Is This Smart Copywriting?

[seolman]

What a great thread. I'm late (as usual).

I loved his rewrite of the banner ad for one simple reason: it made people make a decision. That is what great ad copy does - it involves the audience. Who cares if he included Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts or Joe's Cafe down the street? He told the reader "I care about your opinion! Give it to me!"

Some of the respondents will like the coffee better and become customers, some won't like his coffee but may become customers anyway just for the fact their opinion mattered.

Any action that gets a person involved in your product is a good one in my opinion. You have 0% chance of converting a client who never tries your product. Great marketers take chances to get people to try their product. This guy just gave a class in how to do that.

[vangogh]

You can be excused from being late since you were dodging the moving earth.

I think the Starbucks part is mostly irrelevant. It could have been any other coffee shop. Starbucks just happens to be the most popular so why not mention them. The taste test is a good idea. Get people interacting with you instead of having them passively listen is always good.

People don't want to be sold to. They don't want marketing messages pushed at them. But if you can get them involved in some way they become receptive to what you have to say without having to oversell to them.

[seolman]

Originally Posted by vangogh

People don't want to be sold to. They don't want marketing messages pushed at them. But if you can get them involved in some way they become receptive to what you have to say without having to oversell to them.

Well put. This is indirectly related to a great management rule (passed on to me by a great mentor of mine): do SOMETHING! Facts and figures are great but don't sit around and waffle, posture or pontificate - make a decision! Use that same idea in your marketing. Make your audience do something or leave.

Sorry to harp on about this but Marketing is what I've done for years. If your message doesn't make your audience take action it's a dead ad. It just sits there..sort of waffling or pontificating or posturing like "we're the best!"

OK - I feel better now

[vangogh]

do SOMETHING! Facts and figures are great but don't sit around and waffle, posture or pontificate - make a decision!

Yep. I know it's easier said than done for many, but it's important to take action and do something.

[Marcomguy]

This post is only tangentially related to the thread, but since we are talking about Peet's and Starbucks, here's a link to a Consumer Reports article on the results of their coffee taste test.

Neither Peet's nor Starbucks was judged the best. Long-time CR readers can probably guess which brand won.

[vangogh]

Eight O'Clock does make good coffee. I'd like to see where Dunkin Donuts rated.

[seolman]

OUTRIGHT BRIBERY HAD TO BE INVOLVED! Nobody can beat the taste of Costa Rican Tarrazu coffee...sorry. Not that I'm biased or anything.