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NewsvineTURNING NEGATIVES INTO POSITIVES
November 13th, 2008by Scott Greggory / BusinessVoice Creative Director
Marcia Yudkin is one of my favorite voices in the world of marketing and copywriting. In her Nov. 12th, 2008 newsletter she writes about turning what may be perceived as a negative aspect of a product or service into a positive selling point.
An ad in Writer’s Digest magazine shows a scene in the woods, with a Marlboro Man type wearing a fringed buckskin jacket, cowboy hat and jeans. His attention is on some sort of device propped on a stump in front of him.
The device is a $219 portable word processor that has been on the market since 1993. I remember considering it ages ago, then rejecting it because of everything it couldn’t do.
Take a look at the marketing copy accompanying this outdoor scene, though:
“No matter where you find yourself, this ruggedly portable, full-size writing tool instantly connects you with your thoughts - and nothing else. No email interruptions. No web-surfing distractions. No game diversions. Just non-stop writing capability: up to 700 hours worth on 3 AA batteries.”
The ad’s one-word headline sums up the product’s weakness creatively transformed into a virtue: “Focus.”
Brilliant!
List the weaknesses of your product or service, squelch the urge to apologize, and instead, conjure up a world in which the shortcomings help rather than hinder.