Pat Quinn (copywriter)
Encyclopedia
Patrick "Pat" Quinn was a professional advertising, copywriter and author who was also an airplane pilot and active in the Edinburgh
music scene.
Quinn had 40 years' experience of the advertising business, and was also an advertising
industry trainer and seminar leader. After moving to Scotland
, he was a jazz
critic for the Edinburgh Evening News
.
He died of prostate cancer
on 2008-06-13 at Borders General Hospital
in Melrose, Scotland
.
.
He first joined a London ad agency as a copywriter in the 1960s.
Positions held during his career an ad agency ranged from copy chief to creative director. Quinn also worked as a freelance copywriter, operating in London
, Dublin, Edinburgh
and Miami. As a professional copywriter Patrick Quinn wrote direct mail
, newspaper advertisements, and newsletters.
, marketing
, and detective fiction
, including:
Quinn also published thirteen detective fiction
novels with New English Library, Robert Hale, and Ed McBain. He also wrote a flying training manual titled Ready For Take-Off.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
music scene.
Quinn had 40 years' experience of the advertising business, and was also an advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
industry trainer and seminar leader. After moving to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, he was a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
critic for the Edinburgh Evening News
Edinburgh Evening News
The Edinburgh Evening News is a local newspaper based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is published daily . It has a circulation of 68,000 and is owned by Johnston Press, which also owns The Scotsman and many regional titles throughout the UK.Much of the copy contained in the Evening News concerns local...
.
He died of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
on 2008-06-13 at Borders General Hospital
Borders General Hospital
The Borders General Hospital is a hospital, operated since 1988 by NHS Scotland, situated on the outskirts of the town of Melrose, Scotland. The hospital created over 1000 jobs in the Borders and has a bed capacity of 328. It offers a wide range of treatments, the BGH has an Accident and Emergency...
in Melrose, Scotland
Melrose, Scotland
Melrose is a small town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It is in the Eildon committee area.-Etymology:...
.
Professional life
As a teenager he was turned down for his first copywriting job because he didn't know how to define a unique selling propositionUnique selling proposition
The Unique Selling Proposition is a marketing concept that was first proposed as a theory to explain a pattern among successful advertising campaigns of the early 1940s. It states that such campaigns made unique propositions to the customer and that this convinced them to switch brands...
.
He first joined a London ad agency as a copywriter in the 1960s.
Positions held during his career an ad agency ranged from copy chief to creative director. Quinn also worked as a freelance copywriter, operating in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Dublin, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and Miami. As a professional copywriter Patrick Quinn wrote direct mail
Direct mail
Advertising mail, also known as direct mail, junk mail, or admail, is the delivery of advertising material to recipients of postal mail. The delivery of advertising mail forms a large and growing service for many postal services, and direct-mail marketing forms a significant portion of the direct...
, newspaper advertisements, and newsletters.
Books authored
Patrick Quinn has published 21 books on topics of advertisingAdvertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
, marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
, and detective fiction
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
, including:
- The Secrets of Successful Copywriting (First published by William Heinemann Limited, revised 2005 with Markethill Publishing Ltd)
- The Secrets of Successful Low Budget Advertising (Markethill Publishing Ltd, 2004)
- The Secrets of Successful Exhibitions (Butterworth-HeinemannButterworth-HeinemannButterworth–Heinemann is a UK-based international publishing company specialized in professional information and learning materials for higher education and professional training, in printed and electronic forms...
) - Word Power - Versions 1 and 2 (Markethill Publishing Ltd)
- Thinking On Your Feet (Kogan PageKogan PageKogan Page Publishers is a publishing company headquartered in London, United Kingdom.Kogan is Europe's largest independent publisher of business books...
) - When Do I Start? (Elliot)
Quinn also published thirteen detective fiction
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
novels with New English Library, Robert Hale, and Ed McBain. He also wrote a flying training manual titled Ready For Take-Off.
Writing style
"The office carpets were deeper than the Marianna Trench, executive desks were wider than the Brooklyn Bridge and the company cars were never less than top-of-the-range.", Quinn's writing style frequently mixed in crime drama story telling in teaching and advertising.Awards
- Winner of the Cork Film Festival Grand Prix for a Kerrygold Butter television advertisement.