please empty your brain below
Nice article. One quibble, I'm not sure that "one of London's most exciting new neighbourhoods" is factual comment.

Regards

zin92 | 16.10.20 - 7:14 a.m. | #

Any list of "London's most exciting new neighbourhoods" would be both arbitrary and have no cut-off point, so it can be argued that Canary Wharf should be on it.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 16.10.20 - 7:35 a.m. | #

Always imagined copywriting must be a fairly dispiriting profession, hyping up anything and everything that comes across your desk to hyperbolic levels of nonsense.

Kevin | 16.10.20 - 7:46 a.m. | #

Brilliant dissection of all-too-familiar b*ll*cks presented as journalism and fact. I fight similar battles every day.

Waterhouse | 16.10.20 - 7:46 a.m. | #

A former editor described the method of journalism as “simplify, then exaggerate”. Seems to work for PR too.

Baldassaro | 16.10.20 - 7:52 a.m. | #

For me the most over-used word by far is 'everyone' and in your number 7. It's even made it to mainstream journalism and BBC news broadcasts: "everyone will be pleased to see football back" (no, I am completely disinterested) and "everyone loves the royal family" (I love a lot of things but no, disinterest peaks there for me).

TomH | 16.10.20 - 8:00 a.m. | #

“Exciting” is a red flag for me - interesting, maybe, or intriguing, but rarely exciting in its true sense.

Liz | 16.10.20 - 8:04 a.m. | #

It's just a style of writing with its own conventions, isn't. People expect to see it and would probably feel disconcerted if someone started writing more honestly or subtly in that context. Which is not to say it's not mightily dispiriting, because it robs all those superlatives of meaning.

Also, I would quibble at 'immunity boosting' not being suspicious to the point of spurious, unless you are going to respond that hydration is necessary to a healthy immune system.

Sarah | Homepage | 16.10.20 - 8:12 a.m. | #

Everyone must visit the toilet.

Still Anon | 16.10.20 - 8:28 a.m. | #

The tube station is worth seeing though. Did they mention that ?

kev | 16.10.20 - 8:31 a.m. | #

Re Obica, which meaning of "freshest" do you think they mean ("newest" - which would contradict "traditional", or "most recently prepared")?

Ian | 16.10.20 - 8:34 a.m. | #

Surprised they haven't used my favourite, "fun". How I hate that word...

Colly | 16.10.20 - 8:44 a.m. | #

What the smeg is "poké"????

Southern Heights (Light Railway) | 16.10.20 - 8:51 a.m. | #

I recommend search engines.
They're very good these days.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 16.10.20 - 8:55 a.m. | #

I'd compare the the advertising copywriter to the session musician drafted in to sing on inane radio ads or jingles - they both probably have some talent for their work, but never ever imagined it would be deployed for the purpose at hand.

Mike Newman | Homepage | 16.10.20 - 9:17 a.m. | #

"Experience the ultimate clean swimming experience in Canary Wharf's 23 metre pool"
As opposed to dirty swimmimng experiences?

Martin | 16.10.20 - 9:29 a.m. | #

I'm not sure what this Hokey Poké might be, but I imagine they'll have some in that huge Waitrose, if it's still open.

Alex McKenna | 16.10.20 - 9:40 a.m. | #

Masterly, as ever...

Cau1khead | 16.10.20 - 9:49 a.m. | #

Well, yeah ...but then "Canary Wharf - if you've got the money, it's pretty convenient for work but there's definitely many better places to live" doesn't really cut it either.

Arlu | 16.10.20 - 9:50 a.m. | #

Or as a politician might say - "Everyone I speak to agrees that this blog is a sensational summary, plus the publisher got that reader to read the booklet in depth from cover to cover."

scrumpy | 16.10.20 - 10:05 a.m. | #

The first line "Read on to discover the best places to socialise and shop, to exercise and explore, to live and unwind" does make some kind of sense. It is indeed subjective, which is why you will have to read the whole thing to discover which is, for you, the best.

timbo | 16.10.20 - 10:15 a.m. | #

While I can't disagree that the language being deployed is absurd, you can't blame them for at least trying. In 6 months, how many of the promoted restaurants, bars and shops will be permanently closed?

Will | 16.10.20 - 10:21 a.m. | #

Which is precisely why anything that smacks of advertising hype immediately switches me off and I don't read any further. So if there's anything of interest further down they lost me at the beginning.

Caz | 16.10.20 - 11:12 a.m. | #

I had the mis-fortune to work in Canary Whaef for nearly a decade. I found the place mind-numbingly depressing.

Over-priced, over-hyped and dystopian.

Chris | 16.10.20 - 11:22 a.m. | #

I'm surprised that you haven't tried something similar for the Diamond Geezer brand - a strapline like What's On In Jack of Diamonds Land would really get the bloggerati buzzing.

milliem | 16.10.20 - 11:27 a.m. | #

A gem of a post, and having had the dubious pleasure of working in an office/warehouse on Harbour Quay some time back, I'm now tempted to go and admire the gardens when the opportunity arises.

Andrew S | 16.10.20 - 11:41 a.m. | #

Thanks for the copywriting masterclass, DG!

For me, it's the general overuse in the media of the word 'perfect' that really grates. The perfect this, the perfect that - it seems to create a lot of pressure for the service / product provider, and a lot of potential for unmet expectations for the consumer. How many things in life really are 'perfect', after all?

Scrumpy - you're right about the politician response. Though that too often leads to another phrase that I find lazy and grating - 'So that's why I'm doing X'.

And Baldassaro - love that description. I do worry that it so often appears to work.

Sam | 16.10.20 - 11:57 a.m. | #

and... 'So that's why doing X is the RIGHT thing to do'

mikeS | 16.10.20 - 12:37 p.m. | #

Also, I think Blondie was the name of the band rather than the individual (Debbie Harry) and I’m really not sure that bands can be icons. Iconic, perhaps, although the phrase is just as hackneyed...

CJS | 16.10.20 - 1:48 p.m. | #











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