8 Reason why. Commercials which give the viewer a rational reason why they should buy your product are slightly above average. When Maxim Instant Coffee was launched, the commercials said Maxim was superior because it was freeze-dried. Nine out of ten advertising people will tell you that consumers don’t give a hoot about how products are made. They may be right, but the process of freeze-drying was sufficiently new and interesting to persuade many viewers to try the coffee. 9 News. Commercials which contain news are above average. But even when they have news to tell, which is all too rare, some copywriters underplay it, or leave it out altogether. They should be boiled in oil. Products, like human beings, attract most attention when they are first born. For an old product, you can create news by advertising a new way to use it, like using baking soda to keep refrigerators smelling sweet. 10 Emotion. Researchers have not yet found a way to quantify the effectiveness of emotion, but I have come to believe that commercials with a large content of nostalgia, charm and even sentimentality can be enormously effective. The commercials for Hovis bread in Great Britain and Blitz-Weinhard beer in Oregon strike me as among the most persuasive I have seen. (See this page, this page.) Emotion can be just as effective as any rational appeal, particularly when there is nothing unique to say about your product. ‘But,’ says my partner Hal Riney, ‘here is where things get sticky. Most clients – and I’m afraid most agency people – think the rational appeals for their products are much more important than the consumer thinks they are. If your advertising is going to be successful, if it is going to stand out from the clutter, you must be objective about the benefits of your product. What exactly are the “benefits” of candy bars, cigarettes, soda pop and beer?’ I hasten to add that consumers also need a rational excuse to justify their emotional decisions. So always include one. Above all, don’t attempt emotion unless you can deliver it. Below average 1 Testimonials by celebrities. These are below average in their ability to