I’m watching a big box set of DVDs at the moment. I paid for them. I’m an honest, legitimate, fee-paying customer and yet I have to waste about five minutes per viewing session watching a compulsory ‘piracy is theft’ video.
It’s the same at the cinema. Even, computer games now come with elaborate copy protection that resembles spyware.
Pirates have software that strips these messages out. They don’t care and they don’t suffer. So, why punish the innocent?
This got me thinking. Do freelancers punish their clients by making life more difficult for the good clients simply because the occasional bad client doesn’t brief well or pay on time? (See Writers are from Mars, Clients are from Venus for more on this theme.)
The same point also applies to marketing copy in general. Most potential customers are looking for the information they need to make a purchase decision. They want straight, objective information that helps them choose. Yes, there are emotional aspects to their decision and it does no harm to highlight the emotional aspects of the product or service too. If you can explain how it will make the customer’s life richer, simpler or happier, go for it.
But the temptation is to pack the copy with hype, usually in the form of adjectives, and clichés in the hope that this will make the customer buy. In an age where competitors, comparison sites and real customer reviews are a Google search away, this kind of hard sell is simply counter-productive. Like DVD piracy messages, it is just punishing the innocent.
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“In an age where competitors, comparison sites and real customer reviews are a Google search away, this kind of hard sell is simply counter-productive. Like DVD piracy messages, it is just punishing the innocent.”
I agree, the piracy messages are irritating… But may be informative? Erm…? I feel that the message should be less dramatized and more upfront. Despite what “wired” says I believe console piracy is at its highest. I mean look at craigslist… Wii software mods are one of the booming “services” people are offering on there… And I actually got in contact with a few of them and none of them knew that what they were doing was in conflict with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.
I offend refereed them to this article:
http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/05/student-arrested-for-modding-xbox-consoles/
Also…
Personally if I was developing a “high tech” program I’d require server side communication to prevent piracy. But as of right now I believe free software + sponsors = where the money at…
P.S sorry that my comment is structured poorly.
.-= Mr Leet´s last blog ..Custom css for author comments on wordpress =-.
Very interesting point.
I think the hype comes from wanting to sound good without putting the effort of learning the product (rational factual information) or what the clients need (emotional appeal).
Today, when you have so many marketing materials – different pages on the website, white papers, brochures, product pages, blog posts, ads, etc. it’s not so difficult to balance the rational and emotional messages.
Einat – I think that’s exactly right. Without any enthusiasm or understanding on the product, all a writer has to fall back on is hype. This is perhaps the central argument in favour of specialist copywriters.
Enthusiasm, that’s a good word. Thank you.
By specialist copywriters you mean people who specialize in a specific field or specialize in copywriting?
I love to learn about new products and service, so I work with clients in many fields. But this means that if I’m taking on a project in a new field, I’ll have to invest more in research. It may not be the most profitable, but fun is more important.
By specialists, I mean both specialist copywriters and subject specialists.
I completely agree with you that getting to know a new company and their products is one of the more satisfying parts of the job. Curiosity is a necessary qualification for copywriting.
I am definitely with you Matt. I could certainly due without these messages since I “legally” rented the movie!