Wallets? Heck yeah!

The following is a selection of excerpts from a job ad placed on Seek.

Copywriter (mid-weight)

IN A NUTSHELL
At Bellroy, we geek out (unashamedly) on performance and technology, but balance it out by looking deeply into the beauty of design, the good in humanity and what the surf is doing. We consider art and science equally in our design process, and we don’t discriminate between work and play – because we believe that when you’re mad-keen on what you do, they aren’t mutually exclusive. We have stories – interesting, fun, often fairly complicated stories – to tell. And we need a mid-weight copywriter to help us tell them.
If you’re a curious being with a conceptual brain and a commanding way with words, we’d love to hear from you.

YOU COULD BE THE ONE, IF...
You are an inspiring communicator who knows the difference between a good sentence, and a great one. You can spin a tone of voice with the ease of a fire twirler. And you know just what it means to make every. word. count. But you also understand that words are but one part of being a copywriter. Your ideas are probably even better than your vocabulary. Your empathy, high. And your motivation to find the phrase no other brand has used before, strong as hell. Besides all that, you’re well aware that you won’t always have the right answer. And that asking questions is part of the job. You’re a forever student with a curious mind, who isn’t afraid to ask “why?” as many times as it takes to get to the heart of things. We like to challenge status quo situations, our own opinions, and each other. So that kind of behaviour will fit right in around here. As you’ll be writing about carry products – and the world that surrounds it – on a daily basis, an interest in product design and ‘carry’ in particular would hold you (pardon the pun) in good stead.

IF YOU WERE HERE LAST WEEK, YOU MIGHT HAVE:

• Written an info pack for a new product we’re launching – including copy for bellroy.com, Amazon and The Iconic, while considering SEO value of page titles and meta descriptions – and then shared it with the content team for translation
• Joined a Friday afternoon creative team brainstorm for an upcoming campaign, in which you embrace the all-in, throw-it-out-there, ‘no idea is a bad idea’ environment
• Internally questioned the temptation of using superlatives to describe a product, and worked hard to find some tangible proof points to get the message across instead.

Here's my response:

When I saw this job ad, my first question was obviously “what is bellroy?” But I mean, really, what is bellroy? Turns out it’s a company that makes wallets. Real wallets for real people; poets, warriors, rebels. But is that all? No, they also sell bags.

So I asked myself, what is a wallet (or bag)? Is it a little container for keeping small items in? Yes. That is exactly what it is. But could it be more? Probably! My brain was literally (figuratively) on fire; my conceptual brain, that is. The physical brain inside of my skull was operating within its normal temperature range. And that’s a good thing.

But how could I help? Well, I know the difference between a good sentence, and a great one - and I know that comma doesn’t belong there but I left it in anyway because that’s what you did and I want to be like you. Hell, I want to be you. You know, a rebel. Rebelliously selling wallets to people who want to buy them. But, like, disruptively.

As I read on, I knew I was right for this job. You know what? My motivation to find the phrase no other brand has used before is strong as hell. “Tapirs karmically redistribute potato farts.” That one’s a freebie. Guaranteed 100% fresh and original. If you find another brand that’s said that I will personally apologise and vow to do better in future. Guaranteed.

You know why? Because I know I’m not always right. Am I usually? Yes. All the time? Definitely. But sometimes no. And that’s why I am always happy to receive feedback - no matter how critical. In fact, I relish it. Tell me what I did wrong. Tell me I did everything wrong. Choke me, daddy. Yeah, that’s learning! Let me be your forever student. Give that to your content team for translation!

So who am I? I’m a consummate professional. A team player. A fan of carrying things. I’m carrying things right now. Wait, does that make me sound like a drug dealer? Because I’m not. Not that I have a problem with drugs; I’m cool. Shit, does that make it sound like I’m a drug addict? Because I’m not. I am cool with other people taking drugs… and maybe selling drugs? I don’t know exactly where you stand on this issue but whatever your stance is I agree completely.

You asked, do I want to join you? More than anything. If you give me this opportunity I will literally die for you. I mean, not actually. But I will write copy for you. Because that’s just who I am. I’m a copywriter; take it or leave it. (Take it. Please.)

I did not get the job.

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