Boston University

Boston , MA

http://www.bu.edu/writing/

Degrees Offered

Fiction, Poetry, Drama

Residency type

Program length.

32 semester hours (1–1.5 years)

Financial Aid

All students receive a full tuition scholarship, a year of health insurance, and a stipend.

Teaching opportunities

All students teach for one semester during their time in the program. Most teach undergraduate Creative Writing at Boston University, but some (four per year) teach Creative Writing at Boston Arts Academy, a public school for the performing arts.

Editorial opportunities

All MFA students have the opportunity to intern at AGNI literary journal for a semester or year.

Cross-genre study

Yes, with approval from workshop leader

  • D. M. Aderibigbe MFA (Poetry) 2016
  • Elizabeth Alexander MA (Poetry) 1987
  • Yu-Mei Balasingamchow MFA (Fiction) 2019
  • Ellen Bass MA (Poetry) 1970
  • Peter Campion MA (Poetry) 2001
  • Christopher Castellani MFA 1999
  • J. D. Daniels MFA 2003
  • Peter Ho Davies MFA (Fiction) 1994
  • Caitlin Doyle MFA (Poetry) 2008
  • Emma Duffy-Comparone MFA (Fiction) 2012
  • Pete Duval MFA (Fiction) 1995
  • Suzi Ehtesham-Zadeh MFA (Fiction) 2016
  • Kristin Ginger MFA (Fiction) 2010
  • William Giraldi MA (Fiction) 2004
  • Jowhor Ile MFA 2017
  • Jillian Jackson MFA (Fiction) 2015
  • Claire Jarvis MA (Poetry)
  • Ha Jin MFA (Poetry) 1994
  • Daphne Kalotay MFA (Fiction) 1994
  • Julie Kane MA (Poetry) 1975
  • Ted Kehoe MA (Fiction) 2006
  • Marshall Klimasewiski MA
  • Aviya Kushner MA (Poetry) 1998
  • Jhumpa Lahiri MFA (Fiction) 1994
  • Kathryn Maris MA (Poetry) 1996
  • Jill McDonough MFA (Poetry) 1998
  • Askold Melnyczuk MA 1977
  • Jennifer Anne Moses MA (Fiction) 1982
  • Andy Mozina MA (Fiction) 1990
  • Patricia Park MFA (Fiction) 2010
  • Carl Phillips MA (Poetry) 1993
  • Dariel Suarez MFA (Fiction) 2012
  • Shubha Sunder MFA (Fiction) 2012
  • Pamela Sutton MFA (Poetry) 1999
  • Lisa Taddeo MFA (Fiction) 2017
  • Tess Taylor MFA (Poetry) 2006
  • Melanie Rae Thon MA (Fiction) 1983
  • Jessica Treadway MA 2002
  • Farley Urmston MFA (Fiction) 2009
  • Christopher Wall MA (Drama) 1996
  • Anthony Wallace MA (Fiction) 1999
  • Weike Wang MFA (Fiction) 2015
  • Ryan Wilson MFA (Poetry) 2008
  • Stefanie Wortman MA (Poetry) 2003

Send questions, comments and corrections to [email protected] .

Disclaimer: No endorsement of these ratings should be implied by the writers and writing programs listed on this site, or by the editors and publishers of Best American Short Stories , Best American Essays , Best American Poetry , The O. Henry Prize Stories and The Pushcart Prize Anthology .

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Creative Writing

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Boston University MFA Program in Creative Writing, one of the oldest and most prestigious programs in this country. Our alumni in poetry include Elizabeth Alexander, Erin Belieu, Rafael Campo, Melissa Green, Glyn Maxwell, Carl Phillips and Don Share; in fiction, our alumni include Peter Ho Davies, Arthur Golden, Ha Jin, Jhumpa Lahiri, Askold Melnyczuk, and Melanie Rae-Thon. The Atlantic magazine has ranked our program among the top five percent of all creative writing programs for the distinction of its faculty and alumni, and has ranked ours among the top ten programs overall.

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Boston University MA in Creative Writing

How much does a master’s in creative writing from boston u cost, boston u graduate tuition and fees.

In StateOut of State
Tuition$56,854$56,854
Fees$812$812

Does Boston U Offer an Online MA in Creative Writing?

Boston u master’s student diversity for creative writing, male-to-female ratio.

Of the students who received their master’s degree in creative writing in 2019-2020, 50.0% of them were women. This is less than the nationwide number of 66.6%.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

Around 25.0% of creative writing master’s degree recipients at Boston U in 2019-2020 were awarded to racial-ethnic minorities*. This is about the same as the nationwide number of 24%.

Race/EthnicityNumber of Students
Asian2
Black or African American1
Hispanic or Latino0
Native American or Alaska Native0
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander0
White5
International Students4
Other Races/Ethnicities4

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Earning A Master’s In Creative Writing: What To Know

Sheryl Grey

Updated: Nov 1, 2023, 1:51pm

Earning A Master’s In Creative Writing: What To Know

Do you want to create written work that ignites a reader’s imagination and even changes their worldview? With a master’s in creative writing, you can develop strong storytelling and character development skills, equipping you to achieve your writing goals.

If you’re ready to strengthen your writing chops and you enjoy writing original works to inspire others, tell interesting stories and share valuable information, earning a master’s in creative writing may be the next step on your career journey.

The skills learned in a creative writing master’s program qualify you to write your own literary works, teach others creative writing principles or pursue various other careers.

This article explores master’s degrees in creative writing, including common courses and concentrations, admission requirements and careers that use creative writing skills. Read on to learn more about earning a master’s degree in creative writing.

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What Is a Master’s in Creative Writing?

A master’s in creative writing is an advanced degree that helps you develop the skills to write your own novel, poetry, screenplay or nonfiction book. This degree can also prepare you for a career in business, publishing, education, marketing or communications.

In a creative writing master’s degree program, you can expect to analyze literature, explore historical contexts of literary works, master techniques for revising and editing, engage in class workshops and peer critiques, and write your own original work.

Creative writing master’s programs usually require a thesis project, which should be well-written, polished and ready to publish. Typical examples of thesis projects include poetry collections, memoirs, essay collections, short story collections and novels.

A master’s in creative writing typically requires about 36 credits and takes two years to complete. Credit requirements and timelines vary by program, so you may be able to finish your degree quicker.

Specializations for a Master’s in Creative Writing

Below are a few common concentrations for creative writing master’s programs. These vary by school, so your program’s offerings may look different.

This concentration helps you develop fiction writing skills, such as plot development, character creation and world-building. A fiction concentration is a good option if you plan to write short stories, novels or other types of fiction.

A nonfiction concentration focuses on the mechanics of writing nonfiction narratives. If you plan to write memoirs, travel pieces, magazine articles, technical documents or nonfiction books, this concentration may suit you.

Explore the imagery, tone, rhythm and structure of poetry with a poetry concentration. With this concentration, you can expect to develop your poetry writing skills and learn to curate poetry for journals and magazines.

Screenwriting

Screenwriting is an excellent concentration to explore if you enjoy creating characters and telling stories to make them come alive for television or film. This specialization covers how to write shorts, episodic serials, documentaries and feature-length film scripts.

Admission Requirements for a Master’s in Creative Writing

Below are some typical admission requirements for master’s in creative writing degree programs. These requirements vary, so check with your program to ensure you’ve met the appropriate requirements.

  • Application for admission
  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
  • Transcripts from previous education
  • Writing samples
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Personal statement or essay

Common Courses in a Master’s in Creative Writing

Story and concept.

This course focuses on conceptualizing, planning and developing stories on a structural level. Learners study how to generate ideas, develop interesting plots, create outlines, draft plot arcs, engage in world-building and create well-rounded characters who move their stories forward.

Graduate Studies in English Literature

Understanding literature is essential to building a career in creative writing. This course prepares you to teach, study literature or write professionally. Expect to discuss topics such as phonology, semantics, dialects, syntax and the history of the English language.

Workshop in Creative Nonfiction

You’ll study classic and contemporary creative nonfiction in this course. Workshops in creative nonfiction explore how different genres have emerged throughout history and how previous works influence new works. In some programs, this course focuses on a specific theme.

Foundations in Fiction

In this course, you’ll explore how the novel has developed throughout literary history and how the short story emerged as an art form. Coursework includes reading classic and contemporary works, writing response essays and crafting critical analyses.

MA in Creative Writing vs. MFA in Creative Writing: What’s the Difference?

While the degrees are similar, a master of arts in creative writing is different from a master of fine arts in creative writing. An MA in creative writing teaches creative writing competencies, building analytical skills through studying literature, literary theory and related topics. This lets you explore storytelling along with a more profound knowledge of literature and literary theory.

If you want your education to take a more academic perspective so you can build a career in one of many fields related to writing, an MA in creative writing may be right for you.

An MFA prepares you to work as a professional writer or novelist. MFA students graduate with a completed manuscript that is ready for publishing. Coursework highlights subjects related to the business of writing, such as digital publishing, the importance of building a platform on social media , marketing, freelancing and teaching. An MA in creative writing also takes less time and requires fewer credits than an MFA.

If you want to understand the business of writing and work as a professional author or novelist, earning an MFA in creative writing might be your best option.

What Can You Do With a Master’s in Creative Writing?

Below are several careers you can pursue with a master’s in creative writing. We sourced salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Postsecondary Creative Writing Teacher

Median Annual Salary: $74,280 Minimum Required Education: Ph.D. or another doctoral degree; master’s degree may be accepted at some schools and community colleges Job Overview: Postsecondary teachers, also known as professors or faculty, teach students at the college level. They plan lessons, advise students, serve on committees, conduct research, publish original research, supervise graduate teaching assistants, apply for grants for their research and teach subjects in their areas of expertise.

Median Annual Salary: $73,080 Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in English or a related field Job Overview: Editors plan, revise and edit written materials for publication. They work for newspapers, magazines, book publishers, advertising agencies, media networks, and motion picture and video production companies. Editors work closely with writers to ensure their written work is accurate, grammatically correct and written in the appropriate style for the medium.

Median Annual Salary: $55,960 Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in journalism or a related field Job Overview: Journalists research and write stories about local, regional, national and global current events and other newsworthy subjects. Journalists need strong interviewing, editing, analytical and writing skills. Some journalists specialize in a subject, such as sports or politics, and some are generalists. They work for news organizations, magazines and online publications, and some work as freelancers.

Writer or Author

Median Annual Salary: $73,150 Minimum Required Education: None; bachelor’s degree in creative writing or a related field sometimes preferred Job Overview: Writers and authors write fiction or nonfiction content for magazines, plays, blogs, books, television scripts and other forms of media. Novelists, biographers, copywriters, screenwriters and playwrights all fall into this job classification. Writers may work for advertising agencies, news platforms, book publishers and other organizations; some work as freelancers.

Technical Writer

Median Annual Salary: $79,960 Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree Job Overview: Technical writers craft technical documents, such as training manuals and how-to guides. They are adept at simplifying technical information so lay people can easily understand it. Technical writers may work with technical staff, graphic designers, computer support specialists and software developers to create user-friendly finished pieces.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About a Master's in Creative Writing

Is a master’s in creative writing useful.

If your goal is to launch a career as a writer, then yes, a master’s in creative writing is useful. An MA in creative writing is a versatile degree that prepares you for various jobs requiring excellent writing skills.

Is an MFA better than an MA for creative writing?

One is not better than the other; you should choose the one that best equips you for the career you want. An MFA prepares you to build a career as a professional writer or novelist. An MA prepares you for various jobs demanding high-level writing skills.

What kind of jobs can you get with a creative writing degree?

A creative writing degree prepares you for many types of writing jobs. It helps you build your skills and gain expertise to work as an editor, writer, author, technical writer or journalist. This degree is also essential if you plan to teach writing classes at the college level.

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Sheryl Grey is a freelance writer who specializes in creating content related to education, aging and senior living, and real estate. She is also a copywriter who helps businesses grow through expert website copywriting, branding and content creation. Sheryl holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from Indiana University South Bend, and she received her teacher certification training through Bethel University’s Transition to Teaching program.

BU Creative Writing Course

creative writing at bu

Where: https://fenwaycommunitycenter.org/calendar/bu-creative-writing-course/2024-02-29/ Fenway Community Center 1282 Boylston St #123 Boston , MA

Admission: FREE

Categories: Art, Classes, Good for Groups, Meetup

Event website: https://fenwaycommunitycenter.org/calendar/bu-creative-writing-course/2024-02-29/

In this 6-week creative writing course, you will partner with Boston University students to explore your personal memories and experiences. Writing prompts will emphasize joy, community, and belonging. At the end of the course, there will be a public celebration and reading featuring participants. Boston University students will create a small book showcasing the community’s writing.

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How to Give and Receive Feedback on Creative Writing

When you’ve finished a novel or short story, it’s helpful to get feedback from people you trust. You may also have a critique partner, or be part of a writing group that offers reciprocal feedback. Here’s how to make feedback useful.

When someone asks for your feedback on a piece of writing, whether it is a short story or a novel, remember that the writer requesting feedback has spent a lot of time laboring over their words, and respect the fact that they are choosing you for your opinion.

When you seek feedback for a piece of writing, it’s important that the feedback you receive is helpful. Telling your beta reader what sort of feedback you expect can ensure that the feedback is pertinent. Here’s how to give and receive feedback on your novel or short story.

The importance of feedback

While part of the writing journey is discovering the story that is within the writer, it’s only when stories resonate with readers that a piece of writing is successful. While you may not intentionally write to please others, the goal of telling a story is to engage the people who read it. The best way to know if your story or novel works is to find out what readers think.

There are many ways to find beta readers, people who read your work to give feedback before you send it out to an agent, editor, or publication. You may ask friends, family members, fellow authors, or you may  seek out beta readers in other ways .

As a writer, you may be asked to give feedback on the work of other writers, especially if you are in a writing group where people exchange feedback, or you work with a critique partner. When different people read your manuscript, they may see things that you don’t notice, because you’ve been seeing them for so long. It’s always useful to get opinions on your writing, even if you may not agree with the feedback.

How to request feedback

When you request feedback for a novel or story, you shouldn’t just send it to someone without giving some guidelines. Here are some elements you might wish the feedback to address:

  • Is the work enjoyable, and did the reader feel the urge to keep reading? Did they want to turn the pages and get to the end?
  • Are the characters believable, and are the main characters’ motivations clear?
  • Do the settings feel real?
  • Is anything over-described?
  • Does the dialog feel authentic?
  • Is the plot believable and does the resolution make sense?
  • Are sentences, paragraphs, or chapters too long or too short? Does the prose flow, or does it feel choppy?

Also, ask your reader to mention any specific points that stand out that you haven’t covered.

It’s best to ask your reader not to say anything about typos unless they interfere with the story. You will have to do several editing passes of your manuscript, and you should be able to find these yourself.  You may even want to use an online grammar checker , chapter by chapter, to spot this sort of mistake. It’s not a good idea for your beta reader to get bogged down in minor details. What’s more important is hearing what they think about the story, the characters, the flow, the pacing, and all the elements that make a story or novel flow.

Remember to not take any feedback personally. Your reader may praise some things and criticize others, and their criticism is about the work, not about you as a writer. Feedback is a valuable tool for learning more about your writing, so use it wisely.

How to give useful feedback

When someone asks you to give feedback on their work, they may not have enough experience to know what to ask for. The most useful type of feedback is that described above, but the type of feedback they need may depend on whether you’re reading a work by a new writer or someone who has published already.

The first thing to do when giving feedback is to start by saying what you like about the manuscript. Highlight what works well in the piece, whether it’s plot, character, dialogue, description, or anything else. Remember that you’re giving feedback to a person who may be sensitive about the months or years they spent writing, and it’s important to reassure them that their work is valid. Think about how you would like to receive feedback and apply that to the feedback you give to others.

Make sure your feedback is balanced; for every critical point, include a positive point. Don’t shy away from criticizing elements that stand out, but do this in a constructive way. Offer suggestions for points that seem weak, but don’t rewrite entire paragraphs to show how you would have written something.

It’s important that you understand the writer’s intent, and that you are aware of how their work fits in a specific genre. For example, a friend may ask you to read a novel that is not a genre that you generally read. In this case, you may not be able to give appropriate feedback on genre-specific conventions.

When giving feedback, it’s useful to ask questions if you don’t understand something, such as a character’s motivation or a plot point. This may be more useful than criticism, as the writer, in thinking about the question, may discover something they need to improve on their own.

Giving and receiving feedback for creative writing can be sensitive, because writers are often personally attached to their work. Doing this with care and sensitivity can help writers improve their work and move ahead toward publication.

Kirk McElhearn is a  writer ,  podcaster , and  photographer . He is the author of  Take Control of Scrivener , and host of the podcast  Write Now with Scrivener .

Write Now with Scrivener, Episode no. 38: Veronica G. Henry, Fantasy and Mystery Author

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Creative Writing and Expository Writing. Flip Sides of the Same Coin?

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Creative Writing Workshop

Student Union

Lyrical Sanctuary & First-Year Writing Program present Creative Writing Workshop with Poet & Filmmaker Jamai Fisher

Previous Event

creative writing at bu

  • Creative Writing (BA) Portfolio Process
  • The Undergraduate Experience
  • Undergraduate Advising

About Creative Writing at ASU

The Creative Writing Program encourages all interested students, regardless of their field of study, to join our community of writers through

  • beginning and intermediate workshops in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction,
  • diverse special topics courses, 
  • internships with Hayden’s Ferry Review, ASU’s national literary journal, 
  • and by participating in the many exciting writing events held on campus. 

About the Creative Writing Concentration

Interested students who have already taken the beginning and intermediate workshops in their genre of specialty, and who are committed to continuing their study of Creative Writing, have an opportunity to develop their skills in supportive, highly focused workshops through the Creative Writing Concentration. 

Please note that acceptance into the Creative Writing Concentration is restricted. Students must submit a portfolio for review and be offered a seat in the advanced workshops.

Students interested in pursuing more than one genre at the 400-level must check with their academic advisor to ensure that the necessary courses will fit their degree plan. Dual-genre students must submit two portfolios—one in each genre—to be considered for admittance into advanced coursework in both areas. 

Students pursuing the Creative Writing Concentration must either have selected as their major the bachelor's in English with a concentration in creative writing upon being admitted to ASU or, after entering the university, meet with an English advisor to change to this major and concentration. Non English-majors will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

  • To complete the concentration, English majors completing the concentration in creative writing must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher in their major.
  • Concentration students must complete the two advanced courses in their genre. N ote that enrollment into these courses is restricted. Spaces are limited. Students must have submitted a portfolio and been selected to move forward. Completion of the concentration in creative writing is open only to those who pass through Portfolio Review. 
  • Transfer students must seek advisement as to whether they will be able to successfully fulfill the creative writing concentration requirements.
  • PLEASE NOTE:  Students admitted to begin 400-level coursework through Portfolio Review will start their coursework in the following semester. Workshop classes cannot be taken simultaneously.  
  • Students are only allowed to apply for the creative writing concentration twice during their time at ASU.

Portfolio Submission: How to Apply

Your portfolio should include:

  • COVER SHEET
  • Poetry Sample: 5 poems
  • Fiction Sample: 1 piece of fiction of at least 5 double-spaced pages and not longer than 10 double-spaced pages
  • Creative Nonfiction Sample: 1 piece of creative nonfiction of at least 5 double-spaced pages and not longer than 10 double-spaced pages 
  • Discuss your interest in the relevant genre
  • What do you hope to gain from the creative writing concentration
  • Submit an essay on a single poem, short story, or short creative nonfiction work, focusing on an element of craft you identify in the piece, how that craft element works within the piece, and how this aspect of craft is pertinent to your own writing.
  • Please provide textual examples (quotations) from the creative piece in your essay and make sure to closely read/explain their relevance. 
  • A link will be provided each semester to students enrolled in the major and/or registered for the prerequisite creative writing workshops each term to submit for Portfolio Review. Specific submission dates will be included. 
  • Fall: October-November
  • Spring: March-April  

The BU Creative Writing Global Fellowships

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Just seven years into her career, the advertising alum has already captured her industry’s top awards

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  • Corinne Steinbrenner

Just two years after graduating from COM, Vanessa de Beaumont won her first Clio Award—among the highest honors in the advertising industry—for a viral social media campaign. She’s since picked up a One Show Gold Pencil, seven more Clios, two Effies and six Cannes Lion awards—including a gold Lion for an attention-grabbing Super Bowl commercial—making her a recipient of all the ad industry’s most prestigious awards.

Earlier this year, the editors of Adweek included de Beaumont (’17), an associate creative director at Mischief, a Manhattan ad agency, in the magazine’s annual Creative 100 list, noting that the 29-year-old “has a history of making culturally relevant, viral ad moments.” 

“To be seven years removed from school and on a creative 100 hot list is a consequential accomplishment,” says Doug Gould , a professor of the practice of advertising. “It’s very difficult early in your career to create the kind of positive noise that Vanessa has.”

Always Collaborating, Never Giving Up

De Beaumont initially enrolled in COM as a journalism major, hoping to combine her love of writing and her passion for football into a job as a sports reporter. After discovering a flare for copywriting, she opted to double-major in journalism and advertising. She excelled in both fields, but writing news articles often felt lonely. In advertising, she says, “you’re never working in isolation—you’re always collaborating.”

After graduation, de Beaumont took a job as a copywriter with the Boston ad firm Arnold Worldwide and later moved across town to MullenLowe. She worked remotely for DAVID Miami during the pandemic and then moved to New York in 2021 to join Mischief. The agency was only a year old but was already doing exciting work, she says. 

To write successful ad copy, de Beaumont pushes herself creatively—something she learned to do while writing headlines for Mark Nardi, an advertising lecturer at COM. The meaning of a truly great headline, Nardi taught her, isn’t immediately obvious to the reader.

“It should take, like, point eight seconds for people to process,” de Beaumont says. “Because if it’s so obvious, then you haven’t really led people anywhere. If it’s too complicated, you lose people.”

Perhaps the most important lesson she learned at COM came from former advertising professor Edward Boches, a notoriously tough critic of his students’ work. Boches’ classes taught de Beaumont not to let failure deflate her. Watching your ideas be rejected by creative directors or clients is “undeniably the hardest part of our jobs,” she says.    

“Sometimes you’ll spend all weekend working on something, and you show up to work on Monday and have to start over. The person who can rebound, who has the mental resilience to say, ‘Okay, I’ll just do it better the next time,’ is the person who’s going to rise to the top.”

Big Results on Small Budgets

With so many vehicles available in today’s splintered media market, deciding where and how to spend limited ad dollars is a constant challenge, and de Beaumont is awed by the creative ways her colleagues rise to that challenge.  

Some of her favorite ad campaigns don’t look like ads at all; they’re essentially clever stunts that draw big attention but cost little to execute. Two years ago, for example, she was impressed when Back Market, a seller of refurbished tech, airdropped messages to the demo iPhones inside Apple Stores. Shoppers who accepted the messages were taken to Back Market’s website, where they could see the considerably cheaper prices for refurbished phones.

 “So subversive,” says de Beaumont, with obvious respect.

She pulled off a similarly savvy stunt herself in 2019, when she was tasked with promoting the return of Burger King’s funnel cake fries, which hadn’t appeared on menus since 2010.

It’s very difficult early in your career to create the kind of positive noise that Vanessa has. Doug Gould

De Beaumont received a creative brief for the Burger King project that included no budget for execution. “But my then partner and I were super ambitious,” she says,” and we just were hellbent on making something happen.”

Their idea: Burger King’s Twitter profile would like influencers’ tweets from 2010 to remind people that some things from the past are worth revisiting.

The results: Influencers took the bait, publicly asking why Burger King was liking their old content, unwittingly creating the buzz BK wanted for its relaunch. After realizing he’d helped promote sugar-coated French fries, YouTuber Casey Neistat posted a video pretending to be outraged that a fast-food giant had exploited him.

“The thing that upsets me the most about all this,” Neistat says in the video, “is just how genius it was.”

The advertising industry agreed with his assessment. The “Twitter Bait” campaign garnered de Beaumont that first Clio, along with several other industry awards.

Pushing Boundaries

When it comes to traditional television ads, de Beaumont appreciates concepts that reach beyond the screen. One of her all-time favorite TV spots is an ad from 2017 that featured a Burger King employee saying, “OK Google, what is the Whopper burger?”—setting off smart devices inside consumers’ homes.

De Beaumont set off action of her own last year with her award-winning Super Bowl ad for the streaming service Tubi. The 15-second spot, which featured Fox sports announcers Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen, tricked viewers into thinking the game had come back from commercial break—and then made it appear someone was scrolling through Tubi’s library, searching for something else to watch.

The ruse sent football fans everywhere scrambling for their remotes. “Interface Interruption” was one of the most talked about ads of the game, and, according to Tubi, it prompted 70,000 people to open the company’s app in the minutes after it aired.

De Beaumont also admires ad campaigns that promote a brand while accomplishing something good in the world. She cites Adidas’s recent “Runner 321” campaign, which highlights the achievements of marathon runners with Downs Syndrome (which is also known as Trisomy 21).

In 2021, de Beaumont helped create Budweiser’s “Bigger Picture” campaign. Budweiser, traditionally a major spender on Super Bowl ads, announced it would skip 2021’s big game and instead dedicate its $5 million ad budget to educating the public about COVID vaccines.

“I love the way this industry has the potential to drive change,” de Beaumont says—in obvious ways (creating poignant public service announcements) and in subtler ones (casting same-sex couples or differently-abled children in commercials).

“I know, a lot of times, the general public doesn’t like to think that advertising is a part of culture, but it has enormous influence on culture,” she says. “And I love that we get to be people who move that needle in a positive direction.”

  • copywriting
  • social media

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