CREATION: Neglecting 'Net copy can erode customer confidence

<p>"The new *** phone is a perfect example of ergonomycs and technology </p><p>meeting in perfect harmony. Sleek, timeless good looks combined with </p><p>practical features ensure that the *** is the ideal mobile phone for </p><p>todays' fashion conscious entrepeneurs. Available in 7 trendy colors, </p><p>the *** - only for a priviliged few." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This is actual copy, written for the one of the world's leading </p><p>manufacturers of mobile phones and - aside from the banality of style - </p><p>it contains at least six spelling and grammatical errors. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The same company would never dream of allowing such poorly-crafted copy </p><p>to appear in a print advertisement or a direct mail leaflet. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In fact - like most international companies - they probably have a </p><p>200-page brand manual, which is sent to their advertising agencies </p><p>around the world directing them to adhere to strict copy guidelines. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>So how did this copy slip through the net? Quite simply, because that's </p><p>where it appears - on the 'Net. And because it's only going to be read </p><p>by a potential audience of 200 million people worldwide, it really </p><p>doesn't matter, does it? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This ludicrous mindset is still the norm with many of the region's </p><p>largest advertisers: 'Net copy really doesn't matter; in fact it matters </p><p>so little that you don't need copywriters to put it together. "Let one </p><p>of the website art directors, or better still, the tea-lady, do it" is - </p><p>incredibly - the prevailing attitude. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A few years ago, when websites were seen by most companies as little </p><p>more than "sexy bits on the side", there might have been some </p><p>justification for such a view. But today, with websites playing an </p><p>increasingly important and accountable role, this cavalier attitude is </p><p>simply no longer acceptable. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Love them or hate them, websites have moved on from being bits of </p><p>graphic-driven fluff for teenagers; and they're here to stay - at least </p><p>for the foreseeable future. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A badly-written website is hardly going to bring a mighty multinational </p><p>to its knees, but over a period of time it could erode the confidence of </p><p>many of its customers. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Imagine, for example, a businessman who decides to book a flight online </p><p>with Acne Airlines, only to find that the site - written by an underpaid </p><p>and overworked website designer forced to moonlight as a copywriter - is </p><p>full of glaring typos and grammatical errors. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This is on a hypothetical par with being told that the pilot of the </p><p>plane you're in is half smashed, sharing the cockpit with a bottle of </p><p>Jack Daniel's (alright, that analogy might be a little over the top, but </p><p>I think you see what I mean). </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It's certainly not going to inspire you to fly with the airline again - </p><p>assuming you ever make it back down. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>(On the other hand, those professional writers who write solely for the </p><p>Internet and who claim that it is a highly-specialised skill, much akin </p><p>to brain surgery, are greedily trying to hog the market to </p><p>themselves. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>'Net copy is different to ad copy, but any good writer experienced in </p><p>traditional advertising can easily adjust to the medium of the </p><p>Internet.) </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The bottom line is that even pretty pictures and souped-up vector </p><p>graphics can get boring after a while, not to mention tedious to view </p><p>with a 56K modem. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Sooner or later people are going to start reading the copy - whether you </p><p>want them to or not. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>And the 'bimbo' websites - those which rely solely on their looks rather </p><p>than substance - will eventually lose whatever competitive edge they </p><p>ever had to those sites, which not only look good, but are intelligently </p><p>and professionally written, too. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>