TRUTH IN ADVERTISING
Would you buy a product, say it is a car, which is described as... "This car is yellow and is in good condition"
or if it was described as...
"Bright, sunny yellow exterior with black leather interior, this car has all the features of a new one; mag wheels, metallic paint, tinted windows, leather steering wheel, sat nav,..."
In the second description the copywriter has placed the necessary 'spin' to entice a buyer, the first one is just a statement. Both statements are true it is just that the second one highlights the car's best properties, the fact that the car is ten years old is simply omitted. It is here that the copywriter's job becomes important, highlight the best features only, the rest is superfluous. The buyer will find out the rest about the product when they see it and decide to purchase or not
Property advertising is a big user of 'spin'. Real Estate agents and copywriters are notorious for using adjectives to the product's advantage and they 'bend the truth' to make the property seem so much better than it really is.
For example: A two bedroom home in an inner city suburb could be described as just that,
"Two bedroom brick home in inner city", however a real estate copywriter would embellish it to read:
"Beautifully appointed two bedroom terrace featuring off-street parking, close to transport, modern appliances in recently restored kitchen, two fully tiled bathrooms...".
The truth is the terrace is on a busy street (close to transport), parking is in the driveway (off-street), the kitchen may need work (recently restored), the appliances may need updating (modern appliances). Basically, when it comes to real estate advertising the buyer has to read between the lines, or at least, understand real estate jargon.
A good real estate copywriter will know the 'tricks of the trade' and will be able to 'extend the truth' so as to entice people to come and look at the property, it is from seeing the house/apartment/shop that the buyer will make a decision. The copywriter's job is to get people to the site, it is up to the real estate agent to actually sell the property.
If there were truth in advertising many of the more creative ads would be quite boring, they just wouldn't be funny, sales wouldn't be great and, quite frankly, no one would watch them. There goes the whole industry!
Advertising, Public Relations and Marketing are industries that thrive on creativity (insert 'spin' here) so it is up to the consumer to decipher what is being said and what is actually the truth.
ABC1 in Australia has an excellent show where a panel of industry heavy weights decipher ads and the industry. It is called 'The Gruen Transfer' which airs on Wednesday nights at 9pm. For anyone who is studying in media and communications, or is a budding copywriter, it certainly would not hurt to watch this show, it is very interesting and funny. Who knows you may even learn something about the Advertising industry.
About this Author
MPG Communications can help you with SEO copywriting, articles for websites and assist with design where necessary. Many years experience in the Advertising, Public Relations and Marketing Industries, Marie will be able to assist your business with writing concise copy to suit your products.
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