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The Sin of Arrogant
Advertising
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“I know that half the money I spend on
advertising is wasted. The problem is, I don’t know which half.”
This succinct resume of the advertiser’s dilemma is often attributed to
John Wanamaker, the department store pioneer. Some people prefer to
give the credit to Henry Ford, the automobile pioneer, or other favourite
business giants. Whoever said it first, it is certain that it has been
said thousand and thousand of times since. |
The significance of the observation is nothing short of astounding. These
are people whose business is investing and harvesting financial assets,
yet when it comes to advertising, they freely admit to wasting at least
50% of their money!
Fortunately, we have moved on considerably in the century or so since the
statement was first uttered, in large measure thanks to John Caples’ book
“Tested Advertising Methods”, first published in 1932 and endlessly
reprinted ever since.
It is called “Tested Advertising Methods” because over a 50-year
period Mr. Caples actually conducted scientific experiments to find out
what really works . . . and what doesn’t. Some of his findings are very
surprising and in fact explode a number of myths about advertising.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that the book is “decades out of date”. Its
findings are based on fundamental human nature, which has not
fundamentally changed in millennia, so it is hardly likely to have
fundamentally changed in less than a century.
Let’s examine some of these myths and misconceptions about advertising
by looking at a summary of the book’s key advice.
1. What you say is more important than how you say it.
2. The headline is the most important element in most adverts.
3. The most effective headlines appeal to the reader’s self-interest.
4. Long headlines that say something are more effective than short
headlines that say nothing.
5. Long body copy sells more than short body copy.
Some of these points may surprise you or puzzle you. So let’s look at
them one at a time.
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1. What You Say Is More Important than How You
Say It
In other words, elegant writing that might impress a literary critic is of
no value. Your objective is to be clear. If you can be clear and elegant,
wonderful. But first and foremost, you must be clear.
2. The Headline Is the Most Important Element in
Most Adverts
Of course we all know this, but perhaps not for the reason many people
might think. The principal function of the headline—and the illustration,
and all the other elements of the advert—is to get people to read the body
copy. A clever headline that is admired for itself but fails to bring
readers into the body copy is of no value. |
3. The Most Effective Headlines Appeal to the
Reader’s Self-interest
This is hardly surprising. Whenever we are enjoined to make an effort
(i.e. read an advert), we almost always ask ourselves, consciously or
subconsciously, “What’s in it for me?” It follows that a headline that
answers this question is more likely to attract readers than one that
doesn’t.
4. Long Headlines
that Say Something Are More Effective than Short Headlines that Say
Nothing
I would like to examine this one for a moment, because this is one area of
advertising about which I have frequently had long, loud discussions.
On one occasion, I wrote a headline that contained three key sales
arguments, but it was 11 words long. The client told me that I must
shorten it, because it was “too long”. I had spent considerable effort
trying to find a way of putting three key sales arguments into only 11
words. I therefore didn’t take this criticism very well. After a long,
heated discussion, the client agreed to keep the headline, as well as a
number of other controversial aspects of the advert, exactly as they were.
The result: Sales of the product increased 40% over the following
year. This was in an industry where sales increases of 5-10% for this type
of product would have been a major achievement.
5. Long Body Copy Sells More than Short Body Copy
I would also like to examine this one in some detail, because in my career
it has also frequently led to long, loud discussions.
How many times have you heard it said, “Keep body copy short. Most
people don’t read body copy anyhow.” As we have already noted, the
objective of the advert is get people to read the body copy, because this
is where you really sell the product.
Let me propose an analogy. Suppose you are a door-to-door salesman. Your
job is to go up and down the street knocking on each door to try to sell a
vacuum cleaner. You know before you start that only 1 person in 20 is
likely to have any interest in buying a vacuum cleaner.
What do you do when you find this person? If you are a good salesman,
you go into the house, demonstrate the apparatus, and give as much
information as possible in order to make the sale. What you don’t do is
hand the person your business card and say, “This is the address of my
shop in the centre of town. Come visit me and I will show you my vacuum
cleaners.”
An advert works the same way. Maybe only 1 person in 20 has any
fundamental interest in your product. But once that interest is aroused
(the role of the headline), that is the time to make the sale (the role of
the body copy). If the body copy does not provide sufficient information
to hold that person’s interest, he turns the page and the sale is lost.
Here is a practical method for determining the appropriate length of body
copy. Although it is easy to state, it requires considerable judgement to
apply.
If the body copy contains one word more than needed to deliver its
message, then it is probably too long.
If it contains one word less than needed to
deliver the message, it is definitely too short!
Contributed By :
Philip Yaffe is a former
reporter/feature writer with The Wall Street Journal and a marketing
communication consultant. He currently teaches a course and conducts
one-day workshops in writing and public speaking in Brussels, Belgium.
Contact: phil.yaffe@yahoo.com
Editor's Notes: You may wish to pair
Mr. Caples’ book with Mr. Yaffe’s own book In the ‘I’ of the Storm:
the Simple Secrets of Writing & Speaking (Almost) like a Professional.
This slim volume perceptively and entertainingly explains the key
principles and practices of persuasive communication. In the ‘I’ of the
Storm is available from the publishers in Ghent, Belgium (storypublishers.be)
and Amazon (amazon.com).
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