The Foreign Language of Advertising

For a spot to work properly, every word needs to be meaningful and contribute toward the goal of getting the listener to do business with the client. Instead, we often sabotage and camouflage the client's message by using meaningless CLICHES.

Webster's dictionary describes "cliché" as a "trite phrase or expression." I call cliches "meaningless words or phrases that take up space and have no place in your client's advertising".

How much harder could we be making it for listeners and viewers to understand our client's messages? If the goal in producing a spot is to communicate as clearly as possible with our audiences, then you can imagine how foolish it would be to write and produce and run your client's copy in a language that nobody speaks. But when we use clichés in our spots, we might as well be speaking in a foreign tongue...and in fact we are.

The irony is that people don't really speak in the foreign language of advertising. But for some bizarre reason many in the advertising community think that spots are supposed to "sound like spots". So we load our copy with the same old lame phrases and subsequently, our spots all wind up sounding like...well...spots.

Always use the "best friend" test on your copy. If you wouldn't say those exact words to your best friend, then the copy sounds contrived not conversational. For example, could you ever hear yourself saying, "Bill and Susan, we've got to hurry! This sizzlin' red-hot summer sale is one sale we can't afford to miss. You'll want to invite the whole family. There will be plenty of top-notch, friendly and eager salespeople to assist us, but only for a limited time. And their service is second to none." No, I don't think so.

Read this list of clichés as though you were conversing with a friend. Then you'll understand how ridiculous they sound in our commercials.

Call our staff of professionals.
Talk to our knowledgeable, trained staff.
Come see our friendly staff of professionals.
You'll love our loyal, dedicated employees.
Talk to our top-notch sales staff.
(Eight) convenient locations to better serve you.
Best service in town.
Serving (your town) since 1995.
Dedicated to serve you.
Service second to none.
Our motto is to serve you.
Working hard to serve you better.
The best kept secret in town.
For all of your _______ needs.
Hurry in today.
But hurry...with prices like these, selection won't last long.
Your premier (product or service) headquarters.
Your low-price headquarters.
Choose from a wide variety of...
Save on a wide selection of...
New shipments arriving daily.
It's a holiday tradition.
Prices have never been lower.
Our loss is your gain.
Save even more.
We're slashing prices to the bone.
You've got to see it to believe it.
Where the customer is king.
We're saving the best for you.
Your low-cost leader.
Come visit our beautiful, spacious showroom.
We've got the wheels and the deals.
You can count on us for the friendliest deal in town.
BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE...
Check out our website at Http colon slash-slash-www dot...
Shop the best and leave the rest to us.
Now, save even more.
We just can't be beat.
We guarantee the lowest prices.
We've withstood the test of time.
We're tried and true.
Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Absolutely everything must be sold.
Everything drastically reduced just in time for this sale.
It's our biggest sales event of the year.
Nothing will be held back.
Just in time for the holidays.
We'll shoot straight with you.
We're number one.
You'll save like never before.
Check out the deals we have in store for you.
We guarantee the lowest price or else!
Prices have never been lower.
Unheard of.
Unbelievable.
The sales event of the decade.
Huge selection.
At clearance prices.
Everything must go.
Find great gifts at great savings.
We're declaring war on high prices.
This is one sale you don't want to miss.
We've lost our lease.
Sizzlin' red-hot summer sale.
You'll want to bring the whole family.
Free balloons and popcorn for the kids.
We won't be undersold.
A (your town) institution.
Not to mention our great food and happy hour specials.
Plenty of eager salespeople to assist you.
But only for a limited time.

Post this list on your wall. Make sure that none of these cliches appear in your spots. If you don't write your own spots, give this list to your copywriters. Show this article to your clients. Explain to them that cliches do more harm than _____, because they just go in one ear and out the _____.





Paul Weyland: 5450 Bee Cave Road, Suite 1-C, Austin, Texas 78746, 512-236-1222, paul@paulweyland.com
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