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This will take a little while to explain, but I promise that
the payoff is worth it.
A few cycles ago, I was very concerned about the US presidential
election. So my wife and I donated a vacation level of payment to the campaign
of our choosing. I am also the kind of person that does not believe in half
measures, so I backed up the donation by also putting my feet on the line. On
weekends, I would drive about four hours to a neighboring state (yes, a “swing”
state) so that I could knock on doors and help get out the vote. There was one
experience in particular, from this, that has always stuck with me, and made my
work as a marketing and advertising pro much, much better.
The state in question allowed for early voting, and voting
by mail. So the goal of the campaign was to “bank” as many votes as possible,
by getting as many of “our” voters locked down. Then, the campaign could reach
out to voters who were less likely to get to the polls, or who had no party
affiliation.
The longer you do this kind of work, the more you are around
people who are committed to your candidate’s victory… and the less likely you
are to think charitably of undecided voters, especially those who are in your
own affiliation. On some level, they are worse than people in the other camp,
since they are taking up more of your time and energy. As Election Day gets
closer, it seems more and more irresponsible to be undecided. It is very easy
to go down the mental path, especially at the end of a long day pounding the
pavement, to ask who are these people, really. Maybe, even more darkly, why their
vote should count as much as others, since they are clearly not willing to be
full citizens.
This was all running in the back of my mind one hot Saturday
as I was canvassing an undecided woman, who our records had as in her mid-60s.
As she came to the door, I noticed an elderly woman in the background, and quickly
checked my notes to see if there were other voters in the house that I should
also try to contact… and yeah, there was. Her mother, in her late 90s. But a
quick read of my voter, and the waves of fatigue that were just apparent in her
body language, stopped me short. So I told her who I was, why I was on her
doorstep, and then just listened.
She told me, in a polite but matter of fact manner, that she
was undecided because she never decided before watching the presidential
debates, and that this had been her method for decades. She also told me that
her mother was unable to leave the home anymore, so she worked three jobs to
support them both. My time was probably not going to be well spent talking to
her mother about voting, but I was welcome to, if I liked. I told her about
voting by mail, which was welcome news, as it let her vote without finding
someone to cover the house on that day. I gave her the paperwork and went on my
way.
Now, does every undecided voter have such an incredible
humanity and reason to be that way? Of course not. But was it fair of me to put
all undecided voters into my previous unkind stereotype? No. More importantly,
that negative attitude could easily keep me from presenting the best face for
the cause I was representing.
Now, as to how this relates to copywriting, marketing and
advertising.
There is a tendency, especially when you are working in a
downmarket product or service, to think unkindly of your prospects and buyers. They
only buy on price, or worse yet, because of trends or fads and so on. We need
to distract them with packaging, or branding, or an offer that is not really an
offer. They live where we do not, care about different things, dress and eat
and listen and watch to social and cultural mores that are not our own. We do
our jobs mechanically, or in execution steps to statistical projections, and do
not put ourselves in the shoes of the buyers.
It is, simply, the wrong way to work. It will keep you from
finding the heart in your offer, keep you from acting in the best interest of
the brand, and leave you feeling drained at the end of the day, or just happy
to punch the clock.
Instead, have a moment of charity. Tell a different story
about your prospect. Imagine them to be, as in the case of my caretaking voter,
a person with a kindness of spirit, and challenges, that are far greater than
your own. Consider what small moments of happiness, or relief, or comfort,
could be achieved by the purchase of your products or service.
I promise you, at the end of the process, you will do better
work. You will also, most likely, feel better about what you are doing for a
living.
* * * * *
You have read this
far, so feel free to connect with me on
LinkedIn. I also welcome email to davidlmountain at gmail dot com.
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