The advertising business is rife with hyperbole. It’s everywhere.
Our products are always the best, the cheapest, the easiest to use. Our employees are smartest, the friendliest, the most responsive. Our companies are the most successful, the most generous, the most reputable.
All this self-boasting … it really makes you appreciate the long-time “We Try Harder” advertising slogan in which Avis admitted to being second to Hertz – or was it the other way around?
I guess there is nothing wrong with all this hype. People have come to expect it in advertising … that is to say they pay no attention to it.
But sometimes it can backfire on you …
We have a coffee shop nearby that won’t sell you a small coffee. Nope, it’s just Large, Extra Large and Jumbo.
Which is fine until someone orders a Large Coffee (without looking at the menu) and gets their smallest serving.
In this case, everyone loses. The customer doesn’t get what he is hoping is the largest coffee on the menu and the coffee shop makes a smaller sale.
Many restaurants use this type of hyperbole to convey the fact that they offer generous portions. But customers aren’t fooled by it – never have been. If your portions are generous, word will get out.
In the meantime, use words that are familiar to your customers. Words like Small, Medium and Large are just fine.
———-
Written by Bob McCarthy
This article may be reprinted without permission as long as the article includes the following credit: Bob McCarthy is a freelance copywriter and consultant specializing in direct marketing and lead generation. His website is www.mccarthyandking.com. He can be reached at 508-473-8643 or by email at bob@mccarthyandking.com
- A High-Wire Act for Today’s Marketers - January 28, 2021
- Is it content – or just copy? - May 26, 2020
- How you can – and why you should – use your website to teach - May 12, 2020
- How to Generate Qualified Leads with Lead Surveys - March 1, 2020
- Gaps in your Email Schedule – and how to avoid them - September 4, 2019
- The Dizzying World of Letter Mail - July 22, 2019
- Do you have an Information Kit? - June 25, 2019
- Direct Mail and Those Pesky Millennials - November 8, 2017
- Landing Pages: Do you need a squeeze page or sales page – or both? - May 31, 2017
- Do you have the patience for content and inbound marketing? - May 6, 2017