How
to evaluate an ad - A quick case history
by
Ivan Levison
I
came across an attractive full page ad recently for Tempur-Pedic
beds.
The
ad features a large color photo of the bed and a big, bold,
two-word headline:
Inner
strength
The
ad goes on to explain that "The miracle is on the inside"
and that "Our bed utilizes natural principles of physics.
Nothing mechanical or electrical. No motors, switches, valves,
air pumps, or water heaters. It can't break, leak, short-circuit,
or stop working" and so forth.
So,
how do we judge this ad? Aside from checking response rates,
post facto, and seeing how it performed, how do we decide if
this ad, or ANY ad, is going to be a winner?
Here's
how I make this judgement . . .
First,
I look at what the ad is attempting to accomplish. I try to
understand the marketing thinking behind the ad.
In
the case of the Tempur-Pedic ad we have an example of a purely
"educative sell." In other words the folks at Tempur-Pedic
are betting that the prospect is interested in mattress technology
so they devote virtually the entire ad to explaining how the
product works. Here's a typical passage: "Inside our bed,
billions of microscopic memory cells work in perfect harmony
to contour precisely to your every curve."
The
ad is fabulous when it comes to explaining why the mattress
is unique and how it is constructed. However the ad is just
awful when it comes to providing the reader with BENEFITS.
This
seems to me a serious mistake. You see, in my view the first
job of any ad is to solve the reader's problem. To state a benefit.
In the case of the Tempur-Pedic ad, benefits are almost totally
absent. Supportive, educative information that should be secondary
has become the entire ad.
What
benefits should have been highlighted?
Well,
this isn't rocket science. The copywriter should have said that
with the Tempur-Pedic bed, you sleep better than ever before
and wake up every day feeling rested, energetic, and raring
to go. What's important is the promise of a good night's sleep.
NOT a lesson in mattress making.
Thus,
if I had to substitute a two word headline, for the two words,
"Inner strength," I would suggest the obvious: "Sleep
better."
Of
course, no one said we're restricted to two words! Just for
fun, here are some headlines I just cranked out that I think
work MUCH better than the headline that ran. Compare each of
these to the headline "Inner strength."
How
this miracle bed from Sweden can help you get a great night's
sleep.
How
to get a great night's sleep, every single night.
Sleep
tight every night on the Tempur-Pedic mattress.
Sweet
dreams start on a Tempur-Pedic mattress.
Next
time YOU have to write or evaluate some copy for an ad, direct
mail piece, whatever, don't start writing headlines right away.
First, think about the problem your reader has, and how your
product or service can solve it. Then start writing benefit-oriented
lines that are clear, not clever. Believe me, you won't be far
off!
