Don’t make her feel vulnerable, copywriter

Before Chiat/Day created Apple’s groundbreaking “1984” ad… 

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Or Apple’s inspiring “Think Different” campaign… 

Or Gatorade’s iconic “G” logo… 

Chiat/Day was just another startup ad agency trying to grow.

And that meant they needed accounts. Specific, credible accounts. Accounts that said, “See… they trust us, so you can trust us.”

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Yamaha was one of those accounts.

So they went after it. They created a print ad specifically for Yamaha. The goal was to make Yamaha feel special — and give Chiat/Day a chance at earning their business: 

If you can’t read the low-resolution body copy, I recreated it here: 

It’s excellent copy because:

It captures attention. 
It keeps the reader reading. 
It appeals to the prospect’s ego. 

But what really makes this ad a winner (i.e., what makes it effective, persuasive) is the guarantee: 

An offer with a guarantee is going to perform better than the same offer without a guarantee. 

Because buying something can be a vulnerable, scary experience. And the more expensive the purchase, the more vulnerable your prospect may feel… 

Don’t make her feel vulnerable, copywriter. 

It’s bad for business. 

Make her feel at ease: give her a guarantee. It will cut through the tension, especially if it’s: 

• A good guarantee (e.g., “100% money back, no questions asked!”)

• A clear, detailed guarantee (e.g., Chiat/Day’s Yamaha ad has 106 words in the body copy. And the guarantee alone is 48 of those words, 45 percent!)

P.S.

Thanks (in no small part) to the strong guarantee, Chiat/Day won the Yamaha account. And they retained the business for 11 productive years.

If you believe in your product or service (you should, or don’t sell it) and you’re currently running a direct-response ad without a guarantee, add one. 

It will make your offer more credible and increase your conversions.

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