Sales Focused Copywriting For Direct Response Marketers Who Want More Clients...More Sales...More Cash In The Bank!
I’ve mercilessly poked fun at bank advertising in the past, so it was with some glee that I came across this article in “The Economist” (“Bank Slogans – Ad Nauseum”).
The tagline “Because They’re Worthless” sets the tone. Who can resist a wry chuckle reading this…
Every now and again a major corporation really raises the bar in ludicrous advertising.
And Microsoft has just stepped up and probably just flushed $300m down the toilet with it’s new advertising campaign (“Bill Gates And Seinfeld In Bizarre $300m Ad Campaign For Microsoft”).
Briefly, the ad shows Jerry Seinfeld running into Bill Gates in a discount show store and helping him out buying a pair of shoes.
On the way out of the store Jerry asks Bill if Microsoft might be working on something that makes computers “moist and chewy like cake so we can just eat them while we’re working”. Bill seems to suggest the answer is “Yes” and the tagline at the end is “The Future – Delicious” (over the Windows logo).
Brilliant, huh?
Of course, there’s a stunning concept behind all this…
“However, Microsoft said that the advert – created by Crispin, Porter and Bogusky – was designed to provoke a debate.
The company said ‘These initial ads are the first in a creative campaign to spark a conversation about the Windows brand – a conversation that will evolve as the campaign progresses, but will always be marked by humour and humanity.'”
Gee, and there I was thinking it was all about making sales.
Got to hand it to Crispin, Porter and Bogusky. There’s a certain genius in getting the suckers at Microsoft to hand over $300m for this kind of thing.
You can watch see the bizarreness for yourself and marvel right here…
In this next part of this series “Scientific Advertising In The 21st Century”, legendary copywriter Claude Hopkins turns his attention to the use of art in advertising.
Not surprisingly, his key criterion is whether or not including a picture will help the sale and improve results. Hopkins observed…
“Pictures in advertising are very expensive. Not in the cost of good art work alone, but in the cost of space.”
And his general principle…
Welcome to the next part in my series “Scientific Advertising In The 21st Century”.
In chapter 8 of his classic book, Claude Hopkins deals with what might be described as the “long copy” versus “short copy” issue. His conclusion…
“There is no fixed rule on the subject of brevity. One sentence may tell a complete story on a line like chewing gum. It may on an article like Cream of Wheat. But, whether long or short, an advertising story should be reasonably complete.”
What’s important is that the copy needs to be long enough to do the job. And why is this? Because once you have someone’s attention, that is the time to put your case. It may be the ONLY time you can put your case.
The chill winds of hard economic times are blowing across the world and hitting some places more than others.
I’ve refrained from commenting about the economic situation so far, but I will be posting about the implications for copywriting and sales messages.
The “social mood” definitely has implications for sales promotions.
However, that’s not what I’m going to talk about today.
Noticed this item (“Ad Sales Drop 16.4% At New York Times”) in the “Financial Times”…