Avoiding Ad Speak

Contrary to popular belief, Americans don't hate advertising.

We just hate ads that sound like ads.

Do your ads sound like ads? Are you guilty of Ad-speak?

Ad-speak is filled with polished words and filtered phrases that deliver no information and have no relevance. Ambiguous claims give Ad-speak a hollow sound.

Do your ads mention your superior service, your friendly staff, or name the number of years you've been in business?

Let me know how that works out for you.

A meaningless statement remains meaningless no matter how often it's heard. Repetition has become a blunt instrument. Top of Mind Awareness isn't enough anymore. Today's customer expects meaningful information and lots of details.

Have you heard of this new thing called the internet? It's giving people new expectations. It's allowing them to become their own expert. Knowledge lies anxious at their fingertips. Gloss over the truth in your advertising and you'll quickly be dismissed as a poser.

I apologize if that last paragraph seemed hateful or rude, but the truth is I'm exhausted, bone-weary from wrestling with advertisers who have no real message and want to compensate for it by “targeting the right customer.”

Writing good ads is easy when you have something to say. Do you have something to say? Something we don't already know? Something that matters?

We're only 8 months into it, but 2006 has already marked itself as a pivotal year, a year we'll never forget. With ever-increasing frequency, we're seeing ad campaigns stumble and fail because they carry no real news to the customer.

But advertisers whose ads brim with things that matter are enjoying record growth.

Time is currency. Information is power.

Don't ask the public to give you their time and and then give them nothing in return. Pay them for their time by giving them relevant information in your ads.

The future of your business depends on it.

Roy H. Williams