Don’t muddle the message

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There’s a marketing tenet every good copywriter respects:

The Consumer only cares about herself.

She only cares about her needs, her time and energy, her comfort.

So when The Consumer sees a busy, wordy advertisement that requires a lot of thought, she often diverts her attention.

Not because she’s dumb or lazy.

Not at all…

She just doesn’t care.

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Caring, after all, takes thought, effort, energy.

Whatever, thinks The Consumer. I have better things to do.

And that’s on you, The Copywriter. That reaction is your fault.

If you wrote copy for a specific audience and she disregards it, then her indifference is wholly your failure and your loss.

Luckily, there's a simple, straightforward way to avoid this situation...

Stick to a single message per ad.

That is, write an ad that highlights only one feature or benefit, like this one:

This is a print ad for Citizen Eco-Drive watches, which are unique in that they get their energy from light rather than a battery or a mechanical movement.

I like this ad because it’s disciplined.

Meaning it’s dedicated to communicating a SINGLE message to the audience: this watch is powered by light.

There is no celebrity endorsement.
There is no closeup to show off the watch’s design.
There’s nothing about the brand’s warranty or history or “dedication to quality.”

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That has all been left out because including it would muddle the message, making it harder for The Consumer to know what to focus on, much less what to remember.

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LEARN TO PERSUADE

WRITE BETTER.
MARKET BETTER.
SELL MORE.

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