Now is the winter of our discontent … Those opening lines from Richard III crossed my mind earlier today while driving past our local Shakespeare Festival stage in Iowa City, where the Bard’s tale of a physically and mentally disfigured king is set to open. I love the play for many reasons but the wordsmith in me loves that opening most of all. Now.

There aren’t a whole lot of other words in the English language that command that much power on their own. This is why we so often see now as a lead in advertising copy. (Were you starting to wonder how I was gonna tie this back?) I personally am guilty of doing it almost constantly but in my defense it’s hard not to paint with that powerful, imperative brush. Now at Westergaard Advertisng we’re giving you … Now you can take advantage of these special savings …

Always a more striking lead than a lost bit of punctuation at the end of a sentence, it’s hard to write weak copy that contains this bold opening salvo. Perhaps it’s because it commands action in an immediate sense thus making it useful to results-oriented marketers everywhere. Yes, this is a lighter post than most. Think of it as a Valentine to one of our favorites in the copywriter’s toolbox.