THE WIZARD OF ADS

Turning Words into Magic and Dreamers into Millionaires -Roy Williams

The Power of Language

Writing and Speaking

Choose Powerful Words

Illuminate the mind Win the heart Inspire the public

“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

Carl W. Buechner

Speak Clearly

Do you speak the simple, essential truth as plainly as you are able and support what you say with illustration and example?

Understand Human Behavior

The person who can capture and hold attention is the person who can effectively influence human behavior.

Do you know how to capture attention, appeal to wants, be vivid, speak and write effectively, make ideas stick?

Consider Perspective

“This is me at the Grand Canyon. This is me standing in front of Niagara Falls. This is me scuba diving the Caribbean.” Audience thinks: Who cares!

The genius of Jacques Cousteau is that he points the camera always at the underwater cave, the shark, the sunken ship—never at himself.

Use the Most Irresistible Word

“YOU are standing in the snow five and one-half miles above sea level, gazing at a horizon hundreds of miles away. Life here is very simple. You live, or you die.”

Do you use this most powerful of all words so that you engage the imagination of the audience and make the audience a participant in your ad?

Remember Your Audience: Words are Electric; People are Magnetic

Average writers position the listener as an uninvolved bystander

Good writers position the listener as an interested observer.

Great writers involve the listener as an active participant.

Speak to the need of the listener and make him a participant in your ad by using the word “YOU”

Deliver your Punch Line at the Beginning

A well written emotional ad causes the listener to imagine herself taking the action you describe.

Don’t write an ad the way you tell a joke: building up to the punch line. Those listening to a joke are committed to listening. Those listening to an ad are not.

Cause People to Realize the Truth

Truth in advertising is essential: is it enough to just tell the truth?

If you want the truth to prevail, you must cause people to realize the truth. To make them realize it requires more than simply telling it. You need honest persuasion.

Be Concise

“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.” Thomas Jefferson

Do you tell your story the way one person speaks to another and without any of the cliches or unsubstantiated claims that muddle many ads and other documents?

DOUBLESPEAK CHALLENGE

The sentence on the next slide appeared in a real document sent to Scott Adams, the “Dilbert” cartoonist. Your challenge is to reduce it to its essence.

TOO WORDY….

“This change will allow us to better leverage our talent base in an area where developmental roles are under way and strategically focuses us toward the upcoming Business System transition where Systems literacy and accuracy will be essential to maintain and to further improve service levels to our customer base going forward.”

THE REVISION…

Customer service needs to be improved.