Gair Maxwell recently shared this outrageous video (below) that parodies the pitfalls of group decision-making when designing a ‘Stop’ sign. Watch the video. It’s hilarious.
Gair also observes that designers and consultants should have the courage to stand up to the bastardization of their work. And clients should realize when to back-off and allow the design process to unfold.
Both excellent points.
But there’s another lesson to be learned from watching this video: Messages are more persuasive when they make a single powerful point.
My partner Roy H. Williams says, “It is foolish to believe a single ad can ever tell the entire story. The most effective, persuasive and memorable ads are those most like a rhinoceros. They will each make a single point very powerfully. An advertiser with seventeen different things to say should commit to a campaign of at least seventeen different ads, with each ad being given sufficient repetition to accomplish retention in the mind of the prospect.”
Are you blunting your message by cramming too many points into your ads?
If so, your message is like a porcupine.
And as I pointed out in an earlier post, the conscious brain can juggle only seven pieces of data at any one moment. Throwing too much information at your customer will cause a seventeen car pileup on the persuasion super-highway.
So stop and remember this: Advertise like a rhinocerous. Make a single powerful point. Period.
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July 10th, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Good advice. Unfortunately it is too rarely heeded.
July 13th, 2009 at 12:09 PM
Great video – gets the point across well! Great advice!
I used to think I couldn’t run TV ads because I couldn’t say all I needed in 30 seconds. Soon I realized I was saying too much and nothing was ever being remembered. Now I only make one point and the response has gone up tremendously. I ran an ad last August that is still being talked about by customers today. Now I find that often 30 seconds is too long to make one point. So I posted a note next to my monitor – K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid) One Point Only – to keep me from filling extra time with fluff that detracts from the message I want the customers to remember.
July 24th, 2009 at 12:10 PM
Excellent information. This is good for any copywriter or business person to know and keep in mind before writing their sales pages or releasing any form of advertising.
July 29th, 2009 at 12:55 PM
Thanks for all your comments.