If you’ve ever been a student of advertising, you’ll recognise the name Neil French. Known foremost for his arrogance and rampant chauvinism, and secondly for once being the greatest copywriter in the world, French essentially exported his talents to Singapore. He is often attributed with launching the modern creative advertising industry in Asia. His presence was an inspiration to many aspiring English-speaking copywriters from the region, among them Eugene Cheong.
Cheong became a master of long copy and it quickly became his signature style – one that has kept him very well-awarded. Across the body of his work, his storytelling unravels in the most delicate fashion, quashing the ridiculously popular notion that advertising copy must solely serve to sell.
Many of his press executions you could imagine in a short story collection. In fact, French refers to Cheong as the world’s “second best” writer. Yep, there’s that arrogance. From his early days working with French in Singapore, Cheong has gone on to become Creative President of Ogilvy + Mather Asia Pacific, which is quite some title.
Here is a fantastic long copy campaign Cheong once crafted for Singapore Hospice. Click to enlarge.
One Response to “From Asia with love.”