In his professional life, Jonathan Smirnoff has discovered the message is the medium. In college, he discovered the message is his passion when he took an introduction to advertising course on a whim after deciding his career in music had no future.
Mintz & Hoke Communications Group recently hired Smirnoff as a copywriter. In his new position, Smirnoff will work on a variety of the agency’s accounts including Quinnipiac University, CIGNA, Praxair and BMW of Bridgeport.
 “I always knew I would do something creative,” said Smirnoff, 22, of Cheshire. “I had always been told I had talent with writing.” The introduction to advertising course inspired him to make writing his career after receiving “rave reviews” from his professor.
Greater Hartford beckoned for Smirnoff after graduation with a possible return to Boston or a move to New York City. “Boston was getting very expensive. I figured I would come home, build my portfolio and put aside some savings,” Smirnoff said.
He added that Connecticut is not a purgatory for advertising careers. “Many people don’t know this but Connecticut has a lot of great ad agencies,” Smirnoff said.
Copywriting is more of a challenge in the modern high tech world with its advertising barrage, but it still boils down to a basic maxim, Smirnoff said: It’s the message, not the medium. Clients may approach with a concept for a print ad or television spot – or not even know where they want to advertise – but in the end it all comes down to getting a message across.
“I think there are about 5000 advertisements that hit a person every day,” Smirnoff said. “My generation has been inundated. You want to stand out right away.” A copywriter’s challenge is to find a message that is going to connect instantly.
Smirnoff is candid that a well written ad is not always the ultimate means to an end when it comes to selling. “Word of mouth is the strongest form of advertising,” he said. His style is more colloquial, which keeps in line with his “word-of-mouth” theory. Smirnoff said it is effective to create a conversation with the buyer.
Currently, Smirnoff is working on copy for Quinnipiac University, Cigna Health Care, and Mohegan Sun. “I do a wide range of stuff, which is something I like,” he said. “I had high expectations (for Mintz & Hoke) and this job is fulfilling every one of those expectations.”
