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Saturday, 05 July 2008 08:01 |
One of the discussion lists I follow had quite an exchange of messages about the place of hype in writing.
Hype, of course, generates emotion, and we see it used extensively in sales copy. But it also turns up in some employee communication, and especially in staff newsletters when the wrong people get involved.
But getting back to the discussion; as it evolved it became clear that hype comes in two kinds, a good kind and bad kind. Something like good and bad cholesterol, I suppose.
Good hype might be described as arising out of genuine enthusiasm. It"s sincere and an expression of satisfaction, joy, a desire to share something good, or some other positive emotion.
Bad hype, on the other hand, comes from a desire to influence us without taking our needs into account. Take a look at the spam email in your inbox, and it won"t take long to find faked enthusiasm. Lots of upper case letters and exclamation points, for example.
In our writing, we should aim to stay within the boundaries of good hype. Yes, we should convey our enthusiasm for things in which we believe and feel that others should know about, too. Our writing shouldn"t take us over the line, though. Not only for the sake of our own integrity -- and that"s what this boils down to -- but because the people with whom we"re communicating will likely respond negatively.
We can look for that fine line in a couple of ways.
First, we can subject ourselves to some self-examination. Obviously, we could start by asking ourselves about our motivation, "Why am I writing this" or "What do I hope to achieve by writing this way?"
We might also examine the context of the hype. For example, if I"ve just been on a holiday and had a great time, then I think I"m justified in raving about the elements that made it a great time. In contrast, think about the people who have hit you up with an offer to give you a free vacation if you’ll "just" listen to a presentation about an "exciting" vacation opportunity.
Perhaps a more effective way to gauge hype involves the effect on the reader. What"s in it for the listener or reader. Are you serving their needs, serving your need and their needs together, or serving only your own needs?
It seems obvious now, but I recall what a breakthrough it was when I discovered the secret of an effective newsletter - to serve both reader needs and publisher needs at the same time (it seems obvious, yet not to many others, judging by many of the newsletters I see).
Whether we discuss hype or any other presentation style, taking reader or listener needs into account changes the whole dynamic. Serving reader or listener needs forces us to rethink what we say, and how we say it. And in doing that, we should be able to objectively judge our hype.
In summary, hype can be good or bad, depending on whether it reflects our natural enthusiasm, or whether it"s designed to manipulate others. Assess whether your hype is good or bad by questioning your motivation, and by considering the needs of listeners or readers.
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
Robert F. Abbott, the author A Manager"s Guide to Newsletters: Communicating for Results, writes and publishes Abbott’s Communication Letter, a free newsletter that helps you enhance your career through improved business communication. Discover more here: www.abbottletter.com
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Saturday, 05 July 2008 06:00 |
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Today, the advertising job has become so complex that normally, no business firm chooses to handle the function directly. They employ advertising agencies. And the advertising agency has become a major institution in the field of advertising and marketing. The advertiser- advertising agency relationship is a very crucial aspect of advertising management. Only when the advertiser and the advertising agency work in close contact and collaborate with each other can the advertising function can be carried out effectively and successfully. The collaboration cannot be limited to the mechanics of developing the advertisements; it has to pervade the entire task of marketing communications. The firm and the agency must work together in media selection, theme development, message construction and copy development. It is essential that the agency have all the relevant information about the firm, its products and markets, the consumer, the competition and the channels. The agency must become an ‘insider’ and right at the ‘fact finding stage’; full collaboration between the firm and the agency must be established. The agency should also have a correct idea of the marketing and communication objectives of the firm; how the particular product/brand is positioned or proposed to be positioned, and how the other elements of the marketing mix, such as distribution and pricing, are conceived and handled by the firm. In the modern context, knowledge of just advertising related matters is not sufficient for an advertising agency to succeed. It must have a comprehensive appreciation of all the aspects of marketing. The advertising agencies have to acquire more and more professional expertise, again, not merely in advertising-related matters, but also in all aspects of marketing. They have to appreciate that advertising is a method of marketing. Their advertising effectiveness would be proportionate to the extent that they are aware of the overall dimensions of marketing. Advertising Agencies provides detailed information on Advertising Agencies, Internet Advertising Agencies, Full Service Advertising Agencies, Top Advertising Agencies and more. Advertising Agencies is affiliated with Promotional Advertising Specialties. |
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Saturday, 05 July 2008 05:00 |
What’s the easiest way to kill a great ad campaign before it even begins? Take it too seriously. Advertising is not rocket science. You shouldn’t need a degree in the physical sciences to create or understand an ad.
And you should never, ever, under any circumstances, kill an ad because it is not literal enough. On the contrary, if you find your ads are too literal, you should destroy them all and start fresh.
Are Volkswagens flawed pieces of junk? No, but an ad with the headline “Lemon” gets your attention, doesn’t it? It makes you want to read the story, which goes on to explain how the particular car shown in the ad would never be driven because VW cares so much it weeds out the lemons so you never get a bad car. Think what an opportunity would have been missed if the folks at Volkswagen had taken that headline too literally.
Think about it from this angle. Why do people read an ad or watch a commercial? The majority do so because they find them entertaining and informative. If your ads are all information and no entertainment, you’ve wasted your budget.
This is not to say that an ad should be created purely for entertainment purposes. Again, a great ad is both entertaining and informative. The entertainment value should be derived from a feature of your product or brand. In other words, what you’re selling should be the star of the show. Sounds simple enough, but it is often hard to strike the right balance. That’s what makes advertising so fun.
How much information does your audience really need? What kind of story will they find entertaining? These are questions that should be asked and answered early on so that when you finally are presented with an ad or a campaign, you can judge the work according to these preordained guidelines.
A good campaign will reach your target audience and talk to them on a personal level. This has a valuable effect on your sales and reputation. A great advertising campaign will do more than that. It will create a buzz outside of your target audience.
Apple Computer’s “1984” commercial ran only once. But it is still one of the most talked about commercials because it was rebroadcast on every major news show and written about in every major newspaper for weeks and months. And none of this cost Apple anything more than a single TV buy.
It’s worth noting that Apple’s Super Bowl commercial helped make the company a household name and created unbelievable demand for the new Macintosh computer-yet the ad never showed the product or explained any details about it.
BMW’s Mini Cooper was one of the first cars to be introduced in the United States with no TV advertising. Blasphemy! Instead, they bolted the Minis to the roofs of SUVs and drove them around major cities. They created tongue-in-cheek billboards, interactive print ads and great guerrilla promotions. Most importantly, they created a waiting list of customers who couldn’t wait to get a Mini.
Companies that think bigger become bigger. It’s a self-fulfilling cycle. If you just think like a local operation, you might miss the opportunity to expand regionally, nationally, or even internationally. Your advertising campaign should reflect the direction of your company—even if you’re not yet there.
Challenge yourself and your agency to think bigger.•
This article introduced the third of twelve steps. Challenge yourself, your staff and your advertising agency to revolutionize your ad program. If you missed a previous step, contact the author for a complimentary copy. And, remember, every revolution begins with just one step.
Jeff Berney is a freelance idealist, brand evangelist and writer. He can be reached at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
© 2006
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
After more than a decade in the business, Jeff Berney offers more than a passion for prose. Above all, he is a strategic thinker, an idealist, a brand evangelist. The articles posted here are from his collection entitled, "Twelve Steps to Creating Breakthrough Advertising Campaigns: A creative philosophy to help companies recover from years of playing it safe." You can view his work or read his blog at www.jberney.com
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