YP Letters: Copywriter's craft and the slogans that live on

Each Saturday I look forward to The Yorkshire Post Magazine, and particularly to the reflective musings of Ian McMillan’s Chapter & Verse page.

I was especially entertained by last week’s “Catchy and Saatchi” feature – a very perceptive recognition of the creative process involved in advertising ‘sloganeering’.

As a copywriting practitioner of this challenging artycraft (or craftyart?) for over 50 years, I can confirm Ian’s description of the innovative application of word and phrase engineering to promote companies, services and products.

Here in the provinces we still managed to be inventive in promoting our client interests, but could not command the high spending clout of some London agencies that could ensure innovative immortality.

Nevertheless, here are a few of my own contributions to the genre, from the portfolio of an octogenarian ‘copywright’. The first two are still in use.

“Here, to get you there” (Yorkshire Metro).

“Bringing water to life” (Yorkshire Water).

“Metrocard – a fare deal” (Discount promotion).

“ICI see eye to eye with ambitious engineers” (Recruitment).

“Why feel colder as you get older?” Damart thermawear.