A Synthesis of Copywriting and World Events

What are copywriters?

Today’s world offers numerous employment opportunities for fresh graduates thanks to the power of outsourcing. This goes for most Third World Countries – like ours, the Philippines.

Why? Because First World labor rates are expensive. Why sew a gap shirt in America for a total cost of $20, when you can get the Chinese to make it for $5? Don’t you remember Nike? Some claim that the production cost of a pair of Nikes is equivalent to only 15% of its sale price. So the question is not why go for outsourcing but why not?

Other companies have followed this trend, not just clothing and apparel. IBM, Visa, X-Box have all set up call centers in Third World countries. We’re gaining jobs while labor unions in the States get angrier everyday. But hey we’re more than happy to accept such blessings. Some experts even venture to claim that this is some sort of “Hegemonic curse”. Indeed, “God works in mysterious ways”.

A copywriter “… simply writes compelling and creative text for a website”. That is what I do. I write for an American company abroad – I dare not say which. You know how it is; American consumers don’t want their services coming from other countries. They were all too traumatized when sweat shops were discovered in China. They’ve had enough of that.

No pun intended though. I thank the Hegemon for bringing Nike, McDo and other stuff to this country. I will not deny them the necessary praises they deserve. But if you think about it, it’s not their products that sell, it’s their culture. The invasion of an MTV culture during the 1990s propelled the country to much higher heights.

We Filipinos, not only speak like Americans. We dress like them, we eat like them, we like their music, their movies, etc. It’s a whole cultural shift. Barongs went out the door to make way for tuxedos and power suits. All the while we kept forgetting who the hell we really are in the first place?

On the other hand, I see my job as a means to an end. A small step towards achieving what I want to do. I couldn’t really care less if I worked for Americans, Japanese, Filipinos, etc. As long as it’s related to writing and it develops me individually and socially. Then I’m all for it.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I need a Big Mac -nay- make that a Quarter Pounder.