peter2 - The Monday Morning Memo

“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.”

- Roy H. Williams

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