Marketing Wisdom

IT’S YOUR PROBLEM, NOT THEIRS

Every now and then, I’ll get a request from a client to write something that clarifies some existing instructions or procedures. When I ask the reason for the clarification, I’m nearly always told that the customers or other audience just doesn’t get it. They just don’t understand. They aren’t acting the way we want them to act, or following the steps in the order we prefer.

My job then becomes crafting magic words that will transform these miscreants into conformists. And it’s nearly always a waste of time.

 

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JANET IN THE SHOWER

Alfred Hitchcock’s most-loved movies are nearing their 50th birthdays. And while the years since classics like “Rear Window” and “The Birds” have seen hundreds of horror films, few even begin to approach the visceral terror that Sir Alfred could stir. How could that be, given that today’s movies offer new levels of blood, gore and special effects?

 

Simple. He knew that the most effective horror wasn’t what played out on the screen. It was what happened inside the viewer’s mind. Take Janet Leigh’s demise in “Psycho.” Today’s director would spare no expense in giving us a colorful glimpse into Miss Leigh’s innards as Anthony Perkins performed his crude dissection. Blood, bile, and the occasional organ would splatter on the lens, leading us to rethink the gallon of Coke and pound of Raisinets we downed during the coming attractions.

 

 

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What you say, what they see

One of my favorite stories about word choices is the one about the hospital that decided to open a walk-in clinic to compete with local freestanding clinics. The medical staffers who served on the hospital’s board chose to call it an “ambulatory” clinic, because to medical folks, “ambulatory” means that an individual is capable of walking.

The expected business didn’t materialize, and the hospital didn’t understand why consumers weren’t flocking through the doors. So they conducted a little bit of research and uncovered the reason: consumers saw the word “ambulatory” and assumed that it was intended for patients who arrived in ambulances.

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Un-welcome signs

I’m not sure that a Welcome mat in front of a business ever made anyone feel truly welcome, or a notation on a receipt saying that it has been someone’s pleasure to serve you has the power to overcome lackluster or indifferent service.

But I’ve seen plenty of signs in businesses that told me my business really wasn’t welcomed or appreciated.

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