If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.~ Mark Twain
I swear to tell the truth.
One of my favorite author/teacher/writers is Roy H. Williams from the Wizard Academy in Austin, TX. For $12.95 he and his staff will share with you the secret to writing an effective ad campaign. The secret is found in his book, “Does Your Ad Dog Bite? or is it just a show dog?” (1997). I will tell you the secret here for free:
- Decide what you have to say.
- Find a hundred different ways to say it.
- Say it convincingly.
- Say it again.
- Keep on saying it.
Might I add my own commentary? Whatever it is you decide to say, don’t say it if it isn’t true. The best copy in the world is useless if the claims the writer makes on behalf of the client are less than true. The copy may attract a customer, but the company must deliver to make the sale again and again. Long ago, I wrote a resume for a client and the summary went something like this:
Reliable and mature professional with hospitality and customer service skills pursuing rewarding career in administrative field. Excellent communication and reception abilities plus experience with accounts and guest accommodations. I will bring enthusiasm, computer competency, and rapport with people to any company.
Who really applied for the job?
My client got the job on the spot. Everything I wrote came from her original resume and the notes from our interview. As a writer I was able to craft her summary in a way that made her look outstanding.
One problem: she was not an outstanding employee. Turns out, she was only average, could not live up to the expectations from her employers, and she was let go within 6 months. Employer, employee, and copywriter all experienced the sour taste of over-selling. Had I failed her?
As a writer I applied Williams’ 5 secrets; we generated several different resumes all with the same message, reliable, excellent, skilled. I succeeding in crafting her image but I failed to shape it in such a way that she could live up to it and perform according to the “promises” her ad made.
I took an OK product and made it sound great! And that is what good advertising has done for ages. But did I do my client or her “customer” a service or an injustice? The copy can only take you so far, the product has to deliver for true innovation in communication.
Does that mean I won’t write copy for less than stellar products? Honestly? No. But I will present campaigns that highlight the true strengths of my clients, the strengths they can deliver on with success.
Willing and teachable professional with hospitality industry experience available for administrative tasks. Demonstrates reception abilities plus experience with accounts and guest accommodations. Computer literate and task oriented, seeking a match with the right company.