Marie-Claire de Villiers

I’ve written and edited accurate, engaging copy for 12 years, at advertising agencies, digital marketing companies and a variety of businesses. My experience spans across the financial services, healthcare, retail, FMCG (including alcohol), social impact, and luxury lifestyle industries, among others. Each has its own nuances, requiring both sensitivity and pragmatism. All my roles have included extensive copy-editing, proofreading, optimising, and QC checking. Working with a variety of creative and corporate teams over the years, I’ve realised how much I enjoy collaborating. There’s some magic in the combination of words and visuals! Whether I’m developing style guides for new brands, editing, writing, or performing final checks and watching a campaign roll out, I’m one of the lucky ones: I enjoy my work. I’m curious and people-focused. In understanding, tweaking or creating a copy style guide, I ask the question: What can this brand do for this particular audience’s particular real-life problem? How does the copy communicate that effectively while maintaining the brand’s tone? And what stories can we tell to connect them? I go for gold. I approach my work with a pursuit of excellence, and prioritise attention to detail, meeting all SEO, AIO, brand, legal and compliance needs. I’m a “hack it” type. I strive to enhance workflows and efficiency wherever possible, whether through new AI tools or good old fashioned problem solving. I’m committed to reinforcing editorial standards and sharing knowledge, and I enjoy mentoring junior writers. Growth mindset is the best bet. I’m always happy to learn, reconsider a view, or try a different angle. Let’s deliver the campaign, not the ego!