Last night I drove past 32 outdoor billboards in Atlanta and of these, 28 had too many words to be read completely in the time that it takes one car to drive by. What happened to the old principle of “six words or less” that I was taught in college advertising? What were you taught?
The same principle can be found violated in revolving banners and headlines on Internet sites. Far too many of them change too quickly to be read, at least by me. What is going on?
7 Words or 75 Characters MAX in type at least 1.5 feet high. Broadcast and print media are so hit and miss these days that advertisers are desperately looking to other media to get their messages across. Instead of creating something short and to the point, they are attempting to cram as much copy as possible into limited space and in so doing are communicating less, not more.
I don’t have a marketing degree (Economics, unfortunately) but having read Frank’s excellent Killer Brands book I can second what Frank and Drew are both saying. Less is more. Keep it simple and limit the message to one that communicates the brand’s compelling focus.
I just started working for a Fortune 50 company and the letters sent to prospective customers lack a headline but, unfortunately, contain a half dozen bullet points that highlight the company’s many attributes.
I think I’ll buy a few of copies of Frank’s book to pass around.
Great book. It is worth reading and rereading by anyone who desires to give their business an edge, and who wouldn’t want that on this economy?