I ran across a blog/article written by some
older guy (I’m of the approximate same age so I can say that with no
disrespect) that demonstrates why so many marketing ‘veterans’ just don’t get
it.
He’s on about eliminating weak words in
marketing pieces… like ‘I think” or “We believe” or “Perhaps,” etc.
He wants us to replace conditional words
with meaningful ones. “Be forceful… Use assertive language… As (someone) attempting to persuade an audience, your job is to
provide them with as much certainty as you can. The way to get from doubt to
certainty is to switch from the conditional to the declarative mood by eliminating
the offending words.”
[Note: Your job is not to provide
certainty. It's impossible.]
That’s writing 101 – I should know because
I taught Comp & Rhetoric 101 at an Atlanta college for more than a decade.
And yes, in student essays and some academic dissertations you want to
eliminate (most) conditional phrases.
But ‘Mr. So-Last-Century' is big time wrong
when it comes to advertising and marketing to today’s well-informed and sceptical consumers.
Here’s part of my response to the gentleman:
"Perhaps writing has more rules and exceptions than any other human activity."
That's
my opening sentence and I stand by it. If I remove 'Perhaps,' what seems an
equivocation to you, the sentence is weaker, not stronger... at least from an
advertising/marketing perspective. The tone has changed from friendly and open-minded
to dogmatic. Who am I to say definitively what rules writing has or does not
have? If writing/marketing is about opening a conversation, and it is, the use of
absolutes is often wrong. Absolutes stop discussion rather than encourage dialog.
I understand the ideological tenets from
whence the old writer comes: show strength, say you're the best, be definitive…
all of the old direct response rules right out of New York City circa 1960 or
Sham-Wow. What goes unsaid is an inherent belief that "people are ignorant sheep and need to be told
what to do." That's the mantra of all the old school writers I've ever
known (and I’ve known a few).
Look, physicians can't agree on the value
of aspirin; yet this guy wants you to stand up and speak in absolutes: "Joe’s
Widgets are the best ever, the only ones that really work; we are the #1
company for innovative, world class customer care; next year will be a record
breaker for Joe's Widgets."
I don't believe any of it. And I don't like
Joe... don't trust him as far as I can throw him.
Alternatively, "Our widgets can be
found in many of the world’s most sophisticated designs. Next year could be a
record breaker with a bit of luck, some hard work and the support of our
customers" sounds truer to me and shows Joe is a reasonable,
professional fellow with the same hopes and concerns and work ethic we all
have.
I like that Joe. I trust him.
The earlier tell-me-what-to-do Joe seems shallow,
as if he has no respect for me and, quite frankly, he seems to be just one more
narcissistic prat with whom I don’t want to do business.
Pride is one thing; macho, egotistical advertising/PR is another.
Hercule Poirot had a great line: “A doctor
who is 100% certain is an assassin.”
The same idea applies to old school
marketers. Their blowhard ads are so ‘sure’ of the truth and so convinced that
consumers can’t or won’t verify the facts, they’re murdering your campaign and,
what’s worse, killing your relationship with customers… dead!
