The Copysmith

I’m very confident with the written word and would never have thought of using a copywriter to help with my promotional literature until I met Kim from The Copysmith.

Kim is so enthusiastic, so full of energy and ideas, and so passionate about what she does, that I realised she would be the person to inject some excitement into my jaded marketing. What I don’t have is the knowledge, experience and creative edge to know what will grab the market’s attention and sell my photography over and above my competitors.

All of this Kim clearly has in abundance.

I was particularly impressed with the questions Kim asked when we discussed what I was looking for. My imagery is very personal, emotive and expressive; Kim asked me how I wanted the reader to feel, for example when they looked at each page, and I even found myself explaining how I felt when I took the pictures and what was my vision at the time. Kim took my thoughts and put them on paper, absolutely expressing the essence of my photography and what sets me apart from the others, in a unique and vibrant way.

Kim is such a lovely person to work with, and so visibly involved in her projects, that she’s hard to resist; so don’t try – book The Copysmith for your words today.

Celia Mannings.
Tel: 01312 080912

celia@celiamanningsphotography.co.uk

www.celiamanningsphotography.co.uk

: Musings from our Business trip to Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom’s capital city seems poised for change – how will it strike the balance between conservative Muslim kingdom and inviting in the modern world?

GLITTERING URBAN SPRAWL Riyadh, a breathtaking view by night as seen from the geodesic Globe Restaurant at the top of Al Faisaliah tower.

SUBDUED OR DIGNIFIED? Modern Saudi women are required to wear the abaya, but not the headscarf – even though many still cover their hair. Although that women’s touch is largely absent in the culture, women are being engaged more and more in business and public debate: At Al Faisaliah Hotel, the elegant and contemporary South Wing has been designed by one of the Saudi princesses, newspapers earnestly discuss women’s rights issues, and driving into Riyadh you can’t ignore the sprawling 8 million m2 building site of the Princess Nora University for young women.

SWEET DREAMS. Nobody’s fool, Saudi Arabia has embraced the best of the western world, while rejecting the worst. Upmarket Riyadh indulges in the most exquisite 5-star cuisine. Here at Hotel Al Khozama, La Patisserie lays out an exquisite spread of Continental dainties.

SUFFUSED WITH LUXURY. At Al Faisaliah Hotel every tray comes with a single fresh rose – even a small pick me up for a tired writer.

SUPREME HOSPITALITY reigns at the centre of Saudi culture. The hotel reflects this by assigning guests complementary butlers who operate on 24-hour alert. The pinnacle of efficiency and professional conduct, these gentlemen can help with anything from wake-up calls to shopping, packing and bookings.

THE SECRET WORLD of Saudi Arabia seems to exist in another dimension. There is an almost unnerving calm, a relaxed pace, a feeling of safety that is rare in most parts of the world.

Women with beautiful flashing eyes laugh with their husbands and tend to their children. Starkly concealed in black, they bear their traditional garments with self-respect, rather than the indignity assumed by the west.

While the plazas and streets are splashed with sunlight, the modest culture seems to hide from it. Rather expressing itself in a more intimate way, retreating indoors for personal pursuits and comforts.

And indeed Saudi Arabians have retreated from the prying eyes of the non-Muslim world. But with astonishing plans for the future – The Kingdom eyes a $20 billion income from tourism by 2020 – the new Saudis, sunny and young at heart, seem willing to reveal their mysteries to the globe. And daring enough to make it happen – here in Riyadh, new hotels rise despite the economic downturn.

Brave plans to lure in the tourists include plans for a $13 billion tourist city and the largest eco-tourism park in the Middle East. Blessed with more than oil, Saudi Arabia’s unspoilt and ‘unseen’ landscape teems with wildlife, kilometres of pristine coastline and undulating desertscapes. Add to that bustling cities, luxurious hotels and spas to rival any world destination, and The Kingdom promises to be the next must-do tourist frontier.

Walking home from pubs while it’s still light. Soaking up the sun after work. Daffodils, blue skies and a jog up the river.

Well maybe not quite.

With the clocks an hour forward, our clients in Europe and the Middle East will be glad to know we’re just that much closer to your time zone.

Just thought we’d post a pic to prove we smithies do scrub up nicely. The Copysmith recently attended hi-brow networking event Only Connect, held at the oh-so-sophisticated Living Room in Bristol.

Centre James Wareham of The Copysmith with Mike Storey of Whype Web Design.

Tom Meighan comments on how self-indulgent and irrelevant blogging is losing musicians their star status. Click the link to read more…

Kasabian’s Tom Meighan: ‘The internet has killed rock stars’ | News | NME.COM

Musicians are brands. And blogging for any brand needs to be focussed and well-written.

We’re often asked to write monthly articles or blogs for our clients’ websites. We just ask for the key-points that need to be covered and what the copy should achieve in the heart/mind of the reader. It’s a simple process from there, which frees up business-owners’ time and gives their brands that rock star edge.

Pulteney Bridge, Bath

6 Fountain House was getting a bit cramped, so The Copysmith has moved. We bid farewell to views of greener pastures for, well, greener pastures.

We’re at 5 Argyle Street now (although the street is curiously marked “Grove Street”, as our first visitor pointed out). The building we’re in used to be a library and it stands on Pulteney Bridge. According to history geeks it’s one of the most beautiful bridges in the world and is often compared to the Ponte Vecchio in Florence (it’s also one of those rare historic bridges with shops built in).

Well here we are – on the second floor, amid the pigeons, above Oxfam and some great bars and restaurants. We’d love to have you pop by for a shop, a bite or a natter:

The Copysmith,

 2nd Floor, 5 Argyle Street, Bath, BA2 4BA Tel: +(0)1225 747 223

"untitled" by Le Thiet Cuong

The Wow Power of Words

Packing a punch into 35 characters is no mean feat – I’ve already taken more than that and I haven’t even got to the point yet…

But that was the task I asked the Copysmith to help me with – in two lines of just 35 characters, compose a series of compelling advertising statements that will stand out on the internet.

You might think that a professional firm as the Copysmith, as proficient in writing, as good with words, could knock this sort of assignment out in just a few hours.

But here’s where they really stand out. They go to great lengths to understand what it is their clients really want. They ask lots of questions. Some of them quite difficult! They question and search until they understand the words behind the words in their client briefs, The real crux. And this takes time.

Lots of words can be good, lots of words could be compelling. But their research, the time they took before spending my valuable and rather rare characters on each word they chose, enabled them not just to choose good words, not just to choose compelling words, but to choose the RIGHT words.

Peter Quintana

15/1/2010

www.oc-eo.co.uk

Our first USP is ‘Relationships’. Our name ‘The Copysmith’ fits our belief in the close, honest relationships that traditional ‘Smiths’ had with their clients. To understand what our clients are trying to say, we need to know them and their business implicitly. Once we’ve formed that bond, we focus on maintaining the relationship by serving our clients as best we can.

Our second USP is probably even more closely linked to our name. Smiths were artisans – highly inventive people relied on for their creativity and ingenuity. And we pride ourselves on delivering work that really stands out. We do the basics with pleasure, but our speciality is words that turn heads – making budgets go further with simple, clever ideas – and bold, unexpected words.

Our last USP is our experience. We were privileged to work at multi-national agencies on major accounts. The sort of people we worked with, the marketing know-how we were exposed to… has resulted in precious experience that isn’t learned very easily.

Experience, Creativity and a belief in the power of Relationships are the foundations of The Copysmith.

Testimonials

Here are a few kind words from our clients:

“It’s always reassuring to know that your job is in good hands. The Copysmith’s professionalism is reflected in their delivery, quality of writing and constant commitment to deadlines. They make a difference by closely understanding the client and the project.
The Copysmith is a team driven by a genuine passion for what they do.”

Akram Farhat
Regional Client Director Middle East
The Brand Union

…

“We at Interone appreciate The Copysmith’s enthusiasm for the high-standards we share with the BMW Group and, of course, as our language watch-dogs their ability to ‘get’ the subtleties of what we are trying to say from German to English. They have a friendly and flexible work-style; always willing to just give advice and talk about ideas on the phone.”

Werner Plücker
Account Manager for BMW/MINI
Interone Worldwide

…

I’ve been working with The Copysmith since arabianEye started. They’re a pleasure to deal with and have a dedication to their clients you don’t often see in business.

I really appreciate the The Copysmith’s creativity. In the early days, they helped arabianEye define a strong, edgy brand personality. And in writing our website, wrote in the search terms without detracting from the style.

They come with great through-the-line experience which really helps when it comes to finding the right words and ideas that really work. I’d highly recommend hiring them to write your copy.

Celia Peterson
Owner
arabianEye

…

“The Copysmith is a great resource for creative thinking or more copy intensive stuff like brochures. What’s more, working with these guys you don’t feel the distance. They understand the market and we’re always on the same page. Basically, they could be in the office next door – just working slightly different hours.”

Vincent Raffray
Creative Director/ Partner
Tonic Communications

…

“We’ve been working with The Copysmith for over three years and can honestly say that a significant part of our success as a boutique creative agency comes from working with such like-minded people as those at the Copysmith.
The hard work, passion and creativity we receive, from the smallest to the most complex of jobs, is always delivered on time, with great energy and is hugely appreciated!”

Ben Caddy
Managing Director
Extracake

The first thing you learn in the Middle East, is before you sit down to talk business – you just sit down to talk. You drink coffee and listen to each other’s aspirations and find out where the other comes from. You share stories, talk about the news and the first time you tried sushi.

It seems pretty strange here in the West, where time is more structured. But this gentle approach to business helps to build bridges and cement meaningful business relationships that last. The first thing you start to notice when you really listen to someone, is whether or not they share your ideals. Then hopefully you start to realise that you really should be working together.

When you bring someone on board to work alongside you, talent and price are important. But someone who understands your approach and cares about the issues you care about, is priceless.

These are our values:

A passion for creativity
Respectful and friendly
Responsible
Willing to help
Love challenges

Ring us up, we’d love to get to know you over a cup of tea.

+44 (0)1225 445 809