The Wonderful World of Marketing Episode 7: “Copernican Shifts in CPG — Consumer Packaged Goods”
In this episode of “The Wonderful World of Marketing” I spend time talking about how when selling to consumers the obvious approach isn’t always the right approach. Whenever you are working on an advertising campaign, the Copernican Shift you need to entertain is one that is focused on the higher order benefit that will appeal to the buyer — what is the emotional buy that makes the buyer say “that is for me”, versus a description of functional benefits to which we too often default.
John Caples has a great quote on this topic from his book “How to Make Your Advertising Make Money”:
At a recent Direct Marketing Day convention at the New York Hilton Hotel, I made a speech entitled “Is the Market Changing … Or isn’t it? I submitted two conclusions, as follows:
- The methods for conveying sales messages to prospects are constantly changing and improving; and
- The basic sales appeals that have motivated people for centuries have not changed, nor are they likely to change in the foreseeable future.
For example, consider the money appeal. It is modern and it is also ancient. When Dr Samuel Johnson auctioned off the contents of a London brewery, he said: “We are not here to sell boilers and vats, but the potentiality of growing rich beyond the dreams of avarice.
Regarding sales appeals: Many age-old sales appeals continue to win new customers year after year. Here is a list of successful appeals from John Caples:
26 TESTED ADVERTISING APPEALS
- Protect health
- Reduce fat
- Improve appearance
- Get ahead in business
- Make money
- Save money
- Win money
- Cash in on bargains
- Gain social advancement
- Win friends
- Influence people
- Win praise from others
- Gain prestige
- Be a leader
- Have a happy marriage
- Care for children
- Improve education
- Be creative
- Avoid worry
- Avoid drudgery
- Avoid embarrassment
- Avoid discomfort
- Avoid boredom
- Enjoy comfort
- Enjoy leisure
- Attain security in old age