Nothing ruins the message of a well-executed advertisement more than a simple, overlooked typo. Whether it’s last minute deadlines or miscommunication between team members, errors in advertisements constantly happen. For example, Coke makes four times fewer writing mistakes on LinkedIn posts than Pepsi. Now that brands are creating original content on social media and blog channels, proofreading matters more than ever.

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Before my broternship, I never realized the extent to which ads are proofed before they are released to the public. Multiple people from both the client and agency must sign off and approve each advertisement to make sure it meets their standards. Throughout the last few weeks, I have proofed ads for misspellings, punctuation, grammar, sizing, times/dates/locations/names and overall consistency. One unnoticed mistake could have a costly impact for the agency and client. Whether it causes the brand public humiliation or mistrust between the client and agency, it is not a good situation. But good news! It’s completely avoidable by following the correct proofreading procedures that I have learned through the process:

  • Always read a printed version of the ad that you can easily edit
  • Read the text slowly out loud to hear yourself pronounce each word and letter individually
  • Read the copy backwards when looking for spelling errors
  • Double and triple check names, locations, URLs and contact information
  • Ask yourself: does it align with the brand’s standards?
  • Check for grammar, punctuation, consistent verb tense, parallelism, plural vs. singular, homonyms and pronoun/noun agreement
  • Focus your attention on something new each time you read it. First focus on layout, then headings, spelling, grammar, etc.
  • Read something between edits to help clear your head of what you expect to read versus what is actually on the page
  • Reproof every time anything is edited or reprinted
  • Ask questions and always double check yourself if you think you are right or even if you know you are right

Proofreading may seem like a simple, straightforward task, but so much more goes into the process than I ever imagined. Since advertising is the main channel of communication between brands and consumers, it’s essential to get the messages right! All in all, if you follow the tips above, brands and agencies can avoid becoming the laughing stock of the internet like the ads below.

  • First example, Mitt Romney’s attempt to be president through a digital ad for the 2012 election. I mean, doesn’t everyone know you can’t misspell the location of your dream job when applying? America would have thrown out his resume with this one.

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  • This ad luckily doesn’t specify which retailer is selling Creative Kids Software. I’m just glad they’re just selling the educational software and not actually creating it.

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  • Hey Stratford Hall, I think you missed one tiny, little ‘detal’ in this ad about your reliability!

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Come on, you had one job! I hope these ads inspired you of what NOT to do when proofing ads or else you’ll end up as a forever-running joke on the internet. Happy proofing!