Lars Arvid Boisen
If Lars Arvid Boisen had become a journalist, he might have given Swedish journalist Jan Guillou a run for his money. Instead, he became one of Sweden’s top advertising men and copywriters. After a couple of years as head of information for the Swedish National Personnel Board, he was drawn to the world of creative advertising. As a co-founder of Swedish legendary advertising agency Brindfors, Lars Arvid created major campaigns for Linjeflyg, SAS, IKEA, H&M, NK and many more – setting the tone for the Swedish advertising industry in the 1980s.
How did your journey in advertising begin?
Lars Arvid: I originally wanted to be a journalist. But life’s circumstances led me to the world of advertising. So Jan Guillou escaped serious competition (he, he). When I was 25, I was offered a job as head of information for the Swedish National Personnel Board. I was an odd bird in that group, not a true bureaucrat. But then one day in 1973, a job ad from an advertising agency in Malmö caught my eye. I applied and got the job as a copywriter. It felt right in every possible way. I was there for about four years and learnt the trade. The agency was ranked number two in the advertising city of Malmö. I got to work on everything from concrete from Cementa to ‘adult candy’ from Malaco.
Your career got off to a flying start when you co-founded Brindfors. Tell us about the advertising assignment for Janne Carlzon (‘SAS-Janne’) and the ‘Folkflyget’ campaign in the 1970s.
Lars Arvid: When we got Linjeflyg (“Nya Inrikesflyget”) as a client in the late 70s, SJ and the train were somewhat tired and old-fashioned, not keeping to the timetable and stealing a lot of time from people. And suddenly there was a new way of travelling that was much faster and accessible to the average person, thanks to low airfares. Previously, planes had been sitting idle in the middle of the day and late at night. Now, new low-cost departures were created, marked in red in Linjeflyg’s local timetables. The message was simple: “If you can tell the difference between red and black, you can fly cheap”.
Volumes increased dramatically.
At the same time, they had to get the businessmen on board. Although they continued to pay full price in the mornings and evenings, they too had to be convinced that they were getting a good deal. We had calculated that each lost working hour cost an average of SEK 100 at that time. We realised that even if trains and cars were free, it would be cheaper to fly, “thanks to all the labour time you save.” We knew that businessmen wanted to fly. Now we gave them the arguments, which they could – if necessary – hammer into their head of finances: “it’s cheaper than trains and cars!”.
Overall, domestic air travel increased by several hundred per cent in just a few years.
What’s important to consider when building a brand?
Lars Arvid: From my point of view, the interesting thing has always been how the client’s customers perceive their brand. The shortest and simplest definition of this is a single word: reputation. It’s either good or bad. It is either in people’s hearts or not. Therefore, neither advertising nor communication is the most important thing for a company to win the favour of its customers. It’s all about building trust, making a strong brand promise and keeping your promises. As good as you are – that’s how good your brand will be. No more and no less. What advertising and other communications can do is reinforce the story.
Does that mean you can fool people? Yes, in the short term you probably can. But not in the long run! I come back to a quote by IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad that says it all: “You should never overestimate people’s knowledge and you should never underestimate their intelligence.” If you have that attitude, you realise that trying to deceive people is counterproductive. You have to be true and genuine. If you are, people will feel it.
What is copywriting for you?
Lars Arvid: It is very much about curiosity and trying to understand what is interesting to the person you are talking to. And finding ways to formulate it – from a headline, which is so interesting that you have to read on, to finding the core of the story – and trying to strip away the rest of it.
That sounds simple?
Lars Arvid: I know. But it’s not.
How has the copywriting profession changed over the years?
Lars Arvid: In my time, there was a clear separation between advertising and PR, there were advertising agencies and PR agencies. Today, they merge into each other. When I started there was only print media, newspapers, billboards and printed matter of all kinds. But there was no electronic media. So the written word was more important back then than it is now.
Advertising is not something anyone asks for. It’s information that we foist on people. It’s important to show respect for the person you’re trying to convince, which is the opposite of being greasy and sticky. This also includes nurturing the language and rewarding the reader for getting through your text. When the text flows and it is a pleasure to read, you are on your way to success. I rarely get that feeling today when I study an advert in the newspaper. I think we paid more attention to the expression of the story a few decades ago. At the Golden Egg competitions, prizes were awarded for copywriting.
Can you learn copywriting on the job or do you have to take a course?
Lars Arvid: When I started, the general perception was that schools could not educate copywriters. Berghs could educate Art Directors, but hardly a copywriter. You had to teach yourself to write. If you were lucky, you got to a good agency and could take on the big heroes. That’s what I tried to do when I got Sören Blanking as my first mentor. As an academic, I had learnt the value of critical thinking. I was never afraid to ask the uncomfortable questions. I found it relatively easy to get under the skin of my clients. I didn’t give up until I found out how ‘everything’ really was. In addition to this, there is another fact that cannot be ignored. Advertising is a profession of talent. If you have talent, you may have the makings of a good copywriter. If you are prepared to practice, that is, to write, write, write…
How have work processes and roles in the advertising industry changed?
Lars Arvid: In the beginning, let’s say in the 1950s, people liked to come up with a slogan. Then it was the cartoonist’s job to “make” the advert. In order to do this, he or she could shamelessly order a text with, for example, “five lines and so and so many strokes” from the copywriter. Then it was just a matter of placing the mass of text where it belonged. The content of the five lines was less important in the context Such an approach was unthinkable a few decades later, when I made my debut in the advertising industry. Content drove everything. Impact was the key word. The same question was asked over and over again. Did the advert strike a chord with the recipient? Did it hit home?
Getting there required a close collaboration between a talented copywriter and an equally talented art director. This sometimes resulted in adverts that stuck in the mind and remained in people’s consciousness for months.
There were no algorithms in those days. No AI (Artificial Idiocy) either. So, for obvious reasons, I couldn’t dream that the heroes of marketing communication would one day be mathematicians. How such an (industrial) approach could create communication that bites – and preferably set the senses on fire – is still beyond my comprehension.
What tips do you have for today’s copywriters who are in the early stages of their career?
Lars Arvid: What’s really interesting is always trying to get under the skin of the person you’re talking to. Try to understand their dreams, wishes and needs. Only when you have a clue about that, you have the chance to create communication that matters. As a copywriter, you sometimes have to challenge the client to get there. Because at the end of the day, you have to touch people’s minds and emotions.
Bill Bernbach, the man behind the new creative advertising in the US in the 1960s, said: “Facts are not enough”. You can’t expect to create exciting advertising with facts alone. You have to find ways to unlock people’s hearts.
About Lars Arvid Boisen:
- Partner in Sweet advertising agency, since 2010
- Also founder and owner of Boisen Strategi AB, since 1993.
- Former creative director and member of the European creative council at Ogilvy, 2000 – 2003.
- Co-founder and co-owner of Brindfors Reklambyrå 1978 – 1993.
- Published books: Advertising. Den goda kraft (The power of advertising), 2003.
- Demokratins förfall, together with Karl-Erik Norrman, 2008
- Fewer People on Earth, with Karl-Erik Norrman, 2012
