It’s hard to turn a blind eye to these domestic violence ads

Having been in the ad business for some time, I’ve become pretty discriminating. Creativity is all well and good, but no brief ever listed it as a business objective. Conversely, ads with nothing different or memorable aren’t worth writing about.   

It’s not often that I see an ad that does both well. So imagine my surprise when I saw two them on the same day (actually they were back to back on Adfreak) for the same cause no less.

This one, created by Ireland Davenport for the Salvation Army in South Africa, cleverly capitalizes on the buzz of “the dress” to call attention to domestic violence.

My best advice for writing direct marketing that works

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Getting people to take action, right now, without ever interacting with them face-to-face is really hard. In fact, a response rate of just 3% is considered a great result in many instances. Worst of all, we often make it even harder than it has to be.

That’s why what I’m about to share is my absolute best advice for writing direct marketing that works. If you follow this, you’ll get out of your own way, simplify the task at hand and improve your response rate.

So what is this magical pearl of wisdom?

Enthusiasm is nothing without authenticity

I heard a commercial for the upcoming Eagles vs. Patriots preseason game on the local radio sports station that caused me to roll my eyes. It wasn’t the clichéd analogy of “going to war” that caused my reaction, although that certainly didn’t help. It was more the sheer absurdity of the attempt at creating excitement.

Design tips from a copywriter

I’ll be the first person to tell you that I’m no designer. I have neither the training nor innate ability to create layouts that command attention, engage and deliver impact. So why would you take design tips from me? Well, because I’m not a designer. Let me explain.

As a copywriter, I bring a different perspective to design. It’s less about form and more about function. It may sound obvious that the design should support the message, but you’d be surprised how often design actually gets in the way. To avoid the most common mistakes, follow these tips.

Move beyond benefits for better results

Most people with a basic understanding of marketing know that you should turn features into benefits. But if you’re stopping there you’re severely limiting the persuasive power of your promotion. To take your copy to the next level, translate those benefits into motivations.

Features are attributes of a product or service. Benefits are what those features do for people. Motivations are what the benefits mean personally and emotionally to the prospect. Here’s an example.

Will graphic warning labels breathe new life into anti-smoking efforts?

The FDA recently unveiled new graphic warning labels that will appear on cigarette packs starting in September 2012. They are essentially advertisements designed to prevent children from smoking and encourage adults to quit.

Bearing images such as rotting teeth, diseased lungs and someone smoking through a tracheotomy opening, these new warning labels are certainly attention getting. But will they work?

Sometimes it’s better to blend in than stand out

Standing out is a mantra among advertisers and marketers. And with all the clutter in the marketplace it’s easy to understand why. Consumers are bombarded with way more advertising messages than they can process. They’re everywhere, from TV and radio to the Internet, to outdoor advertising. And they’re coming from more brands than ever before.

In this atmosphere, differentiation is absolutely essential to any brand’s survival. But that doesn’t mean your ad has to be crazy or clever to be effective. Those approaches can work. But it can be a double-edged sword. The more your ad stands out from its environment, the easier it is for people to filter it out. They know immediately, “That’s an ad, so I can pass over it.”

When trying to do more accomplishes less

First let me say that I have nothing against Citizens Bank, its employees or the people who create their marketing and advertising. But the postcard effort I received from them the other day leaves me scratching my head.

It starts off well enough with a headline on the address side that reads, “Open your first FREE Green Checking® or a qualifying personal checking account and get up to $220 CASH”

Then, however, instead of expanding on the headline or directing readers to the other side to learn more, they introduce a second offer. This one is for a “Catalog of Fall Offers,” whatever that is. There’s no explanation as to what type of offers they are or if they relate in any way to the checking account.

Why you shouldn’t want people to think your ad is good.

A while back I had a debate with a marketing manager about the creative direction we were taking. It seems we had differing objectives. “Don’t you want people to look at these promotions and think, wow, they’re really cool?” she asked.

She was a little surprised when I replied, “No.” After all, who doesn’t like praise? But that's not what the work should be about. If consumers are focusing on the creative, then they aren’t focusing on the message that creative is trying to communicate.

I’ll bet you can think of at least one ad in which you don’t remember what was being sold or who was selling it. And there’re probably people who thought it was a good ad because it was clever … or funny … or pretty.

I would much rather have people say that the product, service or offer is good. What reaction do you want from your advertising?