When you've got nothing to say, sing it (whle you dance)

OK, ADSCHOOL IS IN

(COPYSCHOOL FOLLOWS)

"When you've got nothing to say, sing it" is an old truism in the ad industry. It goes double when you employ a dance troupe for your tvc.Every decade or so we get a wave of them. The latest crop include the Tooheys Beer with the street party with inflatable figures waving their arms to help hijack the beer truck. The Smiths Crisps tvc with the members of the CEFMU taking an unscheduled break to single "Happy Together" while dacing to express their joy. It started with that Carlton ad with the boy who had obviously too many beers dancing in tights to express his joy and desire to work in a brewery.

What does this trend mean? Simple. The creative team decided the was nothing to say about the product. Nothing. Product parity. The client has agreed with them. So let's just use media weight to pummel the consumer into submission.

Dancers are always a dead giveaway. All those hand and arm movements to distract you from the boring old product hiding behind the flailing arms.

What does this make the marketing team? Can't use strategy to differentiate the product? Hire some entertainers.

MK

OK COPYSCHOOL IS IN

My Dad started a family tradition - gave us a saying we still use. "This is all about me!" he said as he showed us his x-rays after his heart operation. (Ugh!) Dad was a "This is all about me!" kinda guy. So am I. So is our whole family. So is everyone in consumer society (except the Dalai Lama).

Let's talk Voicing. I want you to look at the copy you use to convince customers to do business with you. I want you to go through the copy and count the number of times you use the word "you" or "your". Then count the number of times you say "I", "we", "company name", "product name" or "product feature".
Is the ratio 1:1? 1:2? 1:3?

Are you talking about the prospect or yourself? Who is the prospect more interested in? Sorry. They don't really give a damn about you or your product or your company until it becomes something about them. Can the reader say "This is all about me!" when they read your copy?