Meaningless Words
Nothing bugs me more than seeing / hearing / experiencing a piece of copy that borders on meaningless, due to the poor wording chosen by the copywriter. I can't even count how many pieces of creative I've seen / heard that have gone in the tank thanks to a lack of thought in terms of planning.
As many of you know, I'm a big fan of emotional creative. Creative that has meaning to the customer. Creative that instills a sense of feeling and emotion in the person that experiences it. I'm not saying it has to be sentimental, teary-eyed, The Notebook kind of creative, but it should have some substance to it.Words that Allen experienced today, like quality, value, and service / support mean nothing.
"We have excellent service"
Awesome. I expect that. Do something I don't expect.
"Our products are of superior quality"
Right. Isn't that what I'm paying for?"
"We provide excellent value for your dollar."
Oh, you mean you aren't ripping me off? Good to hear.
What I'm saying is that so many pieces of potentially good creative are being ruined because of what's being said inside them!
If you're reading this, and you have some sort of input into the messages of any of your marketing literature, do some homework.
What you offer your customer is way better than everyone else's, isn't it? So why not describe it like it is?
Don't be fluffy. Don't be vague. Tell me something that makes you stand out and causes me to realize that.
Use words like quality, service, and value on their own, and you'll just be another crappy ad.
-R.
"We provide excellent value for your dollar."
Oh, you mean you aren't ripping me off? Good to hear.
Ryan -- This cracked me up...! Thanks for the link to Allen's post and your commentary!
Posted by
Ann Handley |
Wed Jun 07, 09:23:00 PM PDT
Ann - Thanks for that. It's funny though: as I typed it, I wondered if anyone reading it would pick up on the sarcasm I was trying to lay on there. Looks like you did!
Posted by
Ryan |
Wed Jun 07, 09:36:00 PM PDT
I picked up on the sarcasm too. After all, that's my bread and butter.
I totally agree with you, and I felt the same when I read the post on Daily Fix. You aren't telling me anything when you say you're "quality" or whatever. I *expect* that. What I want to know is what makes you quality or better than the other guy.
And frankly, if your advertising is uninspired, I'm likely not going to be inspired to give you any of my money for your product.
Posted by
J.D. |
Thu Jun 08, 12:45:00 AM PDT