The human value and capacity driving copywriting in 2025
Big Shift in Copywriting
Two days into 2025, my inbox crackled with a tantalising prospect … I had been invited to a masterclass on the subject of a big shift in copywriting. Sorely needed at a time when Artificial Intelligence (AI) was proving to be so dominant and, perhaps, signalling the end of content marketing as we had known it. Where was the intrepid human capacity hiding?
As a wordsmith who believed in the talisman-like properties of the word, I had been grappling with the challenges AI presented for quite some time. However, I had come to the conclusion that a way with words would always stand one in good stead. After all, songs that move the heart always seem to have lyrics that tug at the heart strings.
The business of flowers
One of my all-time favourite songs, an anthem really, is Flowers by Miley Cyrus. Released in January 2023, the smash hit became the instant anthem for singletons worldwide on “Single Awareness Day” that year. Yes, everyone was singing about how they were going to get their own flowers and hold their own hand. And, unsurprisingly, it was a banger on the dance floor too.
At any rate, the day after Valentine’s, I found myself dashing to buy flowers. Not out getting my own though: no, I was in a rush to get a special bunch for my incredible aunt for her milestone birthday that happened to have been on Valentine’s Day.
Navigating the traffic on a postcard-perfect day in Cape Town, I was acutely aware of arriving at the market in time to get a great bouquet from Adene’s Farm Flowers. Why would I specifically drive halfway across town to get her flowers though?
Well, for starters, Adene has a limited number of outlets, and her selection is different to the flowers usually found in regular shops. Here’s what the farm does:
“We specialize in cultivating unique and rare varieties of flowers and foliage. Our mild winters and long, hot summers enable us to grow an extensive selection, from exquisite anemones to breathtaking dahlias.”
I had also previously paid a visit to the farm in Wolseley and handpicked some blooms for myself, never mind the sweltering heat. The drive there, the experience on the farm and the exploration of the surrounding area proved to be one the best birthdays I had celebrated in a while. I think I wanted to give my aunt a slice of that magnificent feeling for her birthday.
Perceived value
At the celebratory meal the next day, among a group of professionals, the topic of branding, sales and copywriting came up in a roundabout way.
With my experience purchasing the flowers fresh in my mind, and without explicitly saying so, I shared how I sometimes based my purchasing choices on the fact that I knew the origin story of the seller. In the case of Adene’s flowers, there were special memories connected to the product. I was thus much more invested in her business than I otherwise would have been.
The words “perceived value” echoed in my mind. As I continued, a relative stated that the scenario I painted was branding through and through. I agreed and said that my choices were indicative of what storytelling could do and how it tied in directly to sales and copywriting. This brings me to Alex Cattoni, genuine human connection, authenticity and trust.
The BIG SHIFT
Yes, that email invitation for a masterclass I received was from copywriting aficionado, Alex Cattoni.
I’m so excited to see your name on the list for my upcoming LIVE masterclass––The Big Shift.
alex cattoni
You’re about to learn the shocking ways copywriting is shifting in 2025 (plus my uncensored predictions for the year ahead—good and bad)…
Considering all I have said so far, it was eagerly anticipated. Intrigued by the invitation, I tuned in to hear it for myself.
In a nutshell, she emphatically stated that there would be less emphasis on the items listed on the left in favour of those on the right.
But what is copywriting?
As you know, I love writing and words in almost all of its guises. Writing is literally part of the word “copywriting”. For the longest time, I considered it as an extension of communication and writing. But my view may be changing. Alex is, of course, firmly in the camp that copywriting is marketing.
Yet, in his newsletter of 8 January, noteworthy writer Kieran Drew, currently based in the Mother City, defined copywriting as follows:
“It’s [copywriting] about motivating through the written word.”
KIERAN DREW
I let ChatGPT wade into the fray and here is its analysis as provided on 16 January:
“Copywriting sits at the intersection of writing and communication and marketing, drawing from both fields to achieve its purpose.”
After a detailed breakdown, it concluded: “Copywriting bridges both domains: It draws on the creative, audience-focused aspects of writing and communication to execute the strategic, results-oriented goals of marketing. While you might emphasize one side over the other depending on the role (e.g., brand-focused vs direct-response copywriting), it’s impossible to divorce copywriting from either realm entirely.”
All of us are affected
Make of this what you will, but as per the conversation at the dining room table I outlined above, it affects us all. We are all feeling its effects and are becoming increasingly attuned to it, simultaneously filtering out what is not working.
It would appear that professionals who understand the power of storytelling, copywriting, communication, social media and entrepreneurship have to take it up a notch – and Alex, I think, nailed how to do it on the head.
Alex’s revised view of copywriting in 2025
In her newsletter of 14 February, Alex doubled down on what she had revealed in her masterclass, and reiterated that besides the traditional view of copywriting, there was more to the job of the copywriter.
“Copywriters today also need to know how to gain and keep trust.”
She said that in the world we live today, where suspicion has grown, customers are much more discerning. Thus gaining and keeping their trust is paramount. Consumers today need the following before purchasing:
- We want to see customer faces and social proof…
- We want to know who the brand or person is that’s trying to sell us something…
- We want to verify that they are, in fact, a real person and that they are legit…
- We want to know why they’re selling this thing to us – what’s in it for them? What’s in it for us?
Her clip elucidates why she has also redefined copywriting as encompassing all of the following areas and skills as well:
Nothing artificial about it
The fact that content is such an easily churned- out commodity these days means that it no longer is the differentiating factor for a business or enterprise. Marketers everywhere are asking whether content marketing, as we understood it a few scant years ago, is dead. I think it might be.
As Alex outlined, the type of content that would be hard to replicate is the stuff that authentically describes the human experience. It is content that bucks the AI trend – content that does not look overly perfect, or user-generated content that is unbelievably slick. It will simply not be tolerated.
I believe the power of storytelling, knowing the origin story of a vendor, the vendor’s authenticity and the trust that it builds, not to mention the customer service that backs up its products will now drive sales.
The storytellers at The Blank Pad put it like this:
Although we can see how copywriting has changed and evolved, one thing remains the same.
Both traditional and modern copywriting objectives come down to one thing — crafting a compelling story. When crafting a story, the most important thing is to understand who your audience is.
Unbelievably human
Ironically, we may need to get down to the nuts and bolts of what defines being human and harness it. Use our own intelligence to craft content that utilises honesty and empathy, while fostering human connection and understanding.
In that way, vendors who actually care about their customers will outmanoeuvre the ones relying solely on AI. In case anyone thinks that I am anti-AI; that is simply not true. I believe in using it alongside human creativity to produce magical experiences for the individual purchasing on the other side.
Paradoxically, it seems that AI will drive a necessity for us to be more authentically human than ever before. The big shift is merely finding a place for AI in the market. It may be that the equilibrium in this maelstrom is being sought and that the pendulum is shifting back to content that humans would uniquely enjoy. How novel is that!
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