Kranz On Copy: Insights and answers on copywriting and writing copy

Just this morning I heard an interesting piece on NPR about the first hydrogen-powered car to be fully used and tested by a consumer.

For us writers/marketers, there were a few things of even greater interest than the content. First, the "frame" of the piece: on the radio, the lead-in (and the close, too) talked about "the million dollar car." Brilliant! Lead with another story about an energy-saving car and all you'll get is yawns, but introduce a "million dollar" car and everyone wants to know all about it.

(An aside: Big round numbers can be crucial. I once read about a high-end stereo speaker manufacturer who struggled to sell it's $60,000 speakers. They turned to a marketing consultant who offered one piece of advice -- raise the price by $40,000 to $100,000. They did, and they enjoyed record sales. Why? Because a $60,000 pair of speakers is merely expensive; a $100,000 pair of speakers is a story.)

Then there was this tidbit: the actual driver didn't pay $1,000,000; he was leasing the car for $500/month as part of a test program. Why not just let him drive it for free? Because the company (Honda) thinks it will get better feedback from someone who's paying for the car.

Again, bravo! Too much market research is undermined by fundamental flaws in either the researcher's assumptions or in the way the data is gathered. Here, the psychology is spot on. People don't like to look gift horses in the mouth, but they're damned keen on finding and reporting flaws in the rides they pay for.

One last thing worth noting. While the radio spot emphasized the "million dollar" angle and the back story behind the research, the written article on the NPR website downplays both (describing, for example, the $500 lease as a "discounted" price in exchange for the feedback). The article is competent yet journeyman's work; the radio spot reflects the intelligence of an editor who really understands audience.

When I was in college (Rutgers), I bussed tables at New Brunswick's first restaurant to aspire to haute cuisine status, The Frog and the Peach, sited in a renovated 19th century newspaper printing plant. The Frog featured a stunning Tiffany (or Tiffany-like) skylight, a grand oak bar pulled from an abandoned Brooklyn speakeasy, outstanding "modern American" food (with a sophisticated French accent) and a small, but expertly selected wine list.

As you may know -- or suspect from the mark-ups on restaurant bottles -- wine is an important part of restaurant economics. At some point, wine service must have become a little sloppy because the manager called for a staff meeting to talk about wine. This was not punitive: no accusations were made and, in fact, he positioned the meeting as a refresher in basic service skills.

He talked about the usual things, such as presenting the cork and pouring out the first sample sip, but I'll never forget the main point he made, the one thing he insisted we should remember above all else: No matter what happens, maintain control. "Even if the bottle explodes," he said, enacting a complementary and very funny pantomime, "remain nonchalant, as if you had expected it to explode -- 'Ah! I see the bottle has exploded. Very well.'"

I think that's terrific advice for anyone in any kind of service business, including copywriting. (Though my pen has yet to explode. So far.) It's not just a matter of decorum; our clients often take their cues from us. If we appear to be panicked, they're more likely to perceive a cause for alarm. If we remain composed, they'll tend to believe that the situation is under control -- a helpful bit of self-fulfilling prophecy for those times when chaos seems to have the upper hand.

I recently experienced a laptop/projector snafu that delayed my speaking presentation by 15 minutes. But somehow, miraculously, I didn't lose my cool. And because I didn't lose my cool, I didn't lose my audience. I got through it and they, seeing that I wasn't alarmed, got through it with me. After the problem was solved, I made an apology and a brief, self-deprecating joke, and the show went on.

Have you had similar experiences?

If you're in the Greater Boston area, I hope you'll join me and the Publicity Club of New England on Tuesday, December 13 for my hands-on writing workshop, B2B Web Power: How to Find, Create and Write the Content You Need, Fast. Follow the link for program details and registration information.

Last week, Massachusetts' first Ikea store opened in Stoughton. I tried to make it there yesterday with my family, but after a long hour in which the traffic inched forward on a narrow two-lane road, we questioned an Ikea shuttle bus driver headed in the opposite direction; he said we had another hour ahead of us. We baled out and went to Boston's North End for dinner instead.

But here's what's really blown my mind about Ikea: an interview with Ikea Group president Anders Dahlvig that appeared in Thursday's Boston Globe Business section. In it, he says that, "Our quality is OK, but there is more to do," and "in the 1980's, we had a lot of problems with quality." When asked if he owned Ikea furniture, he said, "about 50 percent."

If an American executive had been asked the same questions, you know what you'd get: "Of course, all my furniture is Ikea. We're committed to quality! It's job #1. [Oops, that might be taken...] We're proactively looking for news ways to make our quality even better!!!"

Executives say these kind of things because that's what they're trained to do. Be positive. State missions. Spin for advantage. This, we're told, is "effective" communicating. You know, the kind that "interacts" with consumers and "builds bonds."

Of course, it doesn't. But difficult realities rarely trump heart-felt illusions. So we exaggerate, boast and preen. And the real result is lost credibility. Or worse, a collective yawn from the masses.

Mr. Dahlvig served it up straight. And what he said wasn't all positive and glowing. Some of it may have been, by our American standards, ill-advised.

But you know what? I believe him. And when the traffic finally clears (February, perhaps?) I'll make that trek to Ikea.

If you're in the Greater Boston area, I heartily invite you to participate in my upcoming seminar, Collateral with Conviction: How to write sales support materials that really resonate with customers. I'll expand the thoughts I present in my MarketingProfs.com article, 8 Killer Alternatives to Crummy Collateral, with practical suggestions and step-by-step recommendations for creating printed matter that moves prospects closer to the sale.

Who: Sponsored by the Boston chapter of the Business Marketing Association (BMA)
When: Thursday, November 17 at 6:00 pm
Where: Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA
How: Register online here.

Working on a project that's got you stumped? Bring it (or at least your thoughts about it) with you -- I'll be happy to discuss it during the Q&A period.

P.S. If you haven't done so, please consider signing up for my free e-newsletter, Kranz On Copy.

A few weeks ago I went to the Software 500 conference in Cambridge, MA and caught Larry Weber's keynote on the new world of software marketing. I know a summary doesn't do his presentation justice, but in essence Weber said the old world of sales, direct, brand advertising and PR is giving away to an omnipresent digital marketing universe of "virtual" communities constructed through websites, online forums, blogs and other Internet-related tools.

It was an impressive show and probably right on target, yet when it came to Q&A, the room (of about 200+ people) was oddly silent. Why?

I probed a few attendees for their impressions. Most were quite impressed with Weber's vision. But a few common concerns emerged, time and again. Who's going to do all this work? Where will the money come from? Where do we start?

In general, Weber spoke from his experience working with the top handful of multi-billion dollar, money-is-no-object technology enterprises. But at the conference, his audience was made up of professionals from much smaller companies, many with what I call "slash" titles: marketing/sales; investor relations/communications; PR/marcom; etc.

Their concern? How to translate a grand vision into a practical plan a smaller company can implement. Unlike the giants, they have to make hard choices about where to put their money, who to assign to various projects, and how to determine priorities.

I see this dilemma all the time. Big ideas are fine. But for most of us, most of the time, they aren't useful until they're translated into practical tactics.

How are you applying the latest "visions" for the future?