Yuck! I just saw a TV commercial that was a real stomach turner.

 

The spot was for a local physician's varicose vein treatment center and the good doctor spared the viewer nothing. The commercial featured close-up shots of the physician, needle in hand, doing unspeakable things to someone's leg.

 

What the doctor didn't understand was that though he was interested in recording the ghastly procedure, the viewer was simply repelled.

 

What he should have done, of course, is documented fabulous results. A simple montage of "before" and "after" photographs would have made the point better without disgusting the viewer.

 

                             To generalize: communicating benefits

                          is more important than explaining process.

 

FedEx learned this many years ago. Their early TV commercials explained how your package would be sent across the country to Memphis to a central hub and then dispatched to its final destination. Lots of shots of planes, sorters, conveyor belts, etc.

 

FedEx discovered that documenting the complex process only made viewers worry that their package wouldn't get there on time. The company soon dropped the focus on process and hammered home the simple promise of overnight delivery. Sales soared. What mattered to the consumer, it turned out, was the end result, not the means by which the result was achieved.

 

This is something that all marketers should keep in mind. If you need to explain a process, i.e. how your product or service works, put that content in a brochure. But emails and direct mail letters should focus on results and benefits that inspire immediate action.

 

Keep this in mind and you won't go wrong.

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