Dan Nelken wrote a book, and a really useful one at that, titled A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters. Punctuated with personal, and often, very funny observations from the Advertising world, his objective is to de-mystify the creative process. He delivers.
In our chat, Dan speaks about wanting to write the dumbest book possible. To my mind, that is its greatest quality. With each technique he introduces, he shows what the actual work looks like, imperfections and all. He also touched on his unique approach to editing, what makes a great brief, and why brands should embrace their dirt.
Thank-you Dan. I enjoyed our conversation.
You can get updates on how to purchase A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters or sign up for Dan's weekly newsletter here.
Also, follow him on Linked In here.
Some things Dan mentions:
Old Spice - The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
Should you want to amp up your inner ADNERD, an interview with the creators of the Old Spice commercial is here.
Dan’s Thick Cut Wedge Fries commercial for McDonald’s
After a quick search, Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasonsis apparently the classical piece shown to boost creativity the most. To be fair, Mozart does receive honorable mention.
