Advertising Information

The Benefits of Specific Advertising


The great Claude Hopkins (Author of Scientific Advertising) once said, "Platitudes and generalities roll off the human understanding like water from a duck. They leave no impression whatever."

To say, "Best in the world," "Lowest price in existence," etc. are at best simply claiming the expected. But superlatives of that sort are usually damaging. They suggest looseness of expression, a tendency to exaggerate, a careless truth. They lead readers to discount all the statements that you make.

--- A Dog & Pony Show

It's true that people accept a certain license in 'sales talk.' A person may say, "Highest quality" without seeming a liar, although you realise other brands are just as good. We expect a sales person to 'sell' and we excuse some enthusiastic exaggeration. It's for that reason general statements count for very little. And a person inclined to grand statements and superlatives must expect their claims to meet a healthy dose of scepticism.

However, someone making a specific claim is either telling the truth lying. We know advertisers cannot lie in the best mediums, so a definite statement is usually accepted. Actual figures are not generally discounted. Specific facts, when stated, have their full weight and effect.

--- Just The Facts Ma'am

This is very important to consider in written or personal salesmanship. The weight of an argument may often be multiplied by making it specific. Say that one brand of light bulb gives more light than another and you leave some doubt. Say it gives 354% more light and people realize that you have made tests and comparisons.

A dealer may say, "Our prices have been reduced" without creating any marked impression. But when he says, "Our prices have been reduced 27 per cent" they get the full value of their announcement.

--- The Pre-emptive Advantage & Specificity

In the old days all beers were advertised as "Pure." The claim made no impression. The bigger the type used, the bigger the folly. After millions had been spent to impress a platitude, one brewer pictured a plate glass where beer was cooled in filtered air. They pictured a filter of white wood pulp through which every drop was cleared. They told how bottles were washed four times by machinery. They he went down 4,000 feet for pure water. How 1,018 experiments had been made to attain a yeast to give beer that matchless flavour. And how all the yeast was forever made from that adopted mother cell.

Now don't misunderstand - any brewer might have easily made these claims. They were mere essentials in ordinary brewing. But this one company was the first to tell everyone about them, while the others simply kept repeating the worn out statement "pure beer." This one brewer made the greatest success that was ever made in beer advertising.

--- The Art of Leverage

Remember, one advertising statement may take as much room as another, yet a definite statement is many times more effective. The difference is vast. If a claim is worth making, make it in the most impressive way you possibly can.

All these effects must be studied. 'Salesmanship-in-print' can be very expensive. A salesperson's loose talk matters little when it's simply one-on-one. However, when you are 'talking' to many at great cost, the weight of your advertising claims is important.

Remember, no generality has any weight whatever. It's like saying, "How do you do?", when you have no intention of inquiring about one's health. And specific claims when made in print are taken at their value.

So the next time you are dreaming up adverts and offers for your business - BE SPECIFIC!

Author: http://www.JamesBurchill.com - James is a freelance writer and consultant


MORE RESOURCES:
Google

Los Angeles Times

Private Matters: Senate Hearing To Debate Web-Based Targeted Ads
CRN, NY - 9 hours ago
At the heart of the hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee titled Privacy Implications of Online Advertising are proposed tools used by ISPs to track ...
Broadband Indiscretions Forbes
NebuAd to come under spotlight at Senate hearing The Associated Press
Putting Web monitoring service NebuAd under the legal microscope Los Angeles Times
New York Times - ITworld.com
all 116 news articles


Slowing Economy Hits Online Advertising
Adweek, NY - 14 hours ago
Respondents indicated an expectation Internet advertising would grow slightly more than 16 percent in the next year. In its previous surveys, William Blair ...
William Blair & Company and CIMA Release Fifth Installment of ... Business Wire (press release)
all 13 news articles


Magna Cuts Ad Growth Forecast to 2%
Wall Street Journal - 2 hours ago
Mr. Coen's forecast came a day after media analyst Lee Westerfield cut his ad-spending forecast by a similar degree, saying US advertising was experiencing ...
Economic gloom leads to cuts in ad forecast Reuters
New-Media Ad Outlook Remains Buoyant Broadcasting & Cable
Ad Spending Forecast Lowered Again New York Times
Adweek - AdAge.com (subscription)
all 20 news articles


Fusion Advertising Wins Rudolph Foods Account
FOXBusiness - 14 hours ago
DALLAS, July 7, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----Global snack giant Rudolph Foods today announced its selection of Fusion Advertising as agency of record ...


OnMobile Launches Ad RingBack Tones, Revolutionary Platform for ...
FOXBusiness - 14 hours ago
Arvind Rao, CEO and Co-founder of OnMobile said, "AdRBT is a disruptive evolution in mobile advertising and marketing which so far has been limited to SMS ...


'2010 will be the tipping point for digital advertising'
Sify, India - 4 hours ago
Excerpts: What prompted you to get into the online advertising space with Media2Win? I don't believe that traditional agencies in India have a clue about ...


Advertising isn't in keeping with medium's benefits
Economic Times, India - 6 hours ago
One of the striking phenomena of the advertising business during the past decade has been the emergence of the internet as an advertising medium. ...


Enews 2.0

Digital Media Threatens Conventional Media Advertising
Screen Rant, UT - 1 hour ago
DiClemente added that DVR?s are also hurting the advertising revenue that the TV industry has become accustomed to. Of course, earlier I touched on the ...
Digital threat prompts movie industry downgrade The Associated Press
all 174 news articles


Google Push to Sell Ads
Wall Street Journal - 1 hour ago
YouTube is critical to Google's campaign to extend its advertising reach far beyond text ads tied to Web searches, its revenue powerhouse. ...
Google's YouTube ad revenue short of expectations: report Reuters
all 4 news articles


News-Leader names new advertising director
News-Leader.com, MO - 11 hours ago
By Kathleen O'Dell ? News-Leader ? July 8, 2008 Marty Goodnight, a 32-year-old Kansas City Star advertising executive, has been named advertising director ...

Advertising - Google News

home | site map
© 2007