Category: Advertising

I never noticed how dirty the plastic bits around our front windows were – until this leaflet popped through our door.

We hadn’t considered it for even a nanosecond.

Which means, although we could all pick holes in the design, copy and execution – this little leaflet did work.

It brought an embarrassing problem, a problem we didn’t even know we had, to our front of mind. And now, we’re about to book our front windows in for a clean.

We’re not all as sophisticated as we make out. Don’t forget that honest, local marketing with stuff like direct mail can still be as, if not more effective than internet marketing.

A 100+-year-old lesson in being brutally honest in your marketing.

When was the last time you were absolutely, butt-clenchingly honest in your marketing?

We all know about features and benefits, and solving a customers problem – the basics behind all marketing.

But what about honesty? They say it’s the best policy, so is it?

Is honesty the best marketing policy?

Well, we can’t lie. That’s a given.

And I’ve written copy for finance and healthcare products; both have incredibly strict rules about unsubstantiated claims.

But, just because a business can’t lie or make claims, doesn’t mean they’re honest about all the merits of their product.

What about side effects? What about the unseen stuff, like product quality or corners cut?

Your product is rarely 100% flawless, so could being transparent, showing off every facet and feature, warts and all help or hinder your marketing?

Rollback the clock 150+ years and a top copywriter called John E. Powers would be telling you to bare all.

John Emory Powers (1837-1919), American copywriter

He became famous for a one-sentence advert he wrote for an ancient department store Wanamakers, which cleared the entire store’s supply of ‘rotten gossamers’ (Google doesn’t make that one any clearer!) in one morning:

“We have a lot of rotten gossamers and things we want to get rid of.”

– this ad just worked.

He was later hired by another clothing store to save them from the brink of bankruptcy, his ad for them read:

“We are bankrupt. This announcement will bring our creditors down on our necks. But if you come and buy tomorrow, we shall have the money to meet them. If not, we will go to the wall.”

– The next day, impressed by the frankness of the ad, people who hadn’t bought there for years rushed in to save the store.

As John said, when you’re in trouble:

“There’s only one way out. Tell the truth.”

So, how can you apply this to your marketing copy?

1. Try telling your audience why they shouldn’t buy from you, because of X or Y. 
2. Do your own ‘pros and cons’ list. Making comparisons dead simple for your readers. 
3. Be honest about your background. Instead of skirting around the facts, if you don’t have a degree in English (like me) just say. 

There are a million more ways to do this, but you get my gist.

So, here’s my brutally honest copywriting intro…

I don’t have a degree, I didn’t even complete my A-levels, my writing tool continuously tells me I’m using comma’s incorrectly, and I’m always balancing my time between looking after my son and your work – which means your copy will often be written at night or first thing in the morning.

But, since I don’t have qualifications to fall back on, everything I’ve done so far has been self-taught, on the job training. Which means it’s all, real-world experience working in and for businesses vs ‘book smarts’ who learn but don’t execute.

Likewise, my time constraints mean I am very productive in the short time I have, and again – my childcare commitments mean I have proper skin in the game. If I don’t deliver copy that works for you, you don’t buy from me again.

And there we have it. So, how can you inject a bit more honesty into your marketing copy?