Copywriting News Mainstream Copywriters ‘Stealing’ Ideas from the Signs of Homeless People

Homeless people have always been resourceful, they have to be in order to survive on the streets. It would appear that copywriters across the world have taken a shine to how resourceful homeless people are, particularly when writing signs to encourage the public to give.

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A number of homeless people from around the world have often been credited with producing funny written anecdotes displaying a sparkling sense of humour despite the plight they face. So good are some of these written signs that many of them have been reproduced and featured across the mainstream copywriting industry.
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In fact a number of copywriters and bloggers have actually searched the globe to find such signs, producing feature articles and blogs describing some of the amazing copywriting abilities of the homeless.

Innovative signs have become quite a feature of the homeless community as they become more creative in ways of asking for money, shelter, food and even propositions to marry rich people.

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A leading copywriting commentator said: “Many mainstream copywriters are actually quite amazed at the copywriting ability of the homeless, so much so, that many copywriters simply ‘modify’ the concept and present it as their own, particularly for the purposes of ad copywriting.”
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Hardcore critics and homelessness action groups say that the actions of a minority of mainstream copywriters amount to exploitation. One commentator said: “Copywriters are simply stealing ideas generated by someone else, whilst words are not the right of the homeless, shouldn’t copywriters at least offer a little remuneration for ‘using’ the idea? At the end of the day, homeless people have no idea this is happening and it’s incredibly unfair.”
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Copywriters on the other hand argue that they are using initiative and when feature articles are produced the work of a particular homeless person is rewarded as the gain publicity as many stories often feature a picture of the homeless person holding their sign. Therefore, they receive exposure, which may result in more public help.
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The creative concept of homeless people has grown significantly, but this is worrying as it suggests that the number of homeless people is steadily increasing throughout the globe, especially in major cities.

A representative from a London Council authority said: “The thought that homeless people have to resort to creative copywriting just for a bit of loose change or something to eat reflects the brokenness of British society.”