[T]o get more sales, more people need to read your ads. Obviously, an ad cannot sell without drawing attention, but you do not want the consumer to focus on your ad being an ad. You want them to focus on the message.
Avoid advertisements that are primarily an overly glorified logo. A logo rarely sells — it is the message that creates desire for your company’s offer.
I’ve read many blogs that, subjectively, state “ugly landing pages” work well. This can be true. The reason: simple wins. Ads that look too commercial typically fail. Your priority is to get people to start reading the message, and then to sell to them.
Here’s an example (that David Ogilvy once wrote):
Click here to read the full ad.
The ad does not draw attention to a logo. David Ogilvy is trying to persuade his target audience of one thought to start: “What’s the story behind this guy with an eyepatch?” This is how story copy works.
On page 74 of Ogilvy On Advertising, he wrote:
On average, helpful information is read by 75% more people than copy which deals only with the product.
Ogilvy wrote this fact when mentioning his ad, “How to take out stains.” He showed a picture of 12 different common stains. The problem was in the picture and the solution in the copy.
An advertisement appears selfish to everyone because ads are written with one objective — to get the consumer’s money. Our guard goes up when we deal with “selfish” people. This is especially true with salespeople; we are hesitant to trust them because they have an ulterior motive: their commission.
So avoid looking too commercial when you start an ad. Appeal to the consumer first. Then, show them how your solution is more beneficial to them than the perceived cost.
As a copywriter, you must make the reader curious. Once they start reading and you have their attention, then you begin selling.
This is the 2nd part in our David Ogilvy series. Make sure you are subscribed so you don’t miss the next posts when they come out — via RSS or Email.
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