Gerry Marychurch
SENIOR . Specialist writer
Hello. I’m Gerry. I used to work at Ogilvy and then Y&R. Now I freelance with The Pond.
Although I take my work seriously (very seriously), I tend to be more relaxed when talking about myself.
If writers were runners I think I’d be a miler or maybe a 3,000m specialist (on the track rather than cross country – I don’t like hills). My point being that I’m not a marathon man cut out for any 100 page websites or annual reports you might have in mind.
And if they had to re-build me, like they did the Six Million Dollar Man, I’d be all ‘0’s and ‘1’s (ie. binary code). Digital is definitely my area of focus, having worked with Shift, Terabyte, Tribal DDB and Saatchi DGS on various projects. I just find it so much more relevant to people’s lives than anything above-the-line. (Not to mention far more cost effective in many cases.)
Any day now, Kiwi agencies and clients are going to embrace writers as content developers…to be unleashed in the starting line-up for maximum impact rather than merely let on to the pitch with five minutes to run. I can’t wait.
If you’re not sure what I mean by this, let me know and I’ll buy you a coffee. Otherwise, take a look at my copy sample and see if you like my style.
Financial – banking, finance, fund management, superannuation.
Retail – FMCG, telcos, pharmaceuticals, appliances.
Web – copy, concepts, editing.
Honest
My writing is nothing if not honest. That means I tend to avoid things like over-promise and exaggeration unless the tone is deliberately over-the-top.
Conversational
Everything is 'you' and 'us' rather than 'the company' or 'customers'. The tone is friendly and the attitude is inclusive.
Benefit-driven
I’m a great consumer advocate, always asking what’s in it for your target market. You may not always like this, but it will produce the best results.
Unpretentious
Sure, I studied Classics at Otago but you won't find me walking around quoting Greek philosophers or expressing myself in a sonnet.
Flavoursome
I like copy that is raspberry ripple…you know, that expresses information in interesting ways…although I can do plain vanilla quite convincingly too.
RightLight (Saatchi DGS)
Do you have energy efficient bulbs in your home? Well you should! They cost a bit more at the checkout but last up to ten times longer and burn a lot less energy. This site is loaded with everything you could ever want to know about lighting (and then some).
ANZ One (Tribal DDB)
Here’s a micro site for a new banking product from ANZ. If you’re blind you can listen to the introduction from the talking lady. And if you’re deaf, you can just read the words like any normal site. Magic.
Tales of Ruapehu (Print)
Everyone knows Ruapehu goes off during the ski season. But what about the rest of the year? Evocative imagery and stories of the land play on international tourists’ growing fascination with indigenous cultures.