Chapter 17 of the copywriting classic “Scientific Advertising” by Claude Hopkins deals with the topic of individuality.

Why is this important?

Here’s what Hopkins had to say…

“A person who desires to make an impression must stand out in some way from the masses.  And in a pleasing way.  Being eccentric, being abnormal is not a distinction to covet.  But doing admirable things in a different way give one a great advantage.”

In other words, what Hopkins was suggesting was that to get your message across among the clamour of competing advertisements, it was a great advantage to come across as being in some way individual.

Note that this individuality has a purpose. And that purpose is to attract, and be appealing to, your prospective customers.

There is no point in being “individual” just for the sake of it or in an antagonistic fashion.

Now I know that some celebrities make a point of being edgy, outrageous and often offensive.

And that can work very well.

But it carries risks.

Remember that we are concerned with the business of selling.

We want to stick to proven principles that produce reliable results with little or no risk.

Hopkins emphasised the extra impact and credibility that comes from having an individual spokesman (or woman) rather than a message coming from a “soulless corporation”.

He described the case of a mail order company selling clothing to young women where having a personality produced dramatically better results.

A more recent example would be Wendy’s Hamburgers and using Dave Thomas to front their advertising.

This idea is taken so much for granted today in direct response marketing and copywriting that it’s something of a surprise to discover the original source.

Having described the benefits of creating a distinctive identity and some tips as to how to do that, Hopkins then provides one of his customary warnings…

“Then we take care not to change an individuality which has proved appealing.”

Again, once something has been tested and proven to be successful, stick with it.

Sounds obvious but all too often you see companies changing the character of their advertising (particularly when a new ad agency is appointed).

As a corollary to that point, once an identity has been established, every message needs to be consistent with that identity.

Finally, the key to successfully using an individuality or personality is being genuine with appeals “from the heart”.

Summarising the chapter, Hopkins says…

“To create the right individuality is a supreme accomplishment.  Then an advertiser’s growing reputation on that line brings him an ever-increasing prestige.  Never weary of that part.  Remember that a change in our characteristics would compel our best friends to get acquainted all over.”