Avoiding the 2 B's of Advertising- Part 1

In the next two postings, I will discuss some highly technical marketing terms:

Baloney, and Bumph

These two examples of bad copy writing appear far too often, and afflict all kinds of advertising.

We will start with Baloney, which is a polite way of saying:

• lies,
• half-truths,
• exaggerations,
• distortions,
• falsehoods,
• fabrications,
• deceits,
• fictions,
• hyperbole,
• and plain, old B. S.

Readers quickly identify this material and recognize it for what it is. And once a reader picks out something considered Baloney, they disregard the other claims in the advertising.

So, why are these types of statements used so often?

I'll answer that question in a moment. First, lets look at some examples of commonly-used marketing Baloney:

• Fastest Service in Town
• Lowest Price Anywhere
• Friendliest Service in the City
• If elected, I will lower your taxes
• As Mayor, I promise to represent all of the voters
• I've never done this sort of thing before
• Satisfaction Guaranteed
• Sale Extended due to Overwhelming Demand
• This may be your last chance to get rates this low

Some of these examples are from business advertising, some are from the political arena, and some are heard on the social scene. They all have something in common, however the audience thinks of them as Baloney!

Here is a critical point in this discussion. It doesn't really matter whether the statement is true or not. It only matters that the listener thinks it to be false, or at least highly suspect. That's what defines a statement as Baloney.

Now, back to the earlier question. Why do these statements appear so often in small business advertising? Four reasons come to mind:

• The businessman thinks the customers are rather stupid; the least likely scenario.
• The owner has come to believe his own advertising (has drunk the Kool-Aid, so to speak).
• The copy writer is just too lazy to create effective copy.
• The statements may actually be true, but are unsupported.

This last option is rather common. The advertising claims are true, but aren't automatically believed by the audience and are classified as Baloney. As a consequence, the whole ad becomes tainted.

How do you address this problem?

If you are going to use a statement that a skeptical audience might find hard to believe, add some support.

Instead of:      We have the best sandwiches in town.
Try:                Winner of Daily Gazette's Most Popular Sandwich Award three years running.

Instead of:      Fastest Service in Town.
Try:                In and Out in 10 minutes, or it's free.

Instead of:       Lowest rates available.
Try:                 If you find a lower advertised rate, we will match it.

You can see the point here. Make a statement that the public can believe, and that they think is credible. Don't just blow smoke. They will see through it every time. It doesn't make sense to pay for expensive advertising media, and then send a message that isn't believable.

Baloney is everywhere, and it is a huge waste of advertising dollars. Don't let it waste yours!

In our next post, we will discuss the other “B” you should avoid: Bumph.

Practical Tip of the Day:

• Look through your marketing materials, and tweeze out statements that could be considered suspect.
• If a statement has some real positive impact, find a way to support it.
• Tighten up your copy, add some more credibility, and you will gain the public's trust.