Avoiding the 2 B's of Advertising – Part 2

In the last post, we talked about Baloney. Today's blog topic is about Bumph.

Although they are both prevalent in poor advertising copy writing, they are different subjects. As a reminder, Baloney refers to half-truths, distortions, and falsehoods. Bumph, on the other hand, is less tangible. Simply put, it is “filler”: All the extra lines of copy added-in to fill out the page and make it look like you are saying something important.

Every line of Bumph copy may be absolutely true, it just isn't considered relevant by the reader. The danger with Bumph is not that the reader / listener won't believe what you say. Rather, after 2-3 sentences of useless verbiage, they decide the message doesn't apply to them and they tune you out.

I hope that hasn't just happened here!

The real problem with Bumph is that it hides the message you are trying to communicate. So why is it so prevalent in small business advertising? Let's look at some examples, and then we'll look for some reasons.

• Been in business for 23 years.
• Largest supplier in town.
• Come visit our friendly staff.
• We have been working hard to bring you the very best.
• We put the customer first.

And the list goes on and on. Perhaps every one of these statements are true, but when the audience sees/ hears this type of line, they ask “So what?” They wonder why you are spending your advertising dollars telling them these irrelevant things. At which point, they tune you out and your advertising dollars have been wasted.

Why is Bumph so common?

• The copy writer is lazy, or has been told to use some of the boss's favorite lines.
• The printer wants more copy on the page to balance the look.
• The businessman doesn't have a clear message to communicate.
• Decision makers haven't thought through an answer to the Big Question.
• The piece was designed to target multiple audiences.

This last option may seem reasonable and cost effective. However, it ends up being a waste of money. In an effort to say one thing to audience #1, and something different to audience #2, the primary points end up getting swamped with unrelated copy and the message gets diluted. You are much better off giving one strong message to one audience, and making a big impression.

Bumph is everywhere, and distracts from the purpose of the communications. If you cut away both the Baloney and the Bumph, you will have far fewer words but they will be much more powerful.

Practical Tip of the Day:

• Look over all of the advertising copy from you prime competitors. Try to look at this material through the eyes of your target audience.
• Use a highlighter to identify the statements that qualify as either Baloney or Bumph.
• How much impactful copy is left?
• How does your advertising material compare?