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THE LEVISON LETTER
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Action Ideas For Better Direct Mail,
E-mail, Web Sites & Advertising
Published by
Ivan Levison, Direct Response Copywriting
May, 2001
Volume: 16 Number: 5
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Copywriters should remember
that benefits sell!
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I was driving to a meeting in the Silicon Valley the
other day and got behind a car that sported the
following bumper sticker:
"Weekends Are For Wimps!"
Sure the line is funny. And sure, in its own way,
it's rather sad. But what struck me most about the
line was how wildly out of touch it seemed with life
in the technology industry these days.
A few years ago, when the valley was red hot and IPOs
were coming out every ten minutes, people were working
all the time. And it was fun. A little nuts, but fun.
Now, after a Cruise Missile has driven through the
tech stock-price balloon, weekends aren't just for
wimps. They're also for people trying to get their
resumés together.
Though I take no pleasure in the pain that some people
are personally experiencing, I do feel vindicated
after my frequent critiques of the vacuous marketing
materials flowing from tech companies of all kinds.
Now, don't think for a minute that I believe that poor
advertising sunk the good ship dot com all by itself.
Plenty of on-target articles have been written about
failures due to weak business models, the interest in
eye-balls instead of profits, etc. But I certainly believe
that self-indulgent advertising didn't help.
For example, do you remember the (true!) anecdote I
wrote about back in October, '99?
"A copywriter at a well-known advertising agency wrote
a thirty-second TV commercial and showed it to his
boss. The Associate Creative Director read it over and
said "It's a great spot, but isn't something missing?"
"What's that?" asked the copywriter. "The product,"
replied his boss. "You forgot to mention the client's
product!"
That's right. The copywriter was so wrapped up in
creating an entertaining commercial that he neglected
to mention what the client was selling!
If you've been a regular reader of The Levison Letter,
you know I've had few kind words for the empty ads and
other marketing materials (created for creativity's sake)
that filled up terrific magazines like The Industry Standard,
Upside, and Red Herring - magazines that now weigh a lot less.
Together, we wondered, "What were these marketing
people thinking?" And now we have our answer. Not all
that much. They had way too much money, way too much
"creativity," and way too little experience. And they
paid the price.
So here's to the winners. To all those thoughtful,
sensible, prudent companies that didn't try to out-do
each other with crazy, attention-getting gags. The
ones who persistently and passionately sold clear
benefits and solutions to customers.
I'm talking about seasoned companies like Dell,
Symantec, Autodesk, and Adobe that always kept their
focus right where it belongs. On the customer.
IMPORTANT: You don't have to have massive budgets to
do a wonderful marketing job. I've always been
impressed by Citrix Systems, SPSS, Timberline, Best,
and a bunch of other terrific companies who always
find a way to get the biggest bang for their buck.
What do they have in common? A commitment to
communicating essential benefits in a clear and
persuasive way.
The take-away message this month? Sure these are
tougher times for tech marketers. We face new and
varied challenges and have fewer resources to draw on.
But the future is bright.
My advice? Hang tough and recommit to the proven,
benefit-oriented marketing strategies that worked
yesterday, are working today, and will work for you
tomorrow.
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How To Get In Touch
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Ivan Levison
Direct Response Copywriting
14 Los Cerros Drive
Greenbrae, CA 94904
Phone: (415) 461-0672
Fax: (415) 461-7738
E-mail: ivan@levison.com
Web Site: http://www.levison.com
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Copyright 2001, by Ivan Levison, All Rights Reserved.
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