There is a huge difference between the writing styles of advertising agency copywriters and direct response copywriters.
"Image" agency writers are long on style and attitude. Direct response copywriters rely on benefits and facts.
To make this distinction clearer, I'm going to contrast the way the two kinds of writers use the word "you" when they address the reader. The different approach to the prospect is really quite revealing!
Let's start with an old ad from Citigroup that ran in Condé Nast Traveler. Here it is in its entirety with the stylish, poetic line-breaks in tact. The first line is rendered as a large, bold headline. The rest is tiny body copy:
There's only one you.
To help keep it that way,
we offer free
Citi(r) Identity Theft Solutions
just for being a customer.
Because when it comes to being you,
you're the only one that can truly
pull it off.
This ad is stylish and quite cool in tone. There are certainly a lot of "you" mentions in the ad but the copywriter keeps the reader at a distance. As in many "image" ads, the posture, the pose, the post-modern wink to the reader is everything.
Maybe that's why the ad doesn't include a meaningful way for the reader to find more about Citi Identity Theft Solutions or even how to open an account at the bank!
This Citigroup ad, of course, is anathema to direct response copywriters like me. In my view, the Citigroup ad is self-indulgent and a terrible waste of expensive space.
Nope. I'm an advocate of what the great direct response copywriter John Caples called "you and me" copy. Which means I don't try to distance myself from the reader. Instead, I try to establish a relationship with the reader.
Let me give you an example. Here's the start of a letter that I wrote for Intuit's QuickBooks Point of Sale group. The letter is addressed to small retailers who don't use a point of sale system, and invites them to request an information kit.
Dear NAME:
Do you still use an old-fashioned cash register to ring up sales?
Do you tediously keep track of every transaction by hand?
I sure hope not, because there's a much better way to handle all your point of sale activities.
You see, QuickBooks Point of Sale software, working with a receipt printer, cash drawer, bar code scanner, and credit card reader, gives you brand new ways to manage your business better than ever.
This means that, finally, information on inventory, sales, customers, promotions, and more, can all be at your fingertips, instantly!
ETC. . .
Sure. This is a letter and not an ad, but the point is the same.
As a copywriter you can choose to be clever and stylish or persuasive. I choose to be persuasive.
If you've got a huge marketing budget like Citigroup has, you can afford to go the "image" route.
If you need to generate leads and close sales, pick up the phone and call a direct response copywriter.
You can reach a terrific one at (415) 461-0672.
