All You Need is a Good Idea!: How to Create Marketing Messages that Actually Get Results

Chapter 10. RELEVANT SHOCK

It's no surprise that everyone likes a surprise. Well, perhaps people only enjoy a pleasant surprise. But pleasant or not there is still something about a shocker that makes us pay attention.

It is easy to attract attention with a graphic or combination of words. If you just want to invite attention, just do something really outrageous. How about a nice juicy profanity, splashed across the center of the page in a vibrant contrasting color from the rest of the message? Do you have one selected? Go ahead, put it down. Feel good about it? Fine. But there is one problem, which you may have anticipated. While it may prove easy to get someone's attention this way, what actual good does it do you? If it has nothing to do with what you are trying to accomplish, what does it matter if people read your headline? Obviously only a segment of the world out there has any interest in your Phufkels to begin with. So attracting the attention of someone who has no need for a Phufkel will not be very beneficial in your quest to sell more of them. You are not interested in how large an audience you reach with your message. You are more interested in reaching the audience who might use your product or service.." Getting a bald man to look at your ad for a hairbrush because you have gotten his attention will not do you much good. And a nice juicy curse word won't really help your business, unless your Phufkels are unabridged dictionaries. While it is easy to get people to look ...