CHAPTER ONE:

Most ads are not written to persuade. They are written not to offend.

This is why most ads are flaccid, impotent, and ignored.

EXAMPLE: a few of you mentally raised your eyebrows at the words flaccid and impotent. You would tell me those words should be changed. Perhaps I should shorten it to say, ‘This is why most ads are ignored,’ or soften it further by saying, ‘This is why some ads are less effective than they might have been.”

It is never wise to willfully insult a person, but the risk of insult is the price of clarity.

When asked to look at a piece of ad copy, well-meaning people instinctively scan it for images, ideas, and language that might be softened.

Effective ads do not hit softly.

Effective ads have impact. They challenge your previously held beliefs and send thousands of gallons of water spewing into the air when they knock down a fire hydrant while attempting to parallel park. Fleeing the scene, they almost run over a little dog. An old lady with a funny hat thrashes the air with her walking stick and shouts old-lady curses. We are glad the little dog is okay.

CHAPTER TWO:

1. The role of Human Resources is to be a peacemaker.
2. In their world, harmony and empowerment and inclusiveness are the rule.
3. To allow the people under their care to be criticized and disparaged is unthinkable.
4. They seek peace, harmony, and happiness for everyone.
5. Social Media marketers live in that world, too.
6. They are doctors and nurses in a beautiful place where people receive the attention they deserve.

 

1. The role of the ad writer is to be a warrior.
2. In their world, differentiation and ever-increasing dominance are the rule.
3. To allow the companies under their care to be blurred into their categories is unthinkable.
4. They seek the never-ending growth of their client at the expense of all that client’s competitors.
5. Ad Writers are carnivores in constant danger from other carnivores.
6. They are torn between the T-Rex who is trying to eat them and the peacemaker who wants them to be softer and more inclusive.