The Sin of Arrogant Advertising
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by: phil.yaffe@yahoo.com
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by
Philip Yaffe
“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book is “decades out of date”.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.
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
someone, “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!
Editor’s Note
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
and Amazon (amazon.com).
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
About the Author
Philip Yaffe is a former
writer with The Wall Street Journal and international marketing communication
consultant. He now teaches courses in persuasive communication in
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