Samples of Charles Saatchi's copywriting

From his early days at Collett Dickenson Pearce:

Ads for London department (Selfridge's) store (circa 1967)

Ad1:

"A warning for under-12s: Be on your guard when your parents volunteer a trip to Selfridge's toy department. It could be a bribe to get you inside our barber shop."

Ad2:

"The most valuable things shoplifters get off with in Selfridge's are the girls on the cosmetic counter."

 

Ad for Ford Zodiac: (as a car the Ford Zodiac was a disaster)

"Parking is a lot of fun, especially afterwards
when you want to get the car out again,
and you find you've been left four inches in front
and five inches behind to play with,
and it's hot, and the sun has turned the car
into a Turkish bath, and you're working the
wheel one way, and then the other
and you're perspiring and turning the wheel,
and cursing and turning the wheel,
and crunch there goes a taillight, then finally
you're out, and feeling just marvelous,
when a little old lady in a big Zodiac
tries getting into your space, and she's
spinning the steering wheel with one finger,
and for Pete's sake, she glides in in one go
and you wish you were dead."

Ad for Cortina (a car):

"They appear the same, but disappear differently."

 

From the early days at Cramer/Saatchi (circa 1970):

Ad for Health Education Council to promote contraception among young people (See Ad):

Visual: Pregnant Man

copy: "Would you be more careful if it was you that got pregnant?"

(This ad created a buzz in London when it ran.)

Anti-smoking Ads for Health Education Council:

Ad 1:

visual: hand holding saucer with stream of brown liquid being poured into it

copy: "No wonder smokers cough."

below that: "the tar and discharge that collects in the lungs of a smoker."

(Legend has it that this ad caused an Editor from one of the dailies to reduce from 30 cigarettes a day to 2 when he saw the ad.)

Ad 2:

visual: a stained hand being scrubbed by a nailbrush

copy: "You can't scrub your lungs clean."

Ad for Health Education Council to promote food safety (See Ad):

"This is what happens
when a fly lands on your food.
Flies can't eat solid food,
so to soften it up they vomit on it.
Then they stamp the vomit in
until it's a liquid, usually stamping in
a few germs for good measure.
Then when it's good and runny
they suck it all back again, probably
dropping some excrement at the
same time.
And then, when they've finished
eating, it's your turn."

visual: plate of food

(source 8)