Why Vague Claims Flop and Specificity Sells
Another timeless marketing tale, ripped from the pages of Scientific Advertising by Claude C. Hopkins:
Back in the early 20th century, razor manufacturers touted how quickly their devices could complete a shave. All used vague phrases, such as “quick shave,” to state their claims…
…until one manufacturer advertised a “78-second shave.”
The result? “…sensational advances in sales.”
Why? The specific claim (78 seconds) “… was definite. It indicated actual tests,” Hopkins writes. And so the claim was more believable.
Hopkins devotes an entire chapter of Scientific Advertising to “Being Specific” (Chapter 7). The chapter begins:
Platitudes and generalities roll off the human understanding like water from a duck. They leave no impression whatever. To say, “Best in the world,” “Lowest prices in existence,” etc. are at best simply claiming the expected….
But a man who makes a specific claim is either telling the truth or a lie. People do not expect an advertiser to lie. They know that he can’t lie in the best mediums… So a definite statement is usually accepted. Actual figures are not generally discounted. Specific facts, when stated, have their full weight and effect.
Marketers have heeded Hopkins advice ever since…
…and they’ve tested it.
The scientifically proven lesson:
Being Specific Sells
Remember that the next time you make a vague claim in your content.
Test headlines — one with a vague claim, the other with specificity — and see which yields more.
You’ll likely discover, Hopkins got it right in the book he wrote more than a century ago.
On Thursday, Ted Prodromou and I will discuss Scientific Advertising with members of the Mastermind Book Club.
Every month, Ted and I choose a great business book. Members meet near the end of the month (Thursday, 11/21 at 2:30 p.m. ET, this month) to discuss the book and how to apply its lessons.
Club members who don’t attend the meeting can access recordings in our online community.
You canĀ join the ClubĀ for free.
Club members receive email reminders with links to the meeting.
Don't go away yet..
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