Stats can be manipulated to say almost anything. And yes, the devil's in the details. The fact is, there's usually a 5% chance you can get any kind of result simply by accident. And because many statistical studies are biased and not Sdouble blind (both subject
and doctor don't know who was given the test product and who got the placebo). Worst of all, statistics usually need the endless buttressing of legal disclaimers. If you don't believe me, try to read the full-page of legally mandated warnings for that weight- loss pill you've been taking. Bottom line: stick to facts. Then back them up with sound selling arguments that address the needs of your customer.
The difference between the right word and almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.
To write really effective ad copy means choosing exactly used pictures of people sitting on an exotic beach with little beach umbrellas in their cocktails (a perfectly realistic image for the average person) with the line: Somebody's has to win, may as well be you.
The universal brotherhood of man is our most precious possession.
We're all part of the same family of creatures called homo sapiens. We each want to be admired, respected and loved. We want to feel secure in our lives and our jobs. So create ads that touch the soul. Use an emotional appeal in your visual, headline and copy. Even humor, used correctly, can be a powerful tool that connects you to your potential customer. It doesn't matter if you're selling shoes or software, people will always respond to what you have to sell them on an emotional level. Once they've made the decision to buy, the justification process kicks in to confirm the decision. To put it another way, once they're convinced you're a mensche with real feelings for their hopes and wants as well as their problems, they'll go from prospect to customer.
A human being has a natural desire to have more of a good thing than he needs.
Ain't it the truth. More money, more clothes, fancier car, bigger house. It's what advertising feeds on. You need this. And you need more of it every day. It's the universal mantra that drives consumption to the limits of our charge cards. So, how to tap into this insatiable appetite for more stuff? Convince buyers that more is better. Colgate offers 20% more toothpaste in the giant economy size. You get 60 more sheets with the big Charmin roll of toilet paper. GE light bulbs are 15% brighter. Raisin Brain now has 25% more raisins. When Detroit found it couldn't sell more cars per household to an already saturated U.S. market, they started selling more car per carSUVs and trucks got bigger and more powerful. They're still selling giant 3-ton SUVs that get 15 miles per gallon.
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
Who gets the girl? Who attracts the sharpest guy? Who lands the big promotion? Neiman Marcus knows. So does Abercrombie & Fitch. And Saks Fifth Avenue. Why else would you fork over $900 for a power suit? Or $600 for a pair of shoes? Observers from Aristotle to the twentieth century have consistently maintained that character is immanent in appearance, asserting that clothes reveal a rich palette of interior qualities as well as a brand mark of social identity. Here's where the right advertising pays for itself big time. Where you must have the perfect model (not necessarily the most attractive) and really creative photographers and directors who know how to tell a story, create a mood, convince you that you're not buying the emperor's clothes. Example of good fashion advertising: the Levis black-and-white spot featuring a teenager driving through the side streets and alleys of the Czech Republic. Stopping to pick up friends, he gets out of the car wearing just a shirt as the voiceover cheekily exclaims, "Reason 007: In Prague, you can trade them for a car."
About the Author
Alex Kecskes is a former ad agency Copy Chief who has created effective copy and concepts for a wide range of ad agencies, Fortune 50.companies and startups. As owner of ak creativeworks, Alex provides brand names, as well as strategic copy for brochures, mailers, multimedia, articles, newsletters, PR and web content. He has published articles in a variety of publications about health, business and technology this includes copy for over 130 different products and services. He has won such national awards as the Andy, Belding and One Show. For more information and samples, please visit:
akcreativeworks.com "
