So the consumer has killed the copywriter; stupidity and hegemonic thought dominate online marketing. It is no longer about creating engaging content that causes wonder and encourages thought among the consumers. Now that we are expected to engage on their level, the voice of the consumer has become as loud and as important as the copywriter's once was.
Not all doom and gloom
It is not, however, all doom and gloom for the emerging online marketing structures that presently dominate the cyber landscape.
Google is doing everything in its power to reward well-written and relevant content, and, when it comes to online clout, nobody holds quite as much sway as Matt Cutts and his crew at Google. Ranking well on a Google search is fast becoming, alongside social media, the single most important aspect of online marketing. So keeping your product's website on the good side of the Google algorithm is an important part of staying top-of-mind with your consumer.
Google's most recent change to the algorithm, the Panda Update, had the world of online marketing and search engine optimisation (SEO) in a spin as hours of link building and article syndication were suddenly deemed worthless. Google's aim of providing good quality content to its users is unfortunately often at odds with the online marketers' goal of pushing a client's products onto users.
There was a time not that long ago when admen would decide what the consumer needed; energy had only to be spent on conceptualising the most creative, engaging and persuasive message for informing the consumer of the fact.
Taking a back seat
Online marketers now contend not only with Google but with the constant drone of conversation being created on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. The more Google dedicate its time and energy to delivering good quality content, the more good quality creative is taking a back seat.
So why does the world hate a copywriter? Well, to be fair, the world might just hate this copywriter, but I think I know why.
Online copywriting is, in many people's minds, no different from any form of spam. Content generation is the hideous moniker it has taken on in recent years and, in many instances, this is precisely what it has become.
There is too often very little creativity and even less talent involved in the writing of copy that is used to market products and services online. There are computer programs that can take a piece of content and turn it several new articles original enough to escape the notice of Google. This is what the once fine art of copywriting has become.
Chilling figure
Hate, many may say, is a strong word to describe the world's attitude towards the humble writer; however, let me leave you with one chilling figure that might well be the beginning of the end for good quality advertising in South Africa:
By October last year, the AAA School of Advertising in Cape Town - one of the most prominent advertising schools in the country - received seven applicants for its graduate copywriting diploma for 2011.
This should be taken as a warning to all these exclusive schools that see themselves as the gatekeepers of the advertising; the lunatic are taking over the asylum and future creative are too scared to join the riot.
There needs to be a massive shift in the educational structures, in particular the teaching of copywriting, towards recognising the importance of online marketing and, vitally, the important role of copywriting in online marketing.
