TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
I am a lurker who is considering a move into the technical writing arena. I am currently *gasp* a marketing writer. Prior to focusing solely on copywriting, I was employed as a *triple gasp* advertising account manager at an ad agency.
To answer the question at hand based upon my own experience... when it comes to marketing copy, the rules regarding grammar and such are extremely flexible. The purpose of marketing copy is create an impression, get the audience's attention and build reputation. Along with graphic elements, playing with words and punctuation is an important part of achieving those goals. For example, which of the following tag lines has more punch...
1) Got milk?
or
2) Pardon me, are you currently in possession of the nourishing substance supplied to a calf by its bovine parent?
My degree in journalism makes me cringe at the sight of the word "got." But hey, along with a snazzy image of a Hollywood celebrity sporting a faux milk mustache, the phrase "Got Milk?" works.
This is not to say that there is no such thing as bad marketing copy. Bending the rules has its risks. But sometimes it is necessary. One instance that comes to mind is the listing of a web address. In normal circumstances, a period completes a sentence. So, what happens when the web address is at the end of that sentence? For your consideration, I present the following example...
For more information, please see www.marektingwritersarereallycool.com.
The problem with this correctly punctuated sentence is that some people reading the ad or brochure containing it will attempt to visit the web site and not be able to access it. Why? Because they think the period is part of the web address. So in my office, we leave the period out.
As I am trying to learn more about the technical writing field, I obviously don't know that much about it. But the impression I have is that if you are going to communicate complicated information, sticking to the rules is important. As the purpose of marketing copy is to pack a punch, sticking to the rules isn't necessarily the key to success.
Again, I am not saying that there is no such thing as bad marketing copy. Bad writing is bad writing. I don't care if you are a technical writer, a marketing writer or a novelist.
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