10 Things Never To Do In Your Ads

1. NEVER PROMISE EVERYTHING YOU PLAN TO DELIVER:
Leave something to become the delight factor.

2. NEVER BEGIN A SENTENCE WITH THE WORD "IMAGINE...":
If you're planning to take your customer on a journey of imagination, plunge them into it.

3. NEVER INCLUDE YOUR NAME IN AN AD MORE OFTEN THAN IT WOULD BE SPOKEN IN NORMAL CONVERSATION:
Cramming the name where it doesn't belong is AdSpeak. It worked when there were less ads out there, however do it today and your ad will sound like it was written in the 1940's.

4. NEVER CONJURE AN UNPLEASANT MENTAL IMAGE:
Fear and disgust work face-to-face, but they often backfire when used in mass media.

5. NEVER RESPOND TO A CHALLENGE FROM A COMPETITOR SMALLER THAN YOU:
Drawing attention to a smaller competitor makes them larger in the eyes of the public.

6. NEVER CLAIM TO HAVE EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE:
Most people won't believe you. Instead, tell the public something objective, factual and verifiable that causes them to say, "Wow. Those people really believe in customer service."

7. NEVER MENTION THE RECESSION:
All you are really doing is reminding the customer that now is not a good time to be spending money.

8. NEVER MAKE A CLAIM YOU DON'T IMMEDIATELY SUPPORT WITH EVIDENCE:
Unsubstantiated claims are the worst form of AdSpeak. Win the confidence of the customer by giving them details.

9. NEVER USE HUMOR THAT DOESN'T REINFORCE THE PRINCIPAL POINT OF YOUR AD:
Here is the litmus test: If remembering the humor forces you to recall the message of the ad, the humor is motivated. If recalling the humor doesn't explicitly cause you to remember the ad's main point, the humor will make the ad less effective.

10. NEVER SAY THING IN THE USUAL WAY:
Every form of advertising out there is competing for your attention. Today, we are bombarded with over 5000 messages per day. The mundane, the predictable, the usual are filtered by Broca's area of the brain and rejected from our consciousness. Surprise Broca and win the customer's attention with words and phrases that are new, surprising and different.

(source: Roy Williams, www.wizardofads.com)