CHICAGO 900 North Michigan Avenue Chicago IL 60611 312 951 4000 How to put a Spec Book together J Walter Thompson Chicago How to put a Spec Book together PURPOSE In order to get your first job in advertising you need a book or portfolio filled with ads that show people how you think and what your creative abilities are Unfortunately you need to get a job in advertising before you can get ads produced Therein lies the age old dilemma of every aspiring writer and art director This dilemma is cured with The Spec Book A spec book speculative book should help you get a job in advertising by demonstrating several things 1 That you have a basic instinctive understanding of this business 2 That you know how to think 3 That you know how to do an ad 4 That you have a point of view about what is good advertising 5 That someone other than your parents will want to read your ads 6 That you know why you did an ad the way you did it Allow us to be more specific 1 That you have a basic instinctive understanding of this business No one expects you to be an ad genius at birth but you should have some natural ability to know what advertising is all about Why do we do ads What do we hope to communicate for a specific product What are we trying to sell the consumer A product An image An idea What are we trying to persuade someone to do How are we trying to change someone s behavior What problem are we trying to solve You have to identify a problem before you can provide the creative solution to the problem Some examples of problems to solve A product that no one has heard of yet It s either new or has never been advertised A mature product that s been around for a long time and lacks excitement A generic product that doesn t have much of a difference A product that suffers from a poor image A product or service with a lot of competition A product in a low interest category 2 That you know how to think You don t necessarily have to be right in your solutions to problems but you should have an intelligent reason for why you think you have the solution In an interview how you articulate the thinking behind your work is critical If you are creating in a vacuum doing ads just because you have a swell idea for something you will be discovered Think about the ads you re doing for your book think about why you want them in your book 3 That you know how to do an ad A print ad has a headline a visual some body copy usually and the name of the advertising along with a positioning line e g KFC We Do Chicken Right or Nike Just Do It or GE We bring good things to life People who look at your book want to know that if you re a writer you can write headlines body copy and positioning lines If you re an art director it would be nice if you could write the headlines and the positioning lines as well It s hard to think of a concept without that As an art director though you should also be able to design a good layout aim for simplicity rather than complicated visuals and design Remember that the idea is more important than the execution If you do a spec storyboard make sure that it s easy to understand and has a strong idea to it Radio scripts are hard to appreciate 4 That you have a point of view about what is good advertising It s better to have fewer ads that are consistent in their quality than to have a number of ads with a range of taste levels You can expand your horizons after you have your first job Remember that every piece in your book is an example of what you think is good advertising 5 That someone other than your parents will want to read your ads Is your ad a stopper As people leaf through a magazine will your ad stop them from turning the page Will they read the headline Will the headline make them read the body copy If they read the ad will it make any difference to them Does anyone care about what your ad is selling Is it rewarding to read the ad Is the visual interesting unusual dramatic Is it ordinary or is it fresh in its approach Have you seen this idea before or is it really original Don t be easy on yourself No one else will 6 That you know why you did the ad the way you did it Do you understand the people you re aiming the ad at Why should they buy what you re selling What do you know about the product you ve chosen to do a spec ad for Don t do ads in a vacuum Don t come up with a catchy headline then try to find a product to fit your concept That s exactly backwards and it shows in your work You re better off showing spec campaigns of at least 2 ads or more One ad alone says it was just luck Two ads show that you have an idea and they demonstrate what the idea is Three ads or more say that your idea is a big one It has legs as we say It can go on and on and on A couple of smart campaigns in your spec book and you can probably get any job you go after CONTENTS Your book should include your resume in addition to the samples of your creative ability Your resume should include any information about yourself that will help a prospective employer understand you better If you don t have any work experience include your education Later on you can drop this from your resume As work experience grows you have less of a need to share your education with a prospective employer If you know what you want out of an advertising career articulate it it helps to be focused If you have a plan of where you want to be after five years talk about it in your resume Remember with no real work experience evaluating your personality and how you will fit into an existing office situation is very important Especially in the creative department Don t forget to include your address and telephone number Your date of birth marital status race and color are not required reading here A photo is also not necessary PREPARATION HINTS Pick a variety of products services that you use in everyday life and know something about Don t create advertising in a vacuum Find ads that have already been written about the product and learn something from the ads before you write your own Parity products like toothpaste and laundry detergent or airlines and insurance companies can be difficult because the difference between brands …