Copywriting ‘time share’ service Shabbadu ventures into the UK
Shabbadu, the new freelance copywriting service for small and medium sized agencies set up by ex-Clems Melbourne creative Chris Taylor three months ago, has secured extended contracts with agencies and started working with a client in the UK.
The agency’s first Aussie agency clients – Bruin Dunn Advertising and The Reactor – have just finished a three-month trial using Shabbadu’s flexible freelance model, and have both signed up for long-term extensions.
Work has included copywriting for TV, radio, press, magazine, online and Facebook, including a brief to write status updates for Guinness in the UK via digital agency Tribal DDB.
Taylor, who has incorporated Shabbadu UK off the back of the Guinness work, said that the model, which requires agencies to pay upfront for a minimum number of hours of copywriting services, is proving popular with certain agencies.
“MDs and numbers oriented people think it’s a great idea. Creative directors of bigger agencies don’t see the value in it, as they can shuffle things around in a pinch or just bring in a freelancer for a week to clear the decks,” he said. “That’s fine. I knew that when I started and have specifically targeted the business towards direct clients, design agencies and smaller ad agencies for that reason.”
He added: “The biggest obstacle has been getting the pre-commitment. Most of the people I have seen can see the value in it. But when it comes to jumping in they get cold feet. One of my clients has said, the only issue they have with the system is having to pay for the pre-commitment up front.”
