|
"Logic is not as powerful as intuition." Here at Slow Burn Marketing, we love good advertising. Classic advertising. Advertising that enters the zeitgeist. Advertising that goes down in history. Advertising that sells, but does more than be salesy. That kind of advertising often defies logic and is born of intuition. Some of the most potent advertising it's been our pleasure to create has defied logic and generated huge ROI--sometimes in the face of powerful people saying it would fail because it wasn't logical. ROI is the bets revenge. [Insert winky emoji here.] "There are three responses to a piece of design: Yes, No and Wow! Wow is the one to aim for."  Last week, the world lost an advertising and marketing great. Milton Glaser, the legendary graphic designer, died of stroke and renal failure on his 91st birthday. Mr. Glaser's most enduring work is probably the "I Love NY" graphic. He admitted that even he was surprised at its durability over the decades. He had sketched it in a taxi cab and given it to the State of New York as a gift the survives to this day.  One of Mr. Glaser's more "Wow" pieces would be the famous 1966 poster for Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits. Six million copies of that poster were distributed. It sells as a collectible for hundreds of dollars. And to hear Mr. Glaser himself discuss it decades later, he can be critical of his own work.  Less famous but arguably more "Wow" is Glaser's poster for The School of Visual Arts. It was designed to coincide with the United Nations World Summit on Poverty in 2005. It shows an image of a black hand bearing fingers the colors of the five races. Advertising Age said that the poster "expresses the need for empathy and a change of consciousness to deal with the overwhelming problem of political and social indifference to poverty."
In the same article, Glaser said, "For all of us in the communication business, the thought that another generation would look back at us and say, 'How could they have been so indifferent and callous to human suffering?' drove me to respond." Is it any surprise that another of one Glaser's personal favorite quotes is, "Tell the truth." "You can only work for people who you like." We've all experienced trying to work for people we don't like. When I was working as a Creative Director in radio, there were times when a client was just unlikeable. Those clients rarely enjoyed the fruits of good work or good results. And sometimes, a client just has to be fired. The faithful reader to the Weekly Screed knows that Honey Parker and I made a significant change in our own business the day we decided that we would only ever work for people with whom we'd look forward to having dinner. We get to do good work for people we like. It's better than paying the bills. It's fun. And you sleep well. "We are all born with genius. It's like our fairy godmother. But what happens in life is that we stop listening to our inner voices, and we no longer have access to this extraordinary ability to create poetry." We all live and work in an enormous sandbox--and often don't know what to do with it. Creativity is normal. It is also hammered out of people by The System. Whatever it is you do, you've seen it in your line of work. You probably aren't a victim of it yourself. If you were, you probably wouldn't be reading this. But you've seen it around you. Honey Parker and I have spoken to huge audiences about branding for small business. Our work is so obviously the result of play. We play on the stage. We make people laugh. We show how brand changes businesses and lives. And afterwards, someone from the audience will come to us and say, "That was great! But really, branding's not for my business, is it." [Face palm.] Hunt down that inner voice and let 'er rip. "We were excited by the very idea that we could use anything in the visual history of humankind as influence..." When Milton Glaser started working professionally in the 1950s, he had been soaking up art influences from across Europe. When he returned to New York and began working for The Man, there was nothing about him that fit in a pigeonhole. Anything visual was an influence and informed his work as he saw fit. As the New York Times said in his obituary last week, "Mr. Glaser brought wit, whimsy, narrative and skilled drawing to commercial art." Forget the "commercial art" part of that thought. Hone in on the wit. The whimsy. The narrative. The skill. Those things are in short supply. You're either in advertising or using advertising. Or both. You're allowed to access wit, whimsy, narrative and skill, whether your own or that you borrow from others. Feel free to bang the drum for them a little more. Feel free to use them when following Mr. Glaser's directive to "Tell the truth." And while you're at it, you might enjoy banging the drum for intuition and how we're all African. And if you're drinking your morning coffee right now, join us in a toast to the late, great, modest Milton Glaser. His legacy represents marketing at its best--transcending offer and call to action to raise the bar for art and humanity, wit and whimsy. If you'd like to see more of Mr. Glaser's portfolio, click here Cheers, Blaine Parker Your Lean, Mean Creative Director in Park City
0 Comments
 We spend so much time talking brand, we don't spend a lot of time talking copy... And recently, your relentless scribe had the opportunity to write a piece of direct response copy that was 100% successful. Please understand, I'm not patting myself on the back. Had I failed at this, it would've been inexcusable. Instead, I'm offering it as an example of how anyone can write a good advertisement for almost any product or service. Personally, I have never in my life written an advertisement for a motor vehicle or a motorhome. So, that makes me unqualified in that area, right? Of course not--but a lot of so-called "pros" will try to tell you that. First, some backstory. As you may know, the fabulous Honey Parker and I have a podcast called CoupleCo: Working With Your Spouse For fun & Profit. For two years, we've been driving across the country in the CoupleCoach, a 25-foot C-Class motorhome. We've been interviewing entrepreneurial couples about crushing it in business without crushing each other. We usually show up with two black bags. One contains good microphones. The other contains good wine. (People are scared of microphones. They are not scared of wine. It helps loosen up the conversation and makes the subjects very happy.) COVID-19 sent our transcontinental travel plans were sent into a sideways skid. Nobody really wants strangers showing up, regardless of whether they're toting microphones and wine. So, we decided to sell the CoupleCoach. Step One: Take the CoupleCoach and have the outside professionally cleaned by a commercial truck washer, complete with Armor All on the tires. (BONUS: You feel really cool sitting in line, waiting with all those tractor trailers.) Step Two: Park the RV someplace pretty. Take a comprehensive range of photos using the phone's camera set to HDR. Use a photo editor to crop the images, deepen them and boost the color. Step Three: Write the copy. Here's where the fun begins. (If you fail to see the merriment in this mission, you'll probably just want to go hit the unsubscribe button. That's OK.) Creating this copy requires understanding: a) your Core Customer, b) the benefits of your product, and c) your copywriter's voice. CORE CUSTOMER: This motorhome is smallish at 25 feet, but it's also expensive. It's also built on a Mercedes Sprinter chassis, which is an object of desire. So the Core Customer presumably knows something about Mercedes, and has some money to burn. The customer will have a decent level of income and sophistication--and little to no experience with RVs. We'll call the customer Sophisticated Newbie. So, while a first motorhome might be a daunting prospect, Sophisticated Newbie has accomplished things in life. This person also wants to have fun. BENEFITS: The key benefits are a) the Mercedes chassis, b) the rig is really clean, c) it is loaded just enough, d) it is well maintained, and e) it's a great size for a newbie. VOICE: Did you know that I'm a smartass? (Don't answer.) We'll have to reign in the smartassery for Sophisticated Newbie, but just enough. This person is buying a fun machine, so we still need to have some fun. We have to project confidence with a smile, and be reassuring to the our Sophisticated Newbie. Now, about the competition... Just for the fun of this exercise, I found two competing ads for a comparable rig. Same maker. Same chassis. Same model line. Here's the first ad: "Approx. 8900 miles, two slide outs, Mercedes diesel, kitchenette, rear queen size bed, Onan generator, propane range, microwave, electric/propane fridge, A/C, propane heater." Twenty-three words! Zero character! Buy now! (The minimal photography and drab images are especially persuasive.) The other ad has more photography. It's somewhat better. At the same time, it manages to make the RV look like a mobile prison cell. Even on the outside. And the owner's stuff is still all over the place--in the RV, in the closets, in the storage compartments. His ad also has more copy. It's about 300 words long. Here's an outline of what each paragraph details:
So, here now, your relentless scribe's copy for the CoupleCoach... The Coachmen Prism 2200LE is the best of both worlds: the legendary Mercedes Sprinter 3500 chassis, and a roomy, comfortable C-class coach. (A friend with a much more expensive Sprinter-based C-class peeked inside this one, and was really bummed out. His rig was just more expensive. This one was more roomy.) The Sprinter is a pleasure to drive. And once you park and open the slide, the coach has plenty of living space. We've had 8 people inside and felt perfectly good about it. (Not sure you can do that in a van.) The walk-around queen bed features the upgraded mattress. It's surprisingly good by any standard, not just RV-bed standards. The entertainment center features a 32-inch flat-screen TV and a surround-sound bar, as well a stereo system with CD/DVD. Kitchen features a combination microwave/convection oven, a three-burner range, and a dual-fuel refrigerator (electric/propane). Works great. Always had ice for our beverages. Bonus: we bought this rig new. That means we handled all of the road trials so you don't have to. And (for real) we've never pooped in the toilet. This is one clean rig. We've lived and worked in it for extended periods. The swiveling cab seats are great for that. We've always had plenty of storage. There's also a custom made black walnut dinette tabletop, and a custom sink cover/cutting board. Both are handcrafted artisan product by Boone Creek Farm in Missouri. (The original factory components are also still in the rig.) All regular maintenance has been performed by Mercedes Benz of Draper. We've also had warranty work on the coach performed at the Coachmen factory. Additionally, we had Coachmen install tank heaters so the rig can be used in colder weather. The Onan generator has very low hours. There's a Zamp portable solar panel, which is really convenient. When you park your rig under a shade tree, you can still put your solar panel out in the sun. (The coach came pre-wired for solar as a standard feature.) The receiver hitch is great for your bike rack. All six tires are fairly new, and still have plenty of life left in them. When not in use, the rig has always been stored under cover in St. George. Here's a link to the full specs...  Is this genius copy? Heck no. It's just fun and authentic--and it did something really, really useful... It attracted the right people. Everyone we spoke to was a pleasure. (The scammers notwithstanding, of course. Everyone tries to get a piece of you. Hint: a text message sent at 2am is a dead giveaway that you're not really an interested buyer in Arizona who doesn't have ready cash but will provide a cashier's check, sight unseen.) Everyone who reached out was new to RV'ing. They were all happy, interested and interesting. By day four, we had a conditional offer over the phone from a retired college professor and his college professor son. They drove four and a half hours to come pick it up, we went to the credit union to confirm their cashier's check, they drove away, and I had to tell four other people whom I would've liked to meet that the RV was sold. And why did this happen? The buyer said exactly what we'd hoped: the photos made it look attractive, the copy made it sound attractive, and talking on the phone immediately confirmed that this was just the seller and the deal he'd hoped for. And this is not that hard to do. Yes, I write better than some people. Yes, I have more experience turning a phrase than many. But everyone has a voice and a command of the language. And something I don't have that you do is your story. Whatever you're selling, you have a story that goes with it. That story needs to be attractive. What is it that makes a prospect desire what you have? Hint: it is not saying, "Don't try to scam me, wait until I get around to you, and here's just one of the problems you're going to buy when you buy from me." It's saying, "Wow, isn't this great!? We've had our fun with it, and you can, too!" The easiest way to do this is write a letter to someone you know about what you're selling and what they'r like about it. Then, don't mail it. Turn it into an ad. You can write an ad for almost anything and make it better than the other ads for similar products. Just tell me a) your story, and b) what's in it for me. If you'd like to see the classified ad (with all the photos) at KSL.com, click here. Cheers, Blaine Parker Your Lean, Mean Creative Director in Park City  WARNING: This seems like it's about radio--but it's about writing anything you want.
The radio scripts came from a radio station group that wants writer coaching. From reading these scripts, it's clear that they were written by very nice people. And the writers are all Canadian. Sorry, my fellow Americans. From reading these scripts, the potential is obvious. Which is good. So many scripts that cross my desk reek of a fear of the blank page. (There's a whole other screed on that.) One of the scripts is for a tow truck service that will move just about anything you want to move, whether it has wheels or not. This is a great conceit. From the script, the tow truck company doesn't obviously have a brand. But they like to do good work and be useful. There's a brand campaign buried in there. Let's brand backwards by starting with ideas for more advertisements. But how am I going to create those ideas? Where are they? Everywhere. In this case, I go to Google, click the "images" tab, and search phrases related to tow truck drivers. Two examples: "happy tow truck driver" and "tow truck driver humor." Scanning the images, I make spontaneous notes about any ideas that pop into my head. Here, in the order they popped up, are 10 ideas born in 10 minutes: The happy tow truck driver who moves anything you want moved OK, cheating. This is based in part on the existing script. But it was fueled by an image of a tow truck moving a tow truck. It can be a series of ads about a guy who keeps calling the towing service to move all kinds of weird things. Garden shed. Garden gnome. A surplus space shuttle. Another tow truck. This could go on for years. What do you want towed today? Tow truck with a bud vase This just popped into my head. No idea why. But tow trucks are so grubby and greasy. The delicacy of a bud vase is a lovely contrast. (When something like this happens, pay attention. Write it down. Great brands have happened this way.) The woman with a crush on the tow truck driver She keeps calling so the nice, patient man will come to handle her problem du jour. A flat tire. A dead battery. A lockout. Each advertisement features a different service. (Again, not inspired by any particular image, but it popped into my head and I wrote it down.) The reliable tow truck driver who lives to assist Everyday situations feature an always-helpful guy. He helps an old lady cross the street. Rescues a cat from a tree. Puts his cloak down over a mud puddle for a stranger. And by the way, he's also a tow truck driver. The tow truck driver who wears a cape This superhero tow truck driver is very casual about wearing a cape. The conversations with stranded motorists are always entertaining. What conflicts does a cape bring with it? Can you get it past airport security? The tow truck driver who always stands arms akimbo This is a little like the superhero cape idea. Maybe too silly. But worth trying. The tow truck company with a red phone Conversations in the tow truck company offices about why there's a red phone. Much is made about the hotline mystique. It's only for fellow Canadians in need of roadside assistance. Maybe each commercial features a call, one-sided. We hear only the comedy of the guy answering it. (Think classic Bob Newhart standup.) The endlessly patient tow truck driver It doesn't matter what happens to him in the field, he is helpful and unflappable. Vicious dog? A locked car full of magpies? A car that squirts jelly every time you try to jump start it? Doesn't matter. He's always smiling. The "I can do that" tow truck driver. This is beyond a can-do attitude. This is crazy optimism run rampant. So, are all these ideas great? Nope. But they have something important. They're on the page. Each has a specific direction. Each offers the potential for development into an ongoing campaign. And they each offer the potential for developing a brand image. Each one can be buttoned with a tagline that feels good and right and true and catchy. But what is a brand? A brand is the ONE way the core CUSTOMER should FEEL about your business. Any one of these ideas can be developed into a consistent campaign of consistent advertisements with a consistent message that creates a consistent feeling with consistency. That's my rant. Hope it's useful. Cheers, Blaine Parker Your Lean, Mean Creative Director in Park City  "You don't need to be perfect, you just need to be right."
The point was about advertising staying relevant during upheaval. It was said by a panelist on an advertising industry Zoom call. She's one of those smart people who often has a three-letter job title that begins with the letter "C" and ends in "O." Don't be perfect, just be right. I heard this and thought, Well, that starts to describe some of the advertising creative out there right now: not perfect, and an effort to be right. The Fabulous Honey Parker and I were discussing this. I said, "That's not really the end game. You can be right. But are you being useful?" Lately, there are all kinds of advertising messages that aren't perfect. They might even be technically correct. But are they useful? See also: the avalanche of race-conscious messages pouring into the email. They come ad infinitum from a range of senders, from sporting goods companies to ride sharing services to restaurant review platforms. They're not perfect. Technically, they are right. Are they useful? Sometimes, they come off as a misguided way to assuage feelings of guilt and helplessness. Too often, they come off as an effort to say, "Look at us, we're righteous!" But the worst message in my mail box so far has felt beyond righteous. When it arrived, the subject line prompted incredulity. Were they really doing this? Reading the email, I thought, Why am I getting this? Why are they trotting out this dog and this pony during the national horror show? The body of the message was all about them. In an effort to talk about the problem, they made the message about their own problem with the problem. It came off as braggadocios, self-important, and an effort to ride on the coattails of tragedy for business gain. The best message so far was much different. The subject line was intriguing. It drew me in. It made me say, "Tell me more." The body of the email did not disappoint. I thought, Wow. This is good. It's not telling me the same telling about the problem. It's showing me real, focused stories behind the problem. It's authentic and human. Instead of an empty rind, it brings the juice To borrow from The Bard, it's as if the mirror were being held up to nature (You know: social proof.) The most ironic part of all this? That worst message and that best message both came from the same brand. Maybe someone asked them if the first message was useful. Last week, in an effort to be useful, the screed posed this question: "What specific marketing or advertising challenges are you facing during these times of Uncertainty Rhetoric?" A reply came from the screed's most interesting and challenging reader. This person pulls no punches and throws words like darts. We'll call this reader Q. I hope Q is a copywriter. I've never asked. Q says, "My challenge is not losing my temper with all these brands/businesses who are suddenly so on our side as poor, downtrodden, soon-to-be murdered, ignorant Black people. Not losing my temper with all the stories about how the Millennials are the most downtrodden generation in history when in fact History shows that great fortunes are built during the time of most upheaval. And how to reach people without letting my temper show.... Q signed off saying, "Have Fun with that...I am." The screed always tries to be useful. But a week later, that message still haunts me. And it does so precisely because as I question my usefulness, I'm feeling bombarded by self-serving blather from brands who are suddenly battling injustice when yesterday they were just selling soap. Are you right? Great. Please don't continue telling us about the problem. What's useful? Can you show us something that matters? Cheers, Blaine Parker Your Lean, Mean Creative Director in Park City  This video is certain that uncertainty commercials are beyond certain I'm sorry. I have to do this. Do not hate me. (Or do. Up to you.) Here at Slow Burn Marketing, we are busy working on an exciting package for the small-business owner who wants to brand a new business or re-brand an existing business to generate revenue faster. It's going to have all of the flavor and none of the guilt. It will be like two mints in one, without containing a drop of Retsin. It will never promise to deliver in 30 minutes or less or your pizza is free. It is a much stronger and more lucrative alternative to that greasy kid stuff. However, even with all of that going on here in the Mountainside Branding Bunker... We are still having loads of fun with one thing: The Unfortunate Certainty. Specifically, The Unfortunate Certainty of COVID-19 advertising messages by brands big enough to know better. And Bruce Barker, a faithful reader of the Weekly Screed, shared this bit of near excellence. Bruce happens to be one of the hardest working men in show business doing voiceover. Of this video, he said, "Here's every commercial I've voiced in the last month, all at once." Every Covid-19 Commercial is Exactly the Same If only this video had been just a little shorter. But it does point to the insane amounts of money big brands can spend on aimless, me-too messages. (That in contrast to last week's message from the evil empire known as Facebook.) And this leads us to a question... What specific marketing or advertising challenges are you facing during these times of Uncertainty Rhetoric? What marketing question might you like answered? Whether serious or silly, go ahead and hit reply and send it to us. We will do our best to answer it in a subsequent screed. Cheers, Blaine Parker Your Lean, Mean Creative Director in Park City |
AuthorBlaine Parker is prone to ranting about any and all things related to brand. In many ways, he is a professional curmudgeon. While there is no known vaccine for this, the condition is also not contagious. Unless you choose it to be so. Archives
February 2022
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
|
© Copyright 2020 Slow Burn Marketing LLC |
|
