For some time now, my brother has been trying to get me to watch Mad Men. Something about the sleazy scotch glass on the cover of the first season DVD set turned me off of the show initially.
Then, one unusually warm April evening, we decided to visit a local barbeque join called the Icehouse (Texas-style barbeque in Canada? Why did I bother?). After awkwardly being crammed together at a very small picnic table with another couple, Mad Men came to my attention once again.
In normal fashion, each person at our table took turns explaining their chosen profession. When it was my turn, I quietly stated my usual “I’m a copywriter” line. I expected someone to bring up laws and patents, as is the usual case (spelled “copyright” not “copywrite”).
Instead, they both spat out: “like in Mad Men!” Clueless, I agreed.
For years, I’ve tried (with no amount of success) to explain to people what I do. Some people laugh, others look doubtful, and many just skip over the subject altogether. I have my elevator pitch down, but most of the time it’s met with a large heaping of skepticism.
Other writers I know have encountered the same thing.
Some copywriters have been reduced to “…getting awkward and saying something nondescript about the Internet” as fellow writer Jack Busch puts it. Thanks to a television show about sexism, womanizing, and the miracle that is advertising, my profession has finally been put on the map.
Now, I simply tell people that “I’m a copywriter like in Mad Men.” They get it.
One Comment
I know what you mean trying to explain what you do. I have to say, though, my experience here in the U.S. is quite favorable. When I tell someone I’m a writer, they seem very impressed and interested in what I do. I love the Mad Men analogy, though, and will definitely look deeper into that one!
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