What Do Copywriters Do When Their Ideas Get 'Stolen'

Don't think it happens? Think again.

Wait just a second. Does mean that advertising ideas really get stolen???"

Guess what, advertising ideas are 'stolen' all the time, and it's happening everywhere.

To back track, remember that advertising is incredibly competitive. And the people working in it are ULTRA COMPETITIVE.

In the grand scheme of things, the opportunity to do good advertising 'work' is actually more and more infrequent because more and more, clients are relying on scientific testing to validate the 'worth' of the commercial. In fact, the advertising that was originally supposed to differentiate brands (which is how true advertising began) now all seems and sounds the same because everyone is testing it using the same methods of testing.

With testing, people are covering their you know what's.

Every now and then however, great projects come along that might not have to go through this ringer. Super Bowl ads. Television campaigns. National print inserts in major publications with high visibility. That's when heads pop up from cubicles and out of offices. Yes, that's when it's advertising "feeding time." This is Defcon 5 for all creatives. And they step right up to the plate to get it.

Mad scrambles ensue. Creative teams will suddenly do whatever it takes to emerge victorious with the 'winning ad' that will be produced. Nights. Weekends. Giving up holidays. Whatever. Almost always, television projects attract this kind of attention. The carrot on this stick can have tremendous impact on salaries and titles.

One great commercial alone can set the tone for an entire career. That's how big a deal this is.

So, during the time when all of this creative genius is being generated, 'stealing' becomes a way of advertising life.

But you have to remember that this stealing is being done by creatives...so then the stealing itself becomes, um, creative. That stands to reason, doesn't it? You wouldn't expect creatives to break into offices and literally take pads and papers or hack into other people's computers do you? (Sly, knowing smile GOES HERE.)

For instance, junior copywriters and art directors will present work to the Associate Creative Directors who might just happen to see things in the work they are evaluating that might, quite by accident of course, spark a 'germ of an idea' that launches them down a certain path.

They in turn may have the exact same thing happen when they present to the Creative Director. Again, very slight borrowing of ideas...or is it?

In addition to all of this 'sharing' (depending on who you ask), creatives will always be on the lookout to 'borrow' language or layouts ideas from others. They will always be open to mixing and matching their ideas with 'something they may have seen somewhere else.' Anything to keep their ideas in the mix...anything to get a book piece.

In really bad cases, and this also happens often, Creative Directors will even funnel work to their favorites. Literally a junior copywriter might see his or her exact commercial on air after having another creative team receive it from the 'coach.' Don't cringe...this goes on.

In the end, it is the Agency at large that SHOULD be served with the best ideas for its clients, so the 'borrowing' that goes on behind the scenes and within the ranks is simply accepted. Supply and demand.

The best way to prevent against this creative borrowing: writing more ideas...and hope that over time their superiors will figure out where the creative wealth is really coming from.

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