Disclaimer: I am not a copy-editor, nor do I make the claim that the writing on my site is evidence of my authority in said discipline.
Apple recently posted a new promotional section on their site for the iPhone. I had no intent to mention it here, as I see little benefit in commenting on marketing materials. However, when I came across this piece from Youssef Sarhan, I couldn’t resist.
Here’s his premise:
With examples, I plan to demonstrate where Apple could have improved their copywriting. Copywriting is an important but often neglected discipline.
I agree that copywriting is important and often neglected, but it’s preposterous to suggest that a company as detail-oriented as Apple isn’t thinking about the way their copy appears on marketing as high-profile as this. Simply stated, this article looks like a weak attempt to get in on the return of the “beleaguered Apple” meme.
Sarhan starts with some sentence structure suggestions straight out of elementary school:
Traditionally, beginning a sentence with ‘and’ (a conjunction) is not recommended. This is because ‘and’ is used to link or compare two points, separating them with a period can create an awkward cadence.
Or an intentionally conversational one. Apple’s cadence, as Sarhan puts it, is there to make the copy seem friendly and approachable, simple and clear in a common-usage sort of way.
And then there’s his suggested correction:
There’s iPhone. Then there’s everything you can do with it.
But that’s not the same meaning as Apple’s copy. The original refers to both the advantages of the iPhone and the implication that all other smartphones are in a class below it. Sarhan’s version leaves out the comparison, which is the clear direction (for good or for ill) Apple has elected for this campaign.
He goes on to attack Apple’s reference to its customer service awards, which I’ll agree are US-centric. Then he goes after the word plays on “great” and “powerful.” These are neither muddled nor confused as Sarhan claims. They again emphasize the simple and direct—yet still playful and relatable—personality Apple is going for. Are they some kind of achievement in literature to rival Shakespeare? No. Are they approachable and effective, I think so (as does Apple, obviously).
He closes with this:
There are a bunch of other things, but it’s late and I’m tired. Whoever wrote this copy probably shouldn’t write copy for Apple anymore. Finally, notice how there are no black iPhones featured on the entire page, they are all White. I wonder if there’s a strategic reason for that, probably not.
I wonder if he woke up and realized that the whole angle for his piece feels like it was late and he was tired? Hey, at least he used a comma and coordinating conjunction to join his independent clauses! As for the black iPhone? A bit more consideration might have led him to the conclusion that the black iPhones are the ones with complaints about the colorization process on the aluminum. A bit more consideration might also have kept him from clicking “publish” on this post.
But it didn’t.
David Hepworth on the traditional publishing industry’s performance in light of The Magazine’s (and other digital-native content’s) emphasis on steak over sizzle:
If they were honest with themselves, they might look at their own declining circulation figures and reach the conclusion that what they have traditionally considered exciting material no longer has the same sway over people that it once had.
I would argue that traditional “exciting” material never truly was all that exciting. Instead, it was, and is, simply eye-catching. The sizzle is designed to sell magazines and other publications to people who aren’t really that interested in magazines in the first place. It’s why you don’t see something like The New Yorker on magazine racks in the checkout lane (at least I never have). People who want that sort of high-quality, thoughtful content seek it out.
On the Internet, the grocery checkout rack sensationalism is available for free, anytime, anywhere. People on the web are now at the point where a growing number are seeking out the content, not just impulse-buying as they surf by. The shift seems to be that with recent developments in the app economy, those seekers are now willing to also become subscribers. Not only are they looking for good content, they are willing to pay.
Via: Marco Arment
If you haven’t seen it yet, my article, “The Ties That Band” was published in issue 8 of The Magazine alongside four other excellent pieces.
To Marco Arment and Glenn Fleishman, I’d like to say thanks for the opportunity and for all of the editing work.
