Ooh, you scratched, Paul, where I've itched for years (you also wrote a great post about a topic I've loved for decades...lest there be any confusion....heaven forfend)! As a longtime lover of words, and with a dad who was a radio ad exec (and who suckled at the electronic teat of '60s TV), I've always been fascinated by ad words, and how corps say things in specific ways they want us to hear!
I'll never forget the day Dad came home with a bumper sticker for me that he got from an ad agency (of all places!)...."Eschew Obfuscation." Well, being "just" a high schooler who promptly slapped it onto my back bumper (he warned me I shoulda put it on the back of my car, instead), I had to ask him what it meant! Another piece to the ad-game puzzle!!
Like Apple's ad has always irked me....you KNOW they know that "Think different" flies in the face of grammar/language correctness! Holy adverb, Batman! But, maybe that was their point...sub-consciously, the reader may know that that's "incorrect," but we're now shown that Apple is thinking differently by saying it THAT way! They must have a reason.
And, what's with the periods? I can't think of one, specifically now, but it doesn't matter. Even that pesky Apple ad could be updated to read, agonizingly, "Think. Different." And, why hasn't it? (or, has it?)!!!
Not that they've done it, but we wouldn't be surprised to see this stupidity: "Milk. It. Does. A. Body. Good."!!! I'd love to have been around the conference table of the ad agency who FIRST proposed that grammar-ly abomination! C'mon, candy folks: "M.&.M.s: Melts. In. Your. Mouth."😱
Somebody here, I'm hoping, can come up with a real one...I can't seem to go one magazine or TV show without seeing an ad where all 84 words in their tagline has a period after it!!! Thanks again, Paul.....tantalizingly thought-provoking! How's this? "Paul's Substack: Because. Deplatformable. Newsletter."😉
Mar 20, 2023·edited Mar 20, 2023Liked by 🅟🅐🅤🅛 🅜🅐🅒🅚🅞
Thanks Paul, perfect timing that your post (this post) arrived in my inbox this morning, as I've embarked this past week on my copywriting journey.
I just picked up the audio and print version (4th edition) of Bob Bly's book -- waiting for the print version to arrive in the mail. The audio book is engaging. And, the narrator, Barry Abrams, is outstanding. His voice goes perfectly with this type of content.
Also -- to add to the list, Jim Edwards and his "Copywriting Secrets" book -- with forward by Russell Brunson of "Dotcom Secrets" fame. 'Also delving into Jim's book.
For the latest on what Jim Edwards is up to, check out his "new" site...
I loved reading this, Paul. Lessons to be learned here for anyone who writes, not just copywriting. Thanks for the research you put into this. 💜
Ooh, you scratched, Paul, where I've itched for years (you also wrote a great post about a topic I've loved for decades...lest there be any confusion....heaven forfend)! As a longtime lover of words, and with a dad who was a radio ad exec (and who suckled at the electronic teat of '60s TV), I've always been fascinated by ad words, and how corps say things in specific ways they want us to hear!
I'll never forget the day Dad came home with a bumper sticker for me that he got from an ad agency (of all places!)...."Eschew Obfuscation." Well, being "just" a high schooler who promptly slapped it onto my back bumper (he warned me I shoulda put it on the back of my car, instead), I had to ask him what it meant! Another piece to the ad-game puzzle!!
Like Apple's ad has always irked me....you KNOW they know that "Think different" flies in the face of grammar/language correctness! Holy adverb, Batman! But, maybe that was their point...sub-consciously, the reader may know that that's "incorrect," but we're now shown that Apple is thinking differently by saying it THAT way! They must have a reason.
And, what's with the periods? I can't think of one, specifically now, but it doesn't matter. Even that pesky Apple ad could be updated to read, agonizingly, "Think. Different." And, why hasn't it? (or, has it?)!!!
Not that they've done it, but we wouldn't be surprised to see this stupidity: "Milk. It. Does. A. Body. Good."!!! I'd love to have been around the conference table of the ad agency who FIRST proposed that grammar-ly abomination! C'mon, candy folks: "M.&.M.s: Melts. In. Your. Mouth."😱
Somebody here, I'm hoping, can come up with a real one...I can't seem to go one magazine or TV show without seeing an ad where all 84 words in their tagline has a period after it!!! Thanks again, Paul.....tantalizingly thought-provoking! How's this? "Paul's Substack: Because. Deplatformable. Newsletter."😉
Thanks Paul, perfect timing that your post (this post) arrived in my inbox this morning, as I've embarked this past week on my copywriting journey.
I just picked up the audio and print version (4th edition) of Bob Bly's book -- waiting for the print version to arrive in the mail. The audio book is engaging. And, the narrator, Barry Abrams, is outstanding. His voice goes perfectly with this type of content.
Also -- to add to the list, Jim Edwards and his "Copywriting Secrets" book -- with forward by Russell Brunson of "Dotcom Secrets" fame. 'Also delving into Jim's book.
For the latest on what Jim Edwards is up to, check out his "new" site...
https://copyandcontent.ai/
--Tom