Emotion vs facts

Factual accuracy is one of the bedrocks of copywriting, but have recent events shown that emotion Trumps logic?

Copywriters have many hats to wear. To sell, to persuade, to excite. All of these. But they also have to tell the truth.

In the UK we have a venerable and respected institution called the Advertising Standards Authority that polices British ads. Ads have to be truthful, but must also steer within a set of defined rules on the presentation of alcohol and so on.

Facts

Some copywriters will agree that such restrictions can squeeze creativity. Why not say a new car will make your hair grow back? It’s bollocks that’s why and apart from anything else, such claims will undermine your brand and your messaging.

But others see these restrictions as a way to free copywriting and explore new ways to approach selling something.

One example is the selling of paracetamol. After a series of tests, I’m told that the marketing department of Anadin wanted to show that their new product worked more effectively than other brands.

Anadin 'Nothing Acts Faster' TV ad - 30 sec advert by afcagabber

However, in clinical trials the paracetamol or aspirin entered the bloodstream of subjects at exactly the same rate whether it was Anadin, a competitor or an unbranded alternative. The tablet was not the defining factor. How human stomachs work was.

So some bright spark at Anadin’s agency realised that the slogan ‘Nothing acts faster’ would be both persuasive and true, although it does at first glance imply that Anadin will cure your headache more quickly than an alternative. The truth is that they will all cure it at the same rate.

But this ingenious use of language, in use since 1955, endures. And illustrates how facts can be used to portray something and give the consumer confidence in your brand and steer carefully just within the boundaries of truth. Note, some say 'nothing acts faster' is a non sequitur, implying that taking nothing would get rid of your headache more quickly than taking Anadin.

Emotion

But there is another component to copywriting, which is to raise an emotional response.

Again, if you have a headache, then ‘nothing acts faster’ will work because you will want to rid yourself of your headache as quickly as possible, which the venerable ad above shows. With headache - stressed, unhappy. With Anadin - jovial, bright, actors in white coats add to the authority of the message.

Interestingly, in the UK political advertising is exempt from the Advertising Standards Authority, which means that politicians can say anything in support of their stance, and this puts some of the arguments for Brexit into perspective. If the much-quoted £350 million figure is a lie, it’s because this is a lie the teller can tell and get away with.

Simplicity

If you have been curious as to how ‘The’ Donald Trump has progressed so far in the US presidential race, it’s partly because of his ‘huckster’s knack’ of language (as described in the video below) and is a case study in the power of simple language:

This should also be a guide to conveying a message clearly. Ad the video shows, Trump uses very simple, almost monosyllabic language. This is also nothing new, but remains a guide on how to reach as many people as possible. Be simple and clear. It's a trick well known to be employed by the daily tabloids, with The Sun known to be the easiest newspaper to read, using simple language. It is also persuasive, using emotive adjectives, much like Trump does, to get the point across.