Tapping Into The UK Market
It suddenly occurred to me yesterday, that although English is spoken as the first language in more countries than any other language, it's also become the most variable language in the world. English speakers in Australia don't speak quite the same language as their Antipodean neighbours in New Zealand, let alone their more distant cousins in the USA, Canada or in the UK. (The numerous regional dialects here are a further complication).* Then there are all those English speakers in Africa, The West Indies, India and Pakistan, etc, etc.
And yet... when it comes to learning to write advertising copy, almost all the advice and courses available come from the pens and keyboards of American copywriters. So, an English speaker in India, for example, who wants to tap into the massive UK market for direct mail and web copy, will most likely get a misleading impression of what's required if he or she tries to learn the trade from existing literature.
Just as I would be stumped if I asked an Australian how Indian people use the language so I could write copy for them. While the principles are more or less universal, the detail is where success or failure are decided - remember we're usually talking about single-digit percentages or even fractions of a percent between 'good' and 'bad' copy.
So, if you do want to write for the burgeoning UK market you'd better hone your skills with the help of a British copywriter.
This is a link to one of the best I know.
Roy Everitt, Writing for Results
* Not to mention the languages and dialects of first and second-generation arrivals to the UK, who can represent distinct populations in a marketing sense. More on that soon.
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