Vagabond Shoes

I’ve moved again.

I’m still in Causeway Bay, but a bit bigger place so Maria and I can stretch out a bit.

It took me three trips this time, so it looks like I’m breaking away from my personal mantra of ‘never own more than you can carry’.

Anyone need any DVDs or sneakers?

Why it Never Hurts to Have an English Copywriter On Hand

It's always handy to have a native English copywriter nearby to sort out conundrums like the every day vs everyday deal and to double-check for things like this:






(courtesy of engrish.com)

English Copywriter Pick of the Week

Sizzle!

Crash Media Diet

Craigslist has its own, bizarre, online community.

People get on there to find new apartments, or work, or relationships, or just to rant and rave about traffic and politics and their pets and the world.

Every so often you find some really great anonymous writing on the “best of craigslist”.

Here are a few of my favourites:

How I got the best of this Nigerian scammer

MC Hammer pants

Warning: Credit Card Scam

One year ago today

You shot me after I got hit by a car last Halloween

Advice to young men from an Old Man

Free Terrarium - Mixed Media Piece

To the dude who answers the phone at Big Cheese Pizza

What A Reel

When I think to myself sometimes, 'what am I doing? I write ads...for a living...how ridiculous is that?'

It takes some amazing work to re-inspire me and remind me what I think is so fun about this bizarre job.

This is hands down the best reel I have ever seen.

Alex Bogusky's Reel

(courtesy of Ihaveanidea.org)

English Copywriter Pick of the Week

Triple Distilled Copywriting

Copywriting is a lot like distillation.

You have to wade through an enormous amount of information. And make it concise.

Copywriting is a lot like translating.

You take something that is really confusing and unintelligible. And say it simply.

Copywriting is a lot like storytelling.

You have to keep people engaged. So they read it.

Cantonese 301

Say gun ah – Die hard

Ho Pow – super cool

Joe gay doh may yuun – work never ends

Joe Lay Ho One – good luck

Yang don deen – win/good luck in Macao

Die gut – good luck (when you sneeze)

Nay Joe Gun Mut Yah – What are you doing?

Gwan eh Gwhy see – None of your business!

Been Gohn – Who
Meh – What
Gay see - When
Been Doh – Where
Deem Guy – Why
Deem Yeung – How

Motz-zawa – Don’t leave

Poo jhen – disappear (mandarin)

Jo say yun meh – work to die

Pok guy – slip in the streets (damn you!)

Long ann – dragon eye (fruit)

Mol dee wa – nonsense

Jong Soy ah – very bad

So Qua – Stupid

Foo heenee – you do what I say

Hoy sum go-ah – Happy nuts

Hoy sum – happy

Lun Dan – Salary

Lone see fat – old man

Soh Chee – Finger

See Fat Kway – Pretentious

Cha Seeooh Fan – BBQ pork and rice

Sup mahn – 100,000

Escaping Sweetly

For some reason, few good live bands come through Hong Kong.

So when a concert does hit the town, sometimes you have to take what you can get.

Either way, I saw Gwen Stefani last night.

I'm not really a fan, but I had a good time.

If nothing else the girl is a performer.

Harajuku girls dressed as inner-city gang members, Rastafarians, and prisoners, danced alongside professional breakdancers and Gwen, who has all the smile and charm of a 30s Broadway star (with the endurance of an athlete).

I got a kick out of the Hong Kong crowd as well. So well behaved for a rock show. They were loving it, and when Gwen said she loved each and every one of them, they ate it up.

And so ruly. People actually stuck to their seats and did what they were told.

But then again, I usually go to shows like Tool and System of a Down.

Mmm. Yes. Mmm.

Don't Dance Dance Revolution

This just in from Strategy:

Milwaukee's Best Light website

Pretty amusing stuff.

Working with an Art Director

I've moved to a new seat so I can work next to Howard, my partner and AD.

I find after working with an AD, you think a little like an AD.

You'll see what I mean in the post below.

Sometimes writers can be so linear.

Sheesh.

Copywriting Skills

knihT


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S-E-N-T-E-N-C-E


……………Silver…………………
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silver.silv…………… silver………
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………..silver………….silver…...
…….silversilver……...silver…....
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.....................Mole........................
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ll.molehill.molehill.molehill.molehill..





Haystneedleack

English Copywriter Pick of the Week

Well, the typhoon was a little disappointing.

It was just a bunch of rain, no palm trees and trailers flying through the air or anything.

But here I am, back at it, along with your Pick of the Week.

This one is an old one, but one of my all-time favourites.

Act of God

Hong Kong is going to be hit by a Type 8 Typhoon in about an hour.

They are sending everyone home.

If this is my last post, you'll know why.

SEO Copywriting and Patience

It took a while this time, but I'm finally on the first page for English copywriter. Now I have both the #1 and #3 spots.

I've been shooting for the top spot since this post: English copywriter link.

Sweet, and for Freelance English Copywriter I also have three of the top four.

It just takes a while.

In other news, I've also put Maria, and her blog Native English Teacher to the #2 spot on Google for, you guessed it, Native English Teacher (she's actually looking for new students now, so if you need lessons - let me know).

Teamwork

Excellent.

Ogilvy has paired me up with an Art Director, Howard, and an Assistant Art Director, Ciff.

And these guys are good.

I went for dinner with Howard last night and we are totally on the same page.

We’ve got the same goal: An Award at Cannes.
We’ve got some ideas.
This is when things get really rolling.

My plan at this point is to think small and then big.

We’ll start with ambient stuff for existing clients and then go for the big campaigns. My goal is to come up with one new initiative idea per week.

I know I can’t post any ideas on here, but once things start getting produced, I’ll show you.

English Copywriter Pick of the Week

Some extraordinary eye candy this week.

Four Exciting Days in Hanoi

Well, I’m back from four exciting days in Hanoi.

It’s a wild place, built around a tranquil lake in the centre of the city that is constantly circled by whizzing motorbikes blaring their horns and laden down by families of four, sometimes five.

They jockey for position between teeming throngs of taxis and exhaust and noise and cars and overloaded bicycles swerving through lineless lanes. Then meandering pedestrians in colourful clothes, sweaty tourists, wandering drones, and locals in pointed hats with bars on their sturdy shoulders like the banana scales of justice.

It is the perfect blend of France and the East. On one hand they live in a European land. Fantastic architecture with the skinny, tall, colourful houses and terraces and patios fit for the common royal, and delightful cuisine and joie de vivre. A necessary leisure that is second to nothing. On the other it’s the polar extreme. It’s all Asia, with driven sentiments, heritage and hustle.

I’ve never seen anything like it.

It’s a fantastic place and I wish I had more time.

Happy Anniversary, Happy Anniversary

I have been in Hong Kong one year now.

This is a great city/town/country (call it what you like). The weather is fantastic, the people are cool, and the work ethic here is unbelievable.

I’ve completely restructured my portfolio in this time and filled it with ads for some of the world’s biggest airlines, theme parks, casinos, hotels and banks. So that’s coo.

I came to Hong Kong to write.

I can’t imagine anywhere else in the world that gives you the fuel to produce so incessantly (as well as the lash to enforce it).

If nothing else I’ve been prolific.

I have written countless articles, three short stories, two websites, four songs, three blogs, a journal, 57 chapters of my book, as well as my daily ad writing that comprises thousands of words a week in print, brochures, TV, outdoor, online - you name it.

Just yesterday I was asked if I would also like to write a monthly column about my perceptions of this frantic town for a prestigious magazine. So that is quite an honour to be considered.

Last night at 8 pm I was assigned an 800 word brochure, I now realize it is due tonight.

Back in the day, in school, we were given three weeks for what I do in one day here.

Madness. Either way, it’s good for me. I like writing, and, I think, I’m getting better.

I’m off to Vietnam tomorrow for four days. It will be a nice little break. So we’ll catch up when I return, hopefully with some pictures and fresh inspiration.