do ads in a vacuum. Don’t come up with a catchy headline then try to find a product to fit your concept. That’s exactly backwards and it shows in your work. You’re better off showing spec campaigns of at least 2 ads or more. One ad alone says it was just luck. Two ads show that you have an idea and they demonstrate what the idea is. Three ads or more say that your idea is a big one. It has “legs” as we say. It can go on and on and on. A couple of smart campaigns in your spec book and you can probably get any job you go after.

CONTENTS Your book should include your resume in addition to the samples of your creative ability. Your resume should include any information about yourself that will help a prospective employer understand you better. If you don’t have any work experience, include your education. Later on you can drop this from your resume. As work experience grows you have less of a need to share your education with a prospective employer. If you know what you want out of an advertising career, articulate it; it helps to be focused. If you have a plan of where you want to be after five years, talk about it in your resume. Remember, with no real work experience, evaluating your personality and how you will fit into an existing office situation is very important. Especially in the creative department. Don’t forget to include your address and telephone number. Your date of birth, marital status, race and color are not required reading here. A photo is also not necessary.

PREPARATION HINTS Pick a variety of products/services that you use in everyday life and know something about. Don’t create advertising in a vacuum. Find ads that have already been written about the product and learn something from the ads before you write your own. Parity products, like toothpaste and laundry detergent or airlines and insurance companies can be difficult because the difference between brands is often almost nonexistent. You have to create a difference, a reason for why someone should buy your toothpaste or laundry detergent or fly your airline. This is called a strategy. It will help you position your product in the consumer’s mind so that it’s seen as different and the most desirable. Before you start developing campaign ideas, think about why you use the product in the first place. What is the basic need it fulfills? Then think about why you use one brand versus another in this category. What makes you stop from buying the other brands? How would you persuade someone using another brand to use the brand you use? Don’t do ads for made-up products. No one will care about the advertising. Avoid the urge to fill your book with public service advertising. It’s the easiest to do and one campaign is more than enough. Don’t develop advertising based on an existing campaign unless you’re taking an existing campaign to new heights. It’s usually better to develop your own campaigns. Art work is not required for copywriters. Simply indicate when a visual is expected, and describe what you would see. Or, use rough drawings, scrap photos, etc. to depict visuals. Ad body copy is not required for art directors, but you should have at least a headline and possibly even a positioning line (also called tag lines, end lines, theme lines or, in the old days, slogans). A theme line or tag line should sum up the overall campaign idea and tie together all creative executions. Make sure you proofread all your copy. Grammatical mistakes are unprofessional and make you look sloppy. That goes for your resume and cover letter, too.

Campaign background information such as target demographics, the problem the advertising is supposed to solve, etc., is unnecessary. The campaigns should speak for themselves. However, when presenting your portfolio in person, you may be asked, and should be prepared to discuss, this sort of information. If you volunteer the information as you present your work it will make you look smarter about why you did what you did. ORGANIZATION HINTS Buy a presentation binder at an art supply store. Any style is fine, but keep in mind that this binder will have to protect your work from a lot of manhandling. Mark everything so it won’t get lost if someone takes it out of your portfolio. Also make sure your name, address and phone number is on your portfolio. Assemble all material as neatly as possible. Your portfolio should reflect the professionalism you seek. Only include campaigns you think are strong and can defend if questioned. If you have a special skill, such as photography, illustration, or short story writing, etc., you may wish to include a few samples at the back of your portfolio. However, make sure you don’t include too many and confuse the issue. It’s actually better to demonstrate these skills in your ads. JOB HUNTING HINTS When you first complete your “spec” portfolio, request portfolio reviews at advertising agencies either by calling or writing a cover letter. (The best reference guide to determine whom you should contact within an agency is the Redbook, or the Standard Directory of Advertising Agencies.) Copywriters should take extra care in writing cover letters. It is an additional opportunity to stand out from the competition. You want to make the reader want to meet you and see your work. Be entertaining, be persuasive, let your personality show through. But be professional, not snide or flip.

Consider the portfolio reviews learning experiences as well as job hunts. Keep a good record of your contacts at each agency -- those who saw your portfolio as well as those who saw you along with your portfolio. Ask each person for specific comments regarding your work. Record these comments. They will give you a good indication of how you fare versus your competition. In addition, if a certain comment occurs frequently, this may indicate a revision of your portfolio is necessary. Prepare for each interview, even if it is an informational or exploratory interview. Research the agency. Know its clients, its advertising, its top management, its billings, its size and its recent media coverage. Research the people with whom you’ll be meeting. Try to find out the accounts they work on, their titles and their past advertising successes. Be prepared to ask lots of questions. This preparation is for your benefit. You want to know enough about the agency to talk intelligently and to be able to ask specific questions. The more prepared you are, the more you’ll appear truly interested in the agency, and the easier you’ll be able to tell if you are a right fit with the agency. When you get to an interview, try to relax and be yourself. Remember that your personality has a great deal to do with your qualifications for the job. Someone is going to decide whether you’re worth the time and effort it takes to teach this business. They will want to know if it will be a good use of their time, if you will learn fast, if you have a passion for the business and a desire to work at that particular agency and if you will be fun to have around. That’s a lot to work into a 30- to 60-minute interview, but work at it. Good luck. Have a good time. And don’t give up.

Nina DiSesa Executive Creative Director J. Walter Thompson/Chicago