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Agency Founder, Sarah Sowerby, started as a healthcare copywriter on Valentine’s Day, 1990. It was love at first write. Words are the tools with which we tell our health brand stories. Yet in healthcare agencies, words are often the poor relations of strategy and art direction. Copywriters are usually kept in back rooms and…(Read More)
Do you ever read something again and again, but still not feel you have taken it in? The paragraph in that report you have read five times and still have no clue what it’s about? Let me reassure you; it’s not you. The problem lies with the writing – or more importantly the readability…(Read More)
Recently I went to the ‘Weird sensation feels good’ exhibition at the Design Museum. The exhibition invites visitors to step out from behind their individual screens and experience the world of ASMR in a shared space. The five things I learnt are: 1. I’ve heard this term but what is ASMR exactly? In the…(Read More)
A bird’s eye view is always the clearest. Agency life from the perspective of the newest member of the Wordbird flock…(Read More)
Imagine having nobody to decorate a tree with, wish Season’s Greetings to, or exchange a gift or hug with. It’s been a remarkably lonely time for the elderly. Especially Artie’s neighbour, Rosemary who doesn’t have any family close by anymore. And so he wrapped up a few tiny treasures and treats…(Read More)
It all began one day in Spring of lockdown 2020. Steve stumbled across a spot local to him in Shepherd’s Bush, surprised to see a once lonely corner, blooming into a lively green space. Flowers budding, trees growing, little green fingers planting away. A group of local residents had started The Green Project so…(Read More)
In March 2020, many companies were forced to welcome working from home as a solution to the Covid-19 pandemic. Universities were forced to cancel exams and grade degrees differently. The world of work for both students and professionals flipped…(Read More)
As a child it was easy to recognise who presents were from before even reading the gift tag. My brother’s had an almost magical quality and would unwrap themselves in the short distance between passing from under the tree to landing on my lap. My mum’s were so tightly secured with thin shiny…(Read More)
On 8th May 2019, two eager Wordbirds entered the IPA for an intense day of Advanced Leadership training. Feeling slightly daunted by the immense agenda for the day, Gwyn quickly put us at ease with her passion for training and way of breaking down the cascades of information into manageable chunks. We took away so…(Read More)
Never has learning been so easy. Or fun. Spending hours watching TV ads on YouTube — ranging from crème de la crème to cringe de la cringe — is not only justified but actively encouraged…(Read More)
It’s August 2016 and a traveling pop-up health check clinic is making its way across UK shopping centres. At every centre, shoppers can pop in and do a simple eye pressure and blood pressure check for free. By the end of the pop-up tour, 768 shoppers had participated. This is City University…(Read More)
Are you part of a book club? Good fun isn’t it. Friends coming together for words, wine, and if you’re lucky, nibbles If you’re extra lucky, book clubs may even be an opportunity for philanthropy. And that’s exactly the idea behind Literary Laughs. They take the best of book clubs and…(Read More)
In May, Nathan and I were lucky enough to venture out of London and jet off to the (EGS) biennial congress in sunny Florence. We say sunny, but in reality, it couldn’t have rained more, che bellezza…(Read More)
Have you ever read a boring report? Or rather, read the same text again and again, but still not taken it in? How can a boring report ever be a page turner? And how can your healthcare communications always be an utter joy to read? Here are my top tips for readability…(Read More)
Birthday parties are always fun, but ours was particularly special We celebrated on the gorgeous rooftop garden of the suitably birdily-named Coq d‘Argent at No 1 Poultry. Situated on the original site of the Royal jeweller, Mapin and Webb’s silver foundry, and looking out at the twinkling London skyline, it certainly felt…(Read More)
Office jargon appears everywhere. Whether its ‘blue-sky thinking’, ‘pinging emails’ or ‘drilling down’ it’s hard to avoid. You only have to watch an episode of The Apprentice, where it seems some form of business jargon is used every few seconds, to see how prevalent it’s become. But before we climb onto our…(Read More)
It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Writing for healthcare can’t be that different to writing for other things. And it isn’t. The best healthcare copywriters have a natural talent for putting themselves in their audiences’ shoes and adapting the tone of voice that they write in. This natural talent can be nurtured and…(Read More)
Throughout my years working in healthcare communications, I have written a lot of blogs in my head. I have thought a lot about setting a blog up on our website. But we all know that actions speak louder than thoughts, so at last some action. One of my passions is that healthcare copywriters should be…(Read More)
Recently I went to a business workshop at Bush House in central London as part of an executive education open day. For the previous 80 years the building was home to the BBC World Service – renown for broadcasting across the world in 30 different languages. I was there as a guest of the new…(Read More)
Have they had direct PMCPA/PAGB training? Do they have a life science degree (or equivalent)? Do they write from references, marking up from draft one? Do they take full responsibility for the approval process to ensure efficiency and rigour (rather than palm it off on a junior account, executive who knows nothing about the…(Read More)
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Great ideas come from an inspiring strategy. Strategy is an old military term. In that context strategy is a matter of life and death. It can be the same in our communications. Defining and implementing a successful, multichannel brand communications strategy can make a real difference to people’s lives. For us, there’s nothing…(Read More)
