In praise of longform copy

Why be succinct and snappy when you can weave a whole story?

Minimalism is the rule in modern marketing. Advertising copywriting is no different.

But it wasn’t always like this.

Even the earliest forms of newspaper often carried advertising. Many point to the mid-to-late 1800s as the point at which things really took off. The combination of more products and more middle-class readers meant longform advertising was the format of choice.

There is something to be said for this forgotten format. Copywriters – provided the reader indulged them – were able to build a story and have a conversation with the reader. Many were beautifully composed.

Xerox’s “Crumple up this ad” campaign from 1979 would simply not work without the explanation after the heading. Of course, it’s rhetorical – the company was not expecting a barrage of crumpled sheets at its offices. But in choosing this format they had their cake and ate it: you get the shock factor of the huge opening characters followed by a confident elaboration. Potential customers don’t actually have to go to the shop and act this out; they’re getting the drawn-out experience of the product doing its job simply from reading the segment. It’s almost like it was written with the intent of seeing the smug consumer slowly lose their smile, sheet by sheet.

This early 70s Audi 100 GL writeup could quite easily be hacked back and summarised in bullet points. But written in prose, it feels like you’re standing alongside a car salesman, walking you through the benefits of the new model.

So why exactly was this format popular? It may be in part because marketers were trying to mimic the editorial readers were consuming in magazines and newspapers.

Much as marketers today attempt to tap into media consumption habits with the use of micro-influencers and low-production-value video, this is a case of blending into one’s surroundings – in this instance a huge heading and prose.

It’s rare we see advertising promoting ad agencies, but here we have one from 1935. The write-up takes us to London and to San Francisco via planes and boats. Around the world, Erwin, Wasey and Company’s staff have their clients on their mind after most people have closed for business. Reading it today, the length represents conviction and dedication. They even find the space to say “They know how to sell” three times.

This type of content was not just flowery storytelling. In some instances, companies had to make the text long. The above example, offering anti-balding contraptions, requires the words to describe what the product does. Without Google, readers would be confused. Today, brands will release ads with the sole intent of circulating the name or logo – in the hope that the consumer will do the research themselves and follow up.

The format has even been revived for nostalgic purposes. For Cadbury’s Wispa relaunch, in around 2008, not only did the brand reel off 80s cultural references, they mimicked the entire longform style.

We’ll take a wild guess and say that this style is not coming back in a major way any time soon. If people are swiping past vivid, 10-second video clips then the chances are they’re not going to pay close attention to complex paragraphs in small type.

There is, however, at least one exception. Longform ad copy is still used today on public transport, especially the London Tube, where you have a captive audience, many with nothing better to do than read.

Longform ad copy lives, but it's gone underground.