Does She…Or Doesn’t She?
Can men write copy that appeals to women?
Well, if you’re a man you will read this headline completely differently to a woman. Let me take you back to the 1950’s when there were three things a lady should not do.
- She should not smoke in public.
- She should not wear long pants,unless under an overcoat.
- She should not colour her hair.
It was into this environment that Clairol first introduced their revolutionary “Miss Clairol Hair Colour Bath”. Previously hair colouring was mainly restricted to prostitutes. It was also quite a complicated procedure taking a few hours to complete.
The aim of this product was not only to make hair colouring more mainstream. It also made it possible for women to easily colour their hair themselves… at home…in just 20 minutes!
So how should they market such a new concept?
This was almost too revolutionary to sell. Within 6 months of introduction the number of women visiting salons for hair colouring increased by more than 500%!
Women still didn’t believe this was possible to do themselves in their own home. In fact it took three years before “Good Housekeeping” magazine would accept ads for this amazing new product.
The person chosen to head the campaign was one Shirley Polykoff. She understood emotions and also understood that you can be very naughty…as long as you are first seen to be nice!
She chose to go with the naughty headline accompanied by a nice picture. Her first thoughts were, Does She…Or Doesn’t She? Only Her Mother Knows For Sure. She didn’t want to upset the salons too much so she changed “mother” to “hairdresser”.
Men automatically assumed the answer to the question to be sexual.
Life magazine were in fact reluctant to run the ad until a survey showed that women were not filling in the ellipsis the same way as men!
So successful was the Clairol campaign it skyrocketed sales by 413 percent in six years and influenced 50% of adult women to colour their hair. Very clever when you consider, once someone has coloured their hair they have to keep doing it…hair grows and roots show!
Would this campaign have been as successful if a man had been in charge?
Well without sounding sexist…I doubt it! Men just can’t think the same way as women.
So if your target market is female…you need a woman.
Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter
http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979
Please feel free to use this article. All I ask in return is that you include the above signature and URL.
Ask For the Order
How do you measure the success of a sales letter?
Well the only thing that really counts is the number of sales it generates. You can read any number of books on copywriting. You can research your product and your target market. You can have the perfect headline and clearly defined all the benefits. But without that vital call to action all your efforts will be wasted.
If you feel uncomfortable closing the sale you’re not on your own. The close is probably the weakest element in all direct marketing. I’m sure you’ll agree however there’s not much point working hard on a fantastic sales presentation without closing the sale. So after you’ve done a fantastic job presenting the benefits of your product:
Ask For the Order.
The close has to be handled smoothly or sales will be lost. One big factor is you must have a product and offer that is of true value for the buyer. If you don’t truly believe this yourself it will show through your copy.
There is naturally a certain amount of inertia in all of us. In other words we might appreciate being led to an action that will benefit us but we need a bit of a push to make us act. You must provide a compelling reason as the “push” to take action.
A Reason to Act Now.
You must use a “hook” in every closing situation to make sure that your prospect acts now. A delayed sale is almost certainly a lost sale. Your “hook” must always be specific and definite.
Here are a few examples:
• Limited quantity. Only limited number available. Avoid disappointment. Order now. When xxx sets are gone this offer will expire.
• Price will rise. Orders will be honoured until xxx, after which the price will increase.
• Special combination offer. The special price for this combination will expire on xxx
• Early order discount. If your order is received by xxx you will receive 25% discount. Place your order now.
Free Bonuses.
We all love to get something free don’t we? Free is after all one of the most powerful words you can use. The bonus does have to be beneficial to your prospect. It has to be something your prospect would happily pay for. If the bonus is dull and uninteresting it won’t enhance your offer. Always make sure you tie in the offer of the free bonus for acting now, for example:
“The first xxx people who order will get this amazing xxx worth $xxx, absolutely free. So order now.”
Guarantees.
In this world of scepticism an unconditional money back guarantee is almost essential. If your product is of superior quality your returns should be minimal. Here is an example of the wording you could use:
If for any reason you are not delighted with your xxx, after you have examined it for xx days, you may return it for a prompt refund.
So don’t be shy Ask For the Order…chances are your prospect wants to buy, they just need a little push to take action.
Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter
http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979
Please feel free to use this article. All I ask in return is that you include the above signature and URL.
Santa Claus, A Jolly Plump Man In A Red Coat…Or A Clever Marketing Ploy
We all know what Santa looks like, don’t we? The question is when did he first look like the image we all know and love?
The story goes that Santa Claus was a creation of Clement Clarke Moore and Thomas Nast . In 1822 Moore wrote a poem for his daughters called “The Visit from Saint Nicholas” In this poem a tiny elflike creature runs about on Christmas Eve delivering presents. He is so small he can fit down the chimney!
It wasn’t until the editorial cartoonist Thomas Nast published a book called "Santa Claus and His Works" that he became a full sized Santa. So we have Moore to thank for the reindeer but Nast to thank for fattening up Santa and sending him to the North Pole.
Santa started appearing everywhere…but still not quite as we know him today.
In the 1920’s a certain Coca-Cola company were struggling to sell their drink during the winter months. They hit on the idea of using a winter image like Santa relaxing with a glass of Coke. It’s no coincidence that Santa is dressed in Red and White…Coca-Cola’s corporate colours. The idea grew and advertising showed the children leaving glasses of Coke for Santa instead of milk.
By the late 1940’s Coke’s Santa had elbowed aside all other Santa images and was seen as being The Santa Claus. The image we now all know to be Santa was created for Coca-Cola by Haddon H. Sundblom and has proved so successful that one of Coke’s agencies is hired almost exclusively for December.
So the next time you see the Sundblom Santa lift his soft drink bottle in a holiday toast and wink…pity poor Pepsi, they must hate Christmas.
Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter
http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979
Please feel free to use this article. All I ask in return is that you include the above signature and URL.