Wizard of Ads Monday Morning Memo

Retailers are asking, “Why do people buy from my competitors without even giving us a chance?” And I reply, “They gave you a chance. They just didn’t physically come to your store.”Customers carry instant access to all the knowledge of the world in their pockets. They no longer have to visit your store to compare prices and research their options.Why would they drive to a store to get expert guidance when better, faster, more objective guidance is instantly available online?You can argue, if you like, that the information you provide is far superior to the information available online. And you might even be right. But your customers are looking for information immediately. They’re looking for information right this second. They gave you a chance when they went online. Your website just didn’t volunteer what they wanted.If your answer to their query had been available online, Google or some other friend would likely have directed them to it.“Advertising is a tax you pay for not being remarkable.”There are three keys to being remarkable:1: Correctly anticipate the customer’s desire.2: Satisfy it clearly, with nothing held back.3: Package your offer magnetically.These are simple things, but as my friend Jeffrey Eisenberg says, “Simple isn’t always easy.”Particularly “not easy” is this challenge of magnetic packaging: to create an offer that draws attention, an offer that bears repeating, an offer that no one else has the courage to make.Magnetic Packaging begins with strategy. “What would the customer be delighted to hear?” Answer this question resoundingly and you have the beginnings of a successful direct response campaign.Want to know a secret? Next week’s class at Wizard Academy, “How to Write Direct Response Ads,” will be attended by three of the most successful direct response packagers in the world today: (1.) Brian’s website has more than unique visitors per day than most websites will see in 3 years. (2.) Ryan has hundreds of professional marketers paying him significant amounts of money each year just so they can hear what Ryan is currently thinking. (3.) Dan employs 180 people in a full-time direct response effort that brought in 85 million dollars last year. That business will easily exceed 100 million in 2014.Weirdly, all three of these giants want to hear what Jeff Sexton and I have learned about Magnetic Packaging.Dan has agreed to share the technique that allowed him to go from $70,000 in credit card debt to $85,000,000 in sales. Some of you have stayed in the room Dan built at Engelbrecht House. Yes, Dan has been part of the family for a long time, so he’s willing to share things with us that he shares with no one else. Brian and Ryan are also deeply involved with the Academy and even though they’re both attending as students, I’m betting their questions, comments, suggestions and observations will be insightful. Frankly, I’m very much looking forward to this class.All the rooms in Engelbrecht House and Spence Manor are full, of course, but we can definitely find a seat for you if you’re willing to rent a hotel room.This class is May 6-8. I’m definitely going to be there.Are you?Roy H. Williams

“Cream rises to the top” is what we tell talented people who are frightened. It’s a lie, of course, but it makes them feel like they have a chance.Confidence and courage are not the same thing.Confidence is trust in your ability.Courage is to have such security in your identity that you’re willing to risk open failure. “I’m okay with who I am and I know my intentions are honorable. Que sera, sera.”Confidence springs from ability.Courage springs from identity.And the energizing fluid of courage is audacity.Public speaking requires it.Singing demands it.And successful advertising depends on it.The technical term for the fear of speaking – and of being judged by what you say – is glossophobia, from the Greek gl?ssa, meaning tongue, and phobos, fear or dread.We must elevate you above this fear or you will never successfully advertise a business, promote an event, or advance your career.Stage fright isn’t just the fear of performing in front of large groups. It’s also the reluctance to make a presentation to a group of co-workers.Dr. David Carbonell says,“Stage fright is like being heckled mercilessly during your performance, and getting into an argument with the heckler, except that it’s your own mind doing the heckling. You get so involved in your internal struggle that you don’t get involved with the actual performance. Most people with performance anxiety get tricked into focusing on themselves, struggling against anxiety in a vain effort to get rid of it… One of the keys to mastering stage fright is to become truly involved in, and focused on, your material. Not on yourself.”Unless you’re a major celebrity, the audience didn’t really come to see you; they came to hear the material you brought them.It’s not about you at all. It’s about the material. Think about the material. Think about how the audience needs it. Think about the material. Think about how the audience needs it. Think about the material. Think about how the audience needs it.Don’t let anything get in the way of the gift you brought for your audience. It’s not about you at all.You’re only the mailman.I said earlier that courage is, “to have such security in your identity that you’re willing to risk open failure.”But sometimes you need Plan B, so here it is: Commit to delivering the mail. Commitment looks exactly like courage when you’re committed to something more important than your fear. Say to yourself, “It’s okay if the audience isn’t impressed with me, as long as they’re impressed with what I brought them.”Only a fool stands between a mother tiger and her cubs.Be the mother tiger.Roy H. Williams

I should begin with an apology, I suppose, because the secret of great advertising, the secret to great wealth, the secret of status and stature and your name on the lips of all the beautiful people is actually a wee bit disappointing.Yes, it’s a sadly disappointing big secret.The reason the big secret is such a letdown is that you already know it.Are you ready?The secret of great advertising is that you must find something to say that your customer would be happy to hear.You knew this, of course, but most advertisers don’t. If they did, our eyes and ears would not be so continually assaulted with such excruciating drivel.And this goes double for newscasters.Plato was obviously thinking about advertisers and newscasters in 372 BC when he said,“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.”Ad strategy is more difficult to teach than ad copy.Strategy is determining what a customer would like to hear.Copy is deciding how best to say it.Impact in advertising is 80 percent strategy, 20 percent copy. This makes it nearly impossible for good copy to compensate for weak strategy.We create advertising failure when we pretend that creativity can overcome the fact that we really have nothing to say.Morris Hite said it sharply enough to pop a balloon:“If an ad campaign is built around a weak idea – or as is so often the case, no idea at all – I don’t give a damn how good the execution is, it’s going to fail. If you have a good selling idea, your secretary can write your ad for you.”Even more annoying than advertisers and newscasters who have nothing to say are those smug and confident little weasels who preach with passion that the secret of successful advertising is to find the media that reaches the RIGHT CUSTOMER. In effect, the weasels are selling you a treasure map. “The reason you haven’t found the treasure,” they say, “is because you’ve been digging in all the wrong places.”But the treasure isn’t buried at all. It’s in the pockets and purses of everyone you see. And if you offer these people something they’d rather have than their treasure, they’ll hand you their treasure with a smile and say “Thank you.” And then they’ll tell all their friends that they should give you some treasure, too.The media that delivers your message is the least important part of the communication equation. When your message is right, any media will work. When your message is wrong, no media will.During the decade when I lived in hotel rooms and spoke about advertising in 50 cities a year, my least favorite moment was when the airplane landed back home in Austin and the ground crew didn’t immediately throw open the door. Those minutes waiting for them to open the hatch and revive me to life were a dark and hateful hell for me.You did not need to know that. I included it only because I thought it would be weird to talk about “my second-least favorite moment” and leave you wondering about my first-least favorite.But now the mystery is solved, so we can continue.My second-least favorite moment was when an advertiser would follow me into the bathroom and then casually lean over to say, “Mr. Williams, I’m in the furniture business. How do you suggest I advertise? Is it TV? Is it Radio? Is it the Internet?”This happened to me a lot more often than you might think. How would you have answered?Roy H. Williams

When Ann Richards was Governor of Texas, she said, “Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.” Governor Richards was slightly militant in her feminism, as was common 20 years ago when she made her piercingly witty statement.But the once-edgy voice of feminism has softened in recent years as Americans have increasingly recognized the abilities of women. America’s 110-year movement toward female empowerment is headed into its final phase:When you want to popularize an idea, romanticize it.The Twilight series of films was launched 5 and 1/2 years ago. Twilight revolves around Bella, a high-school girl who is average in every way, yet she’s accepted, respected and highly valued by immortals of astounding power and wealth. The Twilight films have grossed more than 3.3 billion dollars and it’s not because we believe in vampires.It’s because we believe in girls.In 2012 we were introduced to 16 year-old Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, another successful franchise about an average girl who is called upon to save humanity. Her inner strength, tenacity and fundamental goodness allow Katniss to survive everything that is thrown at her as she quietly wins the day. No fists flung skyward in triumph. No chin jutting forward in defiance. No happy end zone dance.Divergent is the newest of these Joan of Arc films in which an average young woman goes toe-to-toe against strong opponents and wins. The special ability of the Divergent protagonist, Tris Prior, is that she isn’t limited to seeing the world in just one way but is able to respond appropriately in ever-changing circumstances. In other words, Divergent celebrates an ability shared by every woman, everywhere.I don’t believe that Twilight, The Hunger Games and Divergent are changing our perception of women. Movies like these are just mirrors that show us how much our perceptions have already changed.The quietly heroic woman is especially evident in jewelry stores.As recently as ten years ago, approximately half of all men would choose the engagement ring alone. The other half would choose with their partner at their side. It was barely thinkable that a woman would shop for an engagement ring by herself and then bring her partner in to see it later. But this is a common practice today.Do you have any idea how this trend affects the language of engagement ring ads? Most women are gracious enough not to be angered by outdated AdSpeak such as, “Buy her the diamond she deserves,” but is such a statement going to attract a woman to your store?A more elegant observation would be to say, “When you love someone and they love you back, it just doesn’t get any better than that. And a diamond is the symbol of that love.” This statement treats both parties as equals and makes no assumptions regarding gender.But gender-neutral statements are difficult to craft in the English language since we have no gender-neutral pronouns to speak of someone that isn’t me or you. We are forced to say, “He walked across the road,” or “She walked across the road.” We cannot say, “It walked across the road.” Such are the miseries of an ad writer.The first artificial sweetener was dressed in pink and called Sweet and Low; adjectives that perfectly described the American woman of that day. In 1981, Sweet’n’Low was challenged by a new competitor. Equal quickly became the overwhelming choice of women. Men, not surprisingly, continued to favor Sweet… and Low. Then, in 2003, a third sweetener was introduced in gender-neutral yellow and everything has been Splenda ever since.Equal is no longer news and Sweet’n’Low is out of fashion.The point of today’s MondayMorningMemo is so vitally important that I’ll say it plainly in case you missed it: a woman may or may not be sweet, but she will never again be low. Women are making their own decisions and spending their own money. To assume that you need to reach “the man of the house” is slightly insane. Even if you’re selling engagement rings.Roy H. Williams

Nine Voices, Nine MoviesEach of us speaks and writes without thinking. This is why so much of what we say is predictable. Do you want to be more interesting? Choose an unusual perspective and verb tense. A movie begins in the mind of the listener every time you speak or write. At whom is your camera aimed?First Person perspective: “I, me, my, we, us, our.”The person speaking is the star of the movie.Second Person perspective: “you, your”The person listening is the star of the movie.Third Person perspective: “He, she, him, her, it, they, them”A person other than the speaker or the listener is the star of the movie.After you’ve chosen your star, you must decide upon the action. The verbs you use will be past tense, present tense or future tense. You should choose these verbs consciously, rather than unconsciously.Past tense verbs speak of history.Present tense verbs speak of action as it’s happening, play-by-play.Future tense verbs are predictive.Any story can be told with past tense, present tense or future tense verbs.It was the night before Christmas, and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.It is the night before Christmas, and all through the house not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse.It will be the night before Christmas, and all through the house not a creature will stir, not even a mouse.Now let’s look at 9 different movies produced from a single script by using 3 different actors in each of 3 separate timelines.1. I placed my paws in warm water and shivered.(First person, past tense. Personal historical narrative.)2. You placed my paws in warm water and I shivered.(Second Person, past tense. An historical story about the listener.)3. She placed my paws in warm water and I shivered.(Third person, past tense. An historical story that describes the actions of a person that is neither the speaker nor the listener)4. I place my paws in warm water and shiver.(First person, present tense. I’m doing it right now.)5. You place my paws in warm water and I shiver.(Second person, present tense. The speaker describes what the listener is doing as it is happening.)6. She places my paws in warm water and I shiver.(Third person, present tense. The speaker is describing what someone else is doing as it is happening.)7. I will place my paws in warm water and shiver.(First person, future tense. Predictive of the speaker’s future action.)8. You will place my paws in warm water and I will shiver.(Second person, future tense. A story about what the listener will do in the future. This voice is predictive or prophetic.)9. She will place my paws in warm water and I will shiver.(Third person, future tense. A story about the actions of others that have not yet occurred. Again, predictive or prophetic.)The voice of any story is transformed when you change the actor and timeline.You have seen the 9 movies and heard the 9 voices.You have been forever changed. You are different now. You carry magic.You will speak with authority and people will listen.That is my benediction, crafted in the second person, traveling through your past (2 sentences) and your present (2 sentences) and seeing your future (1 sentence) in 5 easy lines.That last sentence, of course, was entirely present tense: confirming my present… to you.Aroo.Indiana Beaglesubstituting for the Wizard of Ads who is on a short sabbatical

Today we call it Data but we used to call it Statistics.Statistics are boring. That’s why a clever boy in Silicon Valley gave them a new and better name.A scientist is willing to change a belief when presented with data, facts and logic.But very few customers are scientists. This is why you must accommodate their perspectives, reinforce their biases, anticipate their preferences and leverage their stereotypes.In his book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie said, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”Carnegie was quoting Benjamin Franklin who said it 100 years earlier.Franklin discovered the idea in a satirical poem, Hudibras, written by Samuel Butler 100 years before that, in 1664.That statement, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still,” resonated with Carnegie, Franklin and Butler, just as it does with every person who has vainly attempted to use facts and logic to overcome a belief.In the words of Andrew Lang, we generally use statistics “as a drunken man uses a lamppost, for support rather than for illumination.”This is because data, facts and logic are not the keys to the mind.The keys to the mind are metaphors, connecting the unfamiliar to the familiar, the unknown to the known. Metaphors employ Symbolic thought, the only type of thought that bridges the unconscious to the conscious, the right brain to the left, the category to the specific, the pattern to the purpose.Verbal thought is the sound of words in your mind.Analytical thought embraces data, facts and logic.Abstract thought embraces patterns of events and patterns of answers. It’s a nonverbal, subjective reality built on preferences, prejudices and stereotypes.Symbolic thought is a bridge that begins in the land of Abstract thought and ends in the land of Analytical thought. Parables, music and metaphors are powerful expressions of Symbolic thought. Each is more persuasive than Data.You’ve heard it said that, “Every person is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts.” Yet we routinely craft our own facts from the fabric of personal experiences, preferences and prejudices.A stereotype is nothing more than a pattern we’ve observed. This pattern isn’t always predictive, but it is a pattern nonetheless and we trust it. We do this in the misbegotten belief that we have correctly interpreted our past experiences and that our preferences and prejudices are, in fact, correct and reliable interpretations of objective reality.We’re a funny, funny species, aren’t we?We’re coaching a basketball game.Cedric makes 4 baskets in less than 2 minutes so we conclude that Cedric has “a hot hand,” he’s “in the zone and has a feel for the basket,” so we instruct the other players to feed Cedric the ball.Does it surprise you to learn that all the data clearly indicates that a player who makes 4 consecutive baskets in less than 2 minutes of game time is no more likely to make his next shot than usual? But every coach, every player and every fan of the sport will continue to feed Cedric the ball.We don’t trust data nearly so much as we trust our heart.Digital marketing is here to stay and it provides us with data beyond imagination. But data doesn’t change the mind. At best, it reinforces a decision that was already made in the heart. Win the heart and the mind will follow. Don’t fill your messages with data. Instead, use metaphors that connect your idea to your customer’s world. Because a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.Some things are slow to change. Some things never do.Roy H. Williams

People will direct their attention to whatever gives them a sense of identity, purpose and adventure.You must always remember this when crafting advertising.The fans of a sports team are the members of a club. Their team gives them identity, purpose and adventure. Political parties, too, give their members identity, purpose and adventure. Religious organizations, book clubs and Twitter feeds give their followers identity, purpose and adventure.A grandmother adores her grandchildren because they give her identity… purpose… and adventure.Do you know what a rock collector gets from his rock collection? Identity, purpose and adventure.Each of us – every one of us – is on a treasure hunt. The differences between us are found primarily in the things we value. When a person doesn’t value what we value, we think a little less of them. They are obviously shallow, stupid, deceptive or evil.Abraham Maslow believed a third of our society lives below the search for identity or above it. Those who live below the search are focused primarily on securing food, shelter and safety. This is their economic reality. Those who live above the search have a clear sense of identity and they know their purposes precisely. This is their emotional reality. Their adventures depend on nothing outside themselves.Those who live below or above the search for identity are effectively immune to advertising. The first group can’t afford what you’re selling and the second group doesn’t care. These people are rarely prospective customers.Fortunately for businesses everywhere, two thirds of us buy what we buy to remind ourselves – and tell the world around us – who we are. These two thirds of society are the backbone of the economy. We have needs that have not been met, hungers that have not been satisfied, dreams that have not been fulfilled.Businesses exist to meet those needs, satisfy those hungers and fulfill those dreams.We make and spend money primarily to discover who we are.This would be sadif it wasn’t so much fun.Vie à l’économie.Roy H. Williams

It’s Friday morning, September 7, 1951. John Steinbeck emerges from deep in his writing of East of Eden to scribble a note to his friend, Pat Covici:“This week has been a hard one. I have put the forces of evil against a potential good. Yesterday I wrote the outward thing of what happened. Today I have to show what came of it. This is quite different from the modern hard-boiled school. I think I must set it down. And I will. The spots of gold on this page are the splatterings from beautiful thoughts.”Those five words, “the splatterings from beautiful thoughts,” let me know that I’m not alone.Another five words, “haggard, inconstant splashes of beauty,” appear near the end of an Italian movie about a guy who, on his 65th birthday, begins to reevaluate his shallow life. The movie is visually rich but a bit of a downer.Life can be a bit of a downer, too, even when it’s not a shallow one.Visually rich sights are all around us but we’re too pressed for time to notice. We’re in a mood, in a hurry, in trouble, in a crisis or incapacitated. We’re anxious or angry, distracted or distraught, bedazzled, bedeviled or bedraggled.But still those splashes of beauty creep in – barely noticeable at first – but there they are, haggard and inconstant, limping and laughing splashes of miracles that would show up more often if only we would notice.“There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it….”– Alan Paton, opening line of Cry, The Beloved CountryA profound beauty can often be found in the ordinary. Will you look for it with me today? The cost is nothing and the value is high.If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then let us become beholders.Yes, people will laugh at us if we see beauty where they do not. Let us think of this laughter as our gift to them. We should laugh a little, too.And now I will tell you a dark secret that is also a paradox: the richest of all beauties – the one that takes your breath away – is deeply terrifying. It grants me new life when it appears, but I do not seek it. For this richest beauty happens only when my world collapses and my only hope is in God.Perhaps you, too, have been there.There is a quickening, a wiggle of life when we’re in extremis, a rearrangement of priorities, deep and clear. The problem that’s about to swallow you whole becomes a pool of water that serves as a magnifying glass and for a moment you see everything clearly.As I said, I do not seek this richest of beauties, for it is terrifying.Coward that I am, I shall continue to live without an all-consuming crisis for as long as I’m able and do my best to be satisfied with the haggard, inconstant splashes of beauty that are the splatterings from beautiful thoughts.Dorothy Parker was right, “They sicken of the calm who know the storm.”Even so, let us look for beauty – in the calm – of the ordinary.Roy H. Williams

I look in the mirror and see the person I believe myself to be. You look at me and see the person you believe me to be. We don’t see the same person.Businesses, too, see themselves differently than their customers do.A flatterer disguised as a branding consultant will help you create an idealized self-portrait and tell you it’s your brand. I say “idealized” because we businesspeople judge ourselves by our intentions. Customers judge us by our actions.Peace of mind comes from liking the person you see in the mirror.But brand attraction happens when the customer looks at your company and sees a reflection of themselves.We are attracted to brands that stand for something we believe in. Likewise, we are attracted to television shows, movies, books, websites, podcasts, newscasts and songs that confirm what we believe. This is known in psychology as “confirmation bias.”Let me say this plainly: If you challenge a person’s core beliefs, they will avoid you. Agree with those beliefs and they will like you. This is the essence of brand building.But not everyone believes the same things. This is why a brand-builder must choose who to lose. There is no message, no belief system, that appeals to everyone.The Democratic party and the Republican party dominate American politics even though just fifty-eight percent of Americans align themselves with either of these two brands.In a survey of self-identified “Liberal Democrats” and self-identified “Conservative Republicans,” Experian Simmons identified the Top 15 favorite television shows of each group.Not a single show was on both lists.Not one.Liberals prefer shows of moral ambiguity like Mad Men, Dexter, 90210 and Breaking Bad, where the good people aren’t entirely good and the bad people aren’t entirely bad. “I don’t mean to make light of it, but Democrats seem to like shows about damaged people,” said John Fetto, senior marketing manager at Experian Simmons. “Those are the kind of shows Republicans just stay away from.”Conservatives prefer shows where hard work and talent are clearly rewarded. Reality shows and contests like American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Survivor and The Bachelor scored high with this group.Interesting information, right? But not really surprising when you think about it. Narcissus saw his reflection in a pool of water and fell in love with the person he saw.Confirmation bias strikes again.How can you use this information to make money?1. Quit trying to change your customer’s mind.2. Tell them they’re right.3. Confirm their suspicions.4. Demonize their enemies.5. Let them see themselves when they look at you. Do these things and you’ll make more money. Usually, a lot more money.But a strange thing happens when you“go along to get along,” when youagree with people you don’t respect, when youfail to speak out against injustice, when youallow etiquette and expediency to quietly replacecompassion and courage:You look in the mirror and no longer like who you see.How do we remain open to seeing things from a new perspective without losing clarity of self in the process?If I ever figure it out, I’ll let you know.Roy H. Williams

A cafe owner, famous for his soup, was told by his accountant that he could boost his profit significantly if he would add just 5 percent more water to the recipe. The accountant was right. The water was added and no one noticed. Months later, the cafe added 5 percent more water and still no one noticed. Later, more water was added. And then a little more, but never more than 5 percent because they had now “proven” that customers cannot detect just 5 percent more added water.As you suspected, the cafe owner didn’t lose his customers incrementally, but all at once. “The soup here just isn’t as good as it used to be.”I was told that story by a multimillionaire Wall Street speculator. He says American businesspeople have a peculiar blind spot to the all-at-once backlash that comes from watering the soup. He said American businesses expect to see incremental declines when they are incrementally abusive, but that’s never how it works. When the wife packs up to leave, she takes the kids and leaves all at once.The central belief of a cost-cutter is that profits rise when costs are lowered. And on paper, this argument is insurmountable because the cost-cutter’s forecast doesn’t project a decline in business.In the short term, the cost-cutter looks like a genius.Later, when customers quit buying soup and the business begins to circle the drain, the silly little cost-cutter becomes an even taller hero:“See how smart I am? If I hadn’t reduced expenses, we’d really be in trouble right now. But with our new, lower overhead, we’re still profitable. I’ve saved the company.”Don’t laugh. I’m watching it happen to a friend’s business right now and it makes me want to cry.Shortly after we bought the plateau on which Wizard Academy proudly sits, the Chicago Tribune ran a fascinating story. These are the opening lines:Fred Turner did not need to look at financial statements to know McDonald’s was in trouble. He could taste it.The man who worked alongside founder Ray Kroc to turn McDonald’s Corp. into a global colossus, Turner noticed when penny pinchers at corporate headquarters changed recipes to cut costs. So when McDonald’s cheapened the famed “special sauce” on its flagship Big Mac sandwich, Turner knew.But it wasn’t until a new CEO brought him back from retirement 18 months ago to help lead a turnaround at McDonald’s that the now 71-year-old Turner learned just how deep the trouble ran…McDonald’s was a magical corporation when it was in the hands of entrepreneurs. But then the conniving little accountants took over.I did not say that all accountants are idiots. My own accountant, Adrian Van Zelfden famously says, “It’s usually easier to increase revenues than to cut costs. Don’t try to shrink your way to profits.”Jean Backus, another CPA, was recently elected to serve as Chairman of the Board at Wizard Academy. Jean doesn’t believe in shrinking things either. Jean believes in growing them.Your accountant may be one of the good ones, too. What are they telling you to do? Are they suggesting that you grow your company? Or are they suggesting that you shrivel into something else?A cost-cutter buys grapes and makes raisins.An entrepreneur buys grapes and makes wine.You’ll never see a person arrive to a celebrationcarrying a box of raisins.Roy H. Williams