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4-JAN-2025 | David Abbott’s “Dead Doggy” Ad

Author

Dan Bogachek
January 04, 2025

David Abbott’s “Dead Doggy” Ad

This doggy bag contains a dead doggy.

Thousands of them go to the incinerator every week.

The dogs are healthy but unwanted.

If they can’t be placed, local vets, the RSPCA and other animal charities are forced to put them down.

When the Government killed the dog license they left us to kill the dogs.

Urge your MP to press for a dog registration scheme.

For it is a sick nation that kills healthy dogs. 🏁

This one really sucks, and extra hard if you have a dog.
Get visceral. Twist the knife.

  • Great intra-sentence repetition on “doggy” and “killed… kill.”

  • Keep sentences simple. Simple here for stark effect.

  • Reminder: you can command your reader. Because they always have the final say. And yet even with the command, we have a soft call-to-action — as in, the action is not specific — it’s up for interpretation. In a way this respects the reader’s agency. Then the punchline takes the moral high ground and leaves us zoomed out on the big why.

You glance at your watch.

It’s 6:28. You’ve been at it since 3.
Crap. Your hot date is at 7. Running late. Sink shower it is.
Nowhere close to done editing…

“…at least all the ideas are laid out, so there’s that. Did I miss anything? I don’t think so? Ok, but how do I make it flow? I need to get the final draft to Stacey for design asap, team cutoff is at noon Thursday…”

You’ve spent dinner completely distracted. Your date just took off. You go home exhausted, plod to your desk, and flip open the laptop.

Or… what if:

5:41 — you’re out of the shower and lip-syncing.
6:17 — dressed to the nines and zenned out.
7:03 — the sunset glints off your aviators as you smile hello.
8:36 — it actually feels like you’re hitting it off. Not just hot, funny to boot.
Next morning, 9:27 — final draft ready in your inbox.
10:31 — Stacey messages back, “thanks, looks good!”

The difference?

Copygloss handled it. Before you left for the date, actually.

For help with editing, email Dan:
[email protected].