Too Much Build-Up: Over-Zealous Ad Copy Can Break The Sale

By Dina Giolitto

How many times has this happened to you?

A friend recommends a film that just came out: "You've GOT to see
this movie! It's SO (funny, scary, suspenseful, etc.)." They start
quoting lines, excitedly taking you through the plot. You're
hanging on their every word. Seems like cinema doesn't get any 
better than this! So you run out and plunk down $10 to see the 
movie. And what do you discover? That this is “just another 
movie”... mildly entertaining, at best. Next time this friend 
starts crowing about another fantastic film, you're not so willing 
to listen. In fact: you’ll never go to another movie on their 
recommendation again.

What happened? Too much build-up. Someone “over-sold,” and lost 
credibility because of it. The same is true for advertising. Too 
much build-up can break the sale. It’s what happens when your ads 
are “anticlimactic.”

What do I mean by advertising that’s anticlimactic?

Let’s say you came across an ad for a mysterious “something” that 
can give you the same ecstatic feeling as being in love. The 
advertiser doesn’t mention what it is... he’s too busy painting a 
picture of how this thing can change your life. The ad goes 
something like this:

“Ahh, that blissful, lighter-than-air feeling of being in love! 
When you feel like this, you’re at your best... like you can do 
anything. When you’re in love, you’re on top of the world! Now 
imagine if you could summon this feeling to life at any time you 
wanted. Just think of what it could do for your career, for your 
personal relationships, for your quality of living!”

How would you feel if, after reading paragraph after paragraph 
about this elusive euphoria that can be yours for just a few 
dollars, you came to learn that the ad is about CHOCOLATE. You’d be 
a little annoyed, wouldn’t you? You might even feel like someone 
had played a dirty trick on you. How likely is it that you’d buy 
that chocolate (even if it happened to be Godiva-quality), knowing 
you were duped in such a way? Not very! In fact, you’d more likely 
buy chocolate from the guy who told you outright, with minimal 
fanfare, that he was selling delicious, gourmet chocolate. Because 
he was being honest. And you, the consumer, appreciate honesty. 
Don’t you?

Right now, hard-hitting ad copy is all the rage. Unless you live 
under a rock, you’ve probably seen those long sales letters that 
promise the moon and the stars, if you just BUY NOW. Looks like 
those internet gurus have become pretty darned successful, right? 
And you want what they have: persuasive skills that guarantee 
results for your business. You want it so badly you can taste it. 
That’s why when they dangle their secrets under your nose, you 
listen with rapt attention. And you think, well, if they’ve become 
millionaires with their hard-sell strategies, maybe I should follow 
suit. But should you? Or will it just come across as a big build-up 
followed by a letdown? How will you avoid the trap of creating ads 
that are anticlimactic?

I write ad copy for a living. Lately, my clients have been coming 
to me in a frenzy looking for “that thing” that the Yanik Silvers 
of the world have. The first thing I ask them is, what are you 
selling? Is it something with many long-term benefits? Has your 
product made a difference for many people? If so, then yes, I 
believe you can build a case for what you’re selling with 
persuasive copy. But if it’s something like chocolate, or phone 
cards, or electronics, that will provide a bit of enjoyment in the 
here and now... then my advice to you is avoid the high-pressure 
sales pitch. It’s just going to create build-up that you can’t live 
up to. And if your product presentation is anticlimactic, your 
sales will suffer for it.

How are the web marketing gurus able to create such aggressive ads, 
without being anticlimactic?

Internet experts have something that everybody wants and only some 
people know how to get: success. The truth is, success doesn’t come 
in a box or in an e-book or in a four-day seminar. None of these 
things guarantee that success will ever be yours. But they MIGHT 
help, and that's where the promise of success is ever-gleaming. 
That's how the experts can keep you trying like hell to attain it - 
repeatedly forking over your hard-earned cash for their mysterious 
know-how - all the while thinking that "maybe this one will seal 
the deal and make it happen for me!" Their ads will never be 
anticlimactic because they have mastered the art of keeping their 
customers salivating for more. Can you do this with your product 
offering?

Is what you sell highly sought-after, and in the category of 
success? Is it a stepping-stone to something of great magnitude? Or 
is it merely something that can enhance quality of life in little 
ways? The truth is, it takes more than ad copy to sell a product. 
Sometimes... surprise... the product has to sell itself.

Despite what some would have you believe, no blown-out sales pitch 
is going to guarantee that you’ll become a millionaire. Just like 
the embellished movie review, an aggressive advertising campaign 
will attract attention, and it may even make you some money. But 
only until people realize that your product doesn’t live up to all 
the hype. At that point, they’ll lose interest. And then you’ll 
lose customers. What will happen the next time you’re ready to 
launch a new product? Surprise... no one wants to “watch your 
movie.”

What would you rather be: a one-hit wonder, or someone who draws a 
loyal following that’s ever-growing? For those that want the 
latter, here’s my advice: be realistic. Keep your advertising 
honest and informative. Present your product or service in a way 
that highlights its advantages without telling tall tales. 
Establish trust and credibility with your customers, and they’ll 
keep coming back. And above all, don’t base your advertising 
campaign on "what works for other people." Base it on what works 
for you.

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

Dina Giolitto is a New-Jersey based Copywriting Consultant with 
nine years' industry experience. Her current focus is web content 
and web marketing for a multitude of products and services although 
the bulk of her experience lies in retail for big-name companies 
like Toys"R"Us. Visit http://www.wordfeeder.com for rates and 
samples.

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