The World's Greatest Advertising Copywriters (Updated) December 14 2022
A visual directory celebrating some of the finest conceptual copywriters and their craft. This means possessing the ability to do more than simply string words together, as people, products and platforms have all evolved. Sometimes the solve needs words, and sometimes a visual does the trick.
As you'll see below.
Many of the ad campaigns lean towards typography, custom and hand lettering, given our penchant for type.
Newer work features at the start, while copywriting legends of yesteryear round out the end, to add a historical context.
INDEX OF COPYWRITERS:
Magnus Ivansson / Nigel Roberts / Andy McLeod / Sean Doyle / Tim Riley / Juan Cabral / Jean Francois Bouchet / Juggi Ramakrishnan / Eugene Cheong / Tom Carty / Neil French / Doug Adkins / Tim Delaney / Indra Sinha / Tony Cox / Dave Trott / Tom McElligott / David Abbott / Charles Saatchi / Bob Levenson / Julian Koenig / David Ogilvy / Dr Seuss aka Theodor Seuss Geisel
New names or work will be added as we update this blog post
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MAGNUS IVANSSON: copywriter / portfolio
See The Moldy Whopper ad campaign here
See The Swedish Number ad campaign here
Watch The Not Big Macs ad campaign here
NIGEL ROBERTS: copywriter / creative director / website
Image: '640 muscles' print advert for The Royal Opera House / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: 'Float' print advert for Lifeboats / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: 'Life expectancy' print advert for Lifeboats / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: 'European unions' print advert for P&O / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: 'A quiet child' print advert for Waterstone's / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: 'Adolf Hitler' print advert for Waterstone's / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: Conker print ad for Tate Gallery / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Copy: 'A conker, noticed after a visit to the Tate. Minds open from 10am. Tate Gallery.'
Image: Beansprouts print ad for Tate Gallery / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Copy: 'Beansprouts, noticed after a visit to the Tate. Minds open from 10am. Tate Gallery.'
Image: Prince's Trust print ad 'Police'/ copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: Prince's Trust print ad 'What did you want to be'/ copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: Science Museum print ad 'Cloning' / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: Science Museum print ad 'Einstein'/ copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: Patek Philippe print ad 'Father and son playing chess' / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: Nissan print ad 'Buying the wrong car' / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: Nissan print ad 'Car thief' / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: Economist print ad 'No, not you' / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: Economist billboard ad 'Lightbulb' / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: Big Issue print ad 'If cold, wet, hungry and scared' / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: Big Issue print ad 'How can you heroin' / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
Image: 'Wheelchair access' advert for COI / copywriter: Nigel Roberts
ANDY MCLEOD: ex-copywriter & ECD / director & showreel
Image: 'River Thames' advert for London Underground / copywriter: Andy McLeod
Image: 'Golf Shoes' advert for Umbro / copywriter: Andy McLeod
Image: 'Basketball Shoes' advert for Umbro / copywriter: Andy McLeod
Image: 'Tennis dress' advert for Umbro / copywriter: Andy McLeod
Image: 'ITV idents' advert for Doritos / copywriter: Andy McLeod . Watch the D&AD Black Pencil winning work here
Image: 'Monday was a long day' advert for Timex / copywriter: Andy McLeod
Image: 'Oooh he's here again' advert for Sony long life batteries / copywriter: Andy McLeod
Image: 'Waiting list' advert for Skoda / copywriter: Andy McLeod
Image: 'Aids' advert for Ministry of Sound / copywriter: Andy McLeod
Image: 'Niggers' advert for Ministry of Sound / copywriter: Andy McLeod
SEAN DOYLE: copywriter / creative director / copywriting advice
Image: Lidl 'Turkey' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Lidl 'It's a German - Scottish thing' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Adidas 'Make your own B' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Economist 'E= iq2' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Economist 'Having potential' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Infiniti 'Travel cognito' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Infiniti 'I want it' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: 'The milkman is responsible' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Macallan 'Good news, Bad new' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Macallan '$2.15' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Economist 'Devout catholic' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Economist 'Shepherd' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Parkinson's 'Putting on a sock' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Parkinson's 'Making toast' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Infiniti F1 'Is anyone else actually coming out to play' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Infiniti F1 'The race to come second goes on' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Nike 'It's the taking apart' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: VW Sharan 'Waste seats' ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: English Heritage 'When you build a castle for a king' print ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: English Heritage 'Whilst Winston Churchill was involved in Operation Dynamo' print ad / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Merry Down cider poster 2 / copywriter: Sean Doyle
Image: Merry Down cider poster 1 / copywriter: Sean Doyle
TIM RILEY: copywriter / partner / website
Image: A watch made from parts of HMS... Bremont ad / copywriter: Tim Riley
Image: Scott's expedition... Bremont ad / copywriter: Tim Riley
Image: The second wold war... Bremont ad / copywriter: Tim Riley
Image: How to become immortal... D&AD ad / copywriter: Tim Riley
Image: Spreading misery... D&AD ad / copywriter: Tim Riley
Image: It's typical of the British... D&AD ad / copywriter: Tim Riley
Image: Somebody mentions Jordan... Economist ad / copywriter: Tim Riley
Image: Pros and Cons... Economist ad / copywriter: Tim Riley
Image: Protects against foot in... Economist ad / copywriter: Tim Riley
Image: Snickers 'You're not you when you're hungry' Twitter campaign / copywriter: Tim Riley
Image: Research kills cancer ad / copywriter: Tim Riley
Image: Michael Jordan 1 Nike ad / copywriter: Tim Riley
Image: Not all married men have affairs ad / copywriter: Tim Riley
Image: If you don't know what to do with the children ad / copywriter: Tim Riley
JUAN CABRAL: copywriter / film director / website
Image: The I'm hungover collection ad / copywriter: Juan Cabral
Image: The I've just split up collection ad / copywriter: Juan Cabral
Image: The I want to be swept off my feet collection ad / copywriter: Juan Cabral
Image: Tate Tracks activation campaign / copywriter: Juan Cabral. Watch a dated case study of it here
Image: Cadbury's Gorilla advert / copywriter & director: Juan Cabral
Image: Sony Balls advert / copywriter & director: Juan Cabral
Image: Sony Paint advert / copywriter & director: Juan Cabral
JEAN FRANCOIS BOUCHET: copywriter / website
Image: Gallery-of-Emerging-Species Play Doh website / copywriter: Jean Francois Bouchet
Image: Gallery-of-Emerging-Species Play Doh ad 1 / copywriter: Jean Francois Bouchet
Image: Gallery-of-Emerging-Species Play Doh ad 2 / copywriter: Jean Francois Bouchet
Image: Illiteracy Dragons ad / copywriter: Jean Francois Bouchet
Image: Illiteracy New Car ad / copywriter: Jean Francois Bouchet
Image: Illiteracy Mascara ad / copywriter: Jean Francois Bouchet
Image: Museum of the Great War 'Anatomy Class' ad / copywriter: Jean Francois Bouchet
Image: Museum of the Great War 'Arm and a Leg' ad / copywriter: Jean Francois Bouchet
Image: Museum of the Great War 'Orphans' ad / copywriter: Jean Francois Bouchet
WATCH the case study video here of Museum of the Great War 'Facebook 1914' social media campaign
Image: Radio Nova 'Cuba' ad / copywriter: Jean Francois Bouchet
Image: Radio Nova 'Funk' ad / copywriter: Jean Francois Bouchet
Image: Radio Nova 'India' ad / copywriter: Jean Francois Bouchet
JUGGI RAMAKRISHNAN: copywriter / cco / website
Image: 'Words can be weapons' campaign / copywriters: Guilin Bo, Juggi Ramakrishnan, Chuyu Li
Image: Greenpeace Ocean print ad / copywriter: Juggi Ramakrishnan
Image: Greenpeace Underwater print ad / copywriter: Juggi Ramakrishnan
Image: Greenpeace Desert print ad / copywriter: Juggi Ramakrishnan
Image: Know what it's like to be worshipped 'Stained Glass' print ad / copywriter: Juggi Ramakrishnan
Image: Know what it's like to be worshipped 'Clouds' print ad / copywriter: Juggi Ramakrishnan
Image: AWARE 'Kitchen' print ad / copywriter: Juggi Ramakrishnan / Justine Lee
Image: AWARE 'Bedroom' print ad / copywriter: Juggi Ramakrishnan / Justine Lee
Image: AWARE 'Livingroom' print ad / copywriter: Juggi Ramakrishnan / Justine Lee
Image: Faster than ever 'SOS phone booths' print ad / copywriter: Juggi Ramakrishnan / Audra Tan
Image: Faster than ever 'Fire hydrant' print ad / copywriter: Juggi Ramakrishnan / Audra Tan
Image: Wonderbra 'Dog' print ad / copywriter: Juggi Ramakrishnan
Image: SPCA'People who abuse are caught sooner or later' print ad / copywriter: Juggi Ramakrishnan
Image: SPCA'Ted Bundy Jeffrey Dahmer' print ad / copywriter: Juggi Ramakrishnan
EUGENE CHEONG: copywriter / chief creative officer / website
Image: Anglican Welfare Council print ad 'Chaplin' / copywriter: Eugene Cheong
Image: Anglican Welfare Council print ad 'Newton' / copywriter: Eugene Cheong
Image: Ben & Jerry's outdoor ad 'Universe' / copywriter: Eugene Cheong, Craig Love, Mike Sutcliffe
Image: Ben & Jerry's outdoor ad 'Giraffe' / copywriter: Eugene Cheong, Craig Love, Mike Sutcliffe
Image: Print ad 'Nietzsche is dead' / copywriter: Eugene Cheong
Image: Print ad 'Of course I have a sense of humour' / copywriter: Eugene Cheong
Image: Lien Foundation print ad 'Death' / copywriter: Eugene Cheong, David Fowle
Image: Lien Foundation print ad 'The End' / copywriter: Eugene Cheong, David Fowle
Image: Economist print ad 'Razor' / copywriter: Eugene Cheong
TOM CARTY: copywriter / director / website
Image: Guiness 'Surfer' advert / copywriter: Tom Carty
Image: Dunlop 'Tested for the unexpected' advert / copywriter: Tom Carty
Image: BBC 'Rush Hour' advert / director: Tom Carty
NEIL FRENCH: copywriter / ex- worldwide cco / website
Image: 'Nobody reads long copy anymore' print ad / copywriter: Neil French
Image: 'A few encouraging words for the totally incompetent' Beck's beer print ad / copywriter: Neil French & Ben Hunt
Image: Chivas Regal print ad 'Isn't it gratifying to know' / copywriter: Neil French
Image: Chivas Regal print ad 'This is an ad for Chivas Regal' / copywriter: Neil French
Image: Continental print ad 'All airline stewardesses' / copywriter: Neil French
Image: Continental print ad 'No pictures of smiling stewardesses' / copywriter: Neil French
Image: Ibidphoto print ad 'Don't bother reading this ad' / copywriter: Neil French
Image: Hong Kong Standard print ad 'Audience Research' / copywriter: Neil French
Image: Air Asia print ad 'Flying First Class is all very well' / copywriter: Neil French
Image: 'There is a spelling mistake in this ad' / copywriter: Neil French
Image: 'So why are you reading this line first' print ad / copywriter: Neil French
Image: 'Is this the best ad ever written?'/ copywriter: Neil French
Image: 'Twenty fascinating but utterly useless facts' Dove print ad 3 / copywriter: Neil French
Image: 'It takes an artist, a genius and an awful lot of grapes' Martel print ad / copywriter: Neil French
DOUG ADKINS: copywriter / cco & founder / website
Image: 'I just teleported in from Chicago' Dublin Productions print ad / copywriter: Doug Adkins
Image: 'How many engineers does it take' Dublin Productions print ad / copywriter: Doug Adkins
Image: 'Jokes that are only understood by tone deaf mailmen' Dublin Productions print ad / copywriter: Doug Adkins
Image: 'The reciprocal action of the optic thalamus' Dublin Productions print ad / copywriter: Doug Adkins
TIM DELANEY: copywriter / chairman & founder / website
Image: Tripp Steal ad / copywriter: Tim Delaney
Image: They didn't suffer poverty ad / copywriter: Tim Delaney
Image: Like a lot of millionaires ad / copywriter: Tim Delaney
Image: Madonna tickets ad / copywriter: Tim Delaney
Image: Warning ad / copywriter: Tim Delaney
Image: Posters try and stop you ad / copywriter: Tim Delaney
Image: Read the greatest piece of holiday fiction ad / copywriter: Tim Delaney
Image: The banks must like small businesses ad / copywriter: Tim Delaney
Image: By the time I got the money out ad / copywriter: Tim Delaney
Image: If you want to find out how banks ad / copywriter: Tim Delaney
Image: In one American state ad / copywriter: Tim Delaney
Image: Tongues aren't always wagging ad / copywriter: Tim Delaney
Image: We stole their land ad / copywriter: Tim Delaney
INDRA SINHA: copywriter
TONY COX: copywriter
DAVE TROTT: copywriter / website
TOM McELLIGOTT: copywriter / ex- agency founder
Image: Episcopal Church 'Vicious circle' ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: Episcopal Church 'Spolier alert' ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: Episcopal Church 'For fast fast fast relief' ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: Episcopal Church 'Will it take six strong men' ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: United Way 'Blanket' ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: 'Last year 125,000 flunked' ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: 'Multiply and substract' ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: Porsche 'It goes like a bat out of' ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: Porsche 'Honestly now' ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: Porsche 'It's about as fast as you can go' ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: Porsche 'It's like children' ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: Porsche 'After years of buying' ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: Porsche 'One ride and you'll understand' ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: Porsche 'After a long day at the office' ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: The first sign of lung cancer ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: Fleetham's furniture sale ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott
Image: Great Train Robbery ad / copywriter: Tom McElligott or was he just the CD??
DAVID ABBOTT: copywriter / agency founder / website
Image: 'I never read the Economist' ad / copywriter: David Abbott
Image: 'Would you like to sit next to you at dinner' Economist ad / copywriter: David Abbott
Image: 'Hello to our readers in high office' Economist ad / copywriter: David Abbott
Image: Economist ad campaign / copywriter: David Abbott
Image: 'Or buy a Volvo' ad / copywriter: David Abbott
Image: 'If the welding isn't strong enough' Volvo ad / copywriter: David Abbott
Image: 'Father's Day' Chival Regal ad / copywriter: David Abbott
Image: 'Rarely thirteen' Chival Regal ad / copywriter: David Abbott
Image: 'Life's pleasures' Chival Regal ad / copywriter: David Abbott
Image: 'No sir it's only a test drive' VW ad / copywriter: David Abbott
Image: 'It makes your tires go further' VW ad / copywriter: David Abbott
Image: 'We can do it cheaper than most' VW ad / copywriter: David Abbott
Image: 'I'm a writer at Doyle Dane Bernbach' house ad / copywriter: David Abbott
CHARLES SAATCHI: copywriter / creative director / ex- agency founder
Image: This is what happens when a fly lands on your food ad / copywriter: Charles Saatchi / Mike Coughlan
Image: Silk Cut cigarettes launch ad / copywriter: Charles Saatchi
Image: Silk Cut cigarettes beak ad / copywriter: Charles Saatchi
Image: Silk Cut cigarettes rhino ad / copywriter: Charles Saatchi
BOB LEVENSON: copywriter / creative director
Image: Do this or die ad / copywriter: Bob Levenson
Image: 'How much longer can we hand you this line' VW ad / copywriter: Bob Levenson
Image: 'Or buy a Volkswagen' VW ad / copywriter: Bob Levenson
JULIAN KOENIG: copywriter / agency founder
Image: 'Think small' VW ad / copywriter: Julian Koenig
Image: 'Lemon' VW ad / copywriter: Julian Koenig
Image: 'No point showing the '62 Volkswagen' VW ad / copywriter: Julian Koenig
DAVID OGILVY: copywriter / agency founder
Image: 'At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new...' Rolls Royce ad / copywriter: David Ogilvy
Image: 'The man in the Hathaway shirt' ad / copywriter: David Ogilvy
Image: 'How to create advertising that sells' ad / copywriter: David Ogilvy
DR SEUSS: copywriter / illustrator
AND finally...
One of the most inspiring anthems ever scripted, the words of Apple's Here's to the Crazy One's television commercial, by Craig Tanimoto and Rob Siltanen.
Image: Here's to the Crazy one's / Think Different lettering poster, available here
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