P.S.

Well done to Debenhams for deciding not to airbrush photos of models anymore. Its Oxford Street store is running a campaign featuring untouched pictures of models in swimwear alongside retouched ones.

Their window signs proclaim, “We’ve not messed with natural beauty; this image isun-airbrushed. What do you think?” As a freelance copywriter, having worked on fashion retailers such as Top Shop and M&S, I’ve been on many a shoot and seen as much work go into post-production as on the shoot itself.

In the past, Debenhams has used large size models and even a model in a wheelchair. But they’re not the first in a push to make women feel confident about themselves.

Unilever’s Dove Campaign for Real Beauty was launched in 2004. Their latest offering is a three minute ad in which an FBI-trained forensic artist draws a portrait first from the subject’s self-description and then from descriptions by strangers, with a startling contrast.

Let’s hope this Debenhams campaign isn’t some PR stunt or attention-seeking gimmick but a genuine move in the right direction.

As a freelance copywriter, you get to write about lots and lots of different stuff.

I could wax lyrical about the members of Il Divo (TV ad for Sony Music) or about what goes in to Robinsons’ drinks (packaging copy) or this summer’s trends in handbags (website for Jane Shilton) or the advantages of the MT4 platform in Forex trading (website for TeleTRADE) or the regeneration of Victoria (brand statement).

The eagle-eyed may have noticed I’ve not written a blog for several weeks. The reason being that my parents have been unwell, which has taken up a lot of time. By a weird stroke of fate, I had just finished the brand architecture and content for a company providing home care services for the elderly: Rosemont Care.

Setting up care provision was a subject I knew nothing about, but the learning came at a key time. Plus, my client was able to give me some very sound advice. So, huge thanks to Hardip and Gurpreet Narwal of Rosemont Care. Web design by the ever-affable and ever-efficient Jon Pink.

As for today….well, what would you like to know about Egypt as a holiday/business/wedding destination (video scripts for Hilton Hotels)?

Turly Humphreys is an old client and friend who has spent the last few years setting up Circle Sports. This social enterprise and registered charity is a not-for-profit community sports shop that helps young people gain invaluable skills and confidence to find work.

Volunteers have to go through a 10-week training workshop, with the aim of achieving NVQs, interviews and jobs.

So far, Circle Sports has successfully placed 80% of candidates who have completed the programme in permanent employment with a range of companies such as Primark, Esprit, Maplin, William Hill and SuperDry.

What comes around goes around: Circle Sports also helps the community. They make sports kit and clothing affordable and help youngsters play sport, by funding access to training facilities and putting any money raised back into grass-roots sports programmes.

The initiative has become so successful that Prince Charles paid a recent visit as part of his Seeing Is Believing programme, which was covered by The Telegraph.

Well done, Circle Sports. Well done, Turly.

Easy – when a product is this good, the copy almost writes itself.

I created the copy style, site structure and content for Amazonas Sandals last summer, so was delighted when my client asked me to work on the site for their range of men’s shoes: Anatomic & Co.

The brand needed a change of image, as it was perceived to be for older men and with an orthopaedic slant. Yet these shoes and boots are beautifully designed, crafted and hard wearing. And they have a fantastic USP: thanks to Anatomic Gel Technology®, these shoes really are comfier than comfy. It’s true. My husband received a pair ( these rather gorgeous Colorado desert boots) and almost sleeps in them.

A stylish new look website peppered with more contemporary and engaging copy…et voilà (or should I say ‘eis’, as this is a Brazilian brand, after all) – one transformed brand.

As a year for a freelance copywriter, 2012 has been a busy, varied and interesting one. There were far too many highlights to cover, but here are the ten that are front of mind – for different reasons and in no particular order:

1. Mighty Rice – from packaging to soon-to-launch website, with press ads and posters in between, for a lovely independent boutique rice grower in Mauritus. Mighty fine product, mighty fun name.

2. Coca Cola – little freelance me being asked to pitch against ad agencies for two new product launches.

3. Victoria – writing a non-advertisingy brochure promoting Victoria. Stunning shots and a copywriter’s dream.

4. FitFlop – being invited to work on a couple of briefs. Quirky shoes requiring quirky copy. Fab stuff.

5. Harper Collins – just about the only time I read a book these days is whenever Harper Collins brief me to write a radio ad for a new novel. This was back in January to launch Cathy Kelly’s ‘The House on Willow Street’.

6. Jane Shilton – ongoing work with a very British, family-owned company needing copy for their entire handbags and shoes collections, letting me unleash my passion for fashion.

7. Mutual Fund Store – I absolutely love writing radio commercials and creating this one for a US audience was a first for me.

8. Industry Gateway – a website can be like a piece of knitting: sometimes you need to unravel an old item and start again. Their existing website was complicated and didn’t explain the service well, so I had to revise the site architecture first. With the clients based in Prague and Monaco, thank goodness for Skype.

9. Amazonas Sandals – developing and writing the website from scratch with free rein on the copy style. A great example of how SEO doesn’t mean having a shopping list of keywords.

10. Caledonia Investments – I have a lot of financial experience but writing about investment trusts was a first, so I relished the learning curve. I enjoyed working on this intensive website project partly because the Cayzer family behind the company have an amazing British heritage (with the most incredible paintings and shipping artefacts in the offices); partly because Imogen Ereira, the designer, was so fantastically efficient; and partly because my husband, Andrew Barrington, developed the brand strategy, making it the first time in 20 years that we’d worked together.

Wishing you all the best for 2013, and a great year for everyone!