Why the truth isn’t the truth until people believe you
Brands love using superlatives and claiming that they are the best in their industry. Or the cheapest in their category. Or that they offer the simplest way to do something (*cof cof startups are the worst*).
But why would consumers believe these brands?
The problem with using superlatives is that they make you sound like a sneaky car salesman.
This is why saying how your brand is distinct (rather than better) is waaaay more persuasive in winning people’s eyeballs, hearts and wallets.
Kazakhstan is a pretty culturally conservative country where women are expected to be stay-at-home moms and nothing else.
Business meetings are quite formal. And it is considered unacceptable to invite a woman to a business negotiation.
Also, contrary to what’s normal in the Western World, discussing women’s rights is a taboo topic.
Yet, facts tell a different story.
The truth is, women contribute to 40% of Kazakhstan’s GDP. Women run 43% of all Kazakhstan’s small and medium sized businesses. And 52% of Kazakhstan’s sole proprietors are female.
ForteBank is a Kazakh bank that supports many businesses owned or run by women.
In 2019, ForteBank created a perfume called “Forte Femme” to celebrate female entrepreneurship.
Then ForteBank sent the perfume to 2,000 Kazakh female entrepreneurs and invited them to spray the “Forte Femme” fragrance on their tenges (Kazakhstan’s currency) and put that cash back into the economy.
That way the scented banknotes would spread all over the country.
A week before International Women’s Day, people started noticing that their tenges had a different yet nice smell.
Then ForteBank launched a National ad campaign to reveal that a bank was behind the scented banknotes and remind people how women deeply impact Kazakhstan’s economy.
If you want people to believe you, make a distinctive claim, not a superlative claim.
Takeaways for your business:
1. When you write copy avoid making superlative claims. Always tell a believable truth.
Because as ad legend Bill Bernbach once said, “The truth isn’t the truth until people believe you, and they can’t believe you if they don’t know what you’re saying, and they can’t know what you’re saying if they don’t listen to you, and they won’t listen to you if you’re not interesting, and you won’t be interesting unless you say things imaginatively, originally, freshly.”
2. Making a distinctive claim (and backing it with evidence) is 10x more persuasive than saying that your brand is the best/ the smartest/ the cheapest/ the simplest / the blablaest something.
If you don’t believe me, look at Pet Shop Boys.
The British band has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, and were listed as “the most successful duo in UK music history in the 1999 edition of The Guinness Book of Records.”
The Pet Shop Boys didn’t become popular because they claimed they were the best Pop Band in the World.
Pet Shop Boys became popular because they positioned themselves as “a fringe theatre company”. And they backed that claim with their odd, colorful costumes...AND synth pop songs that had a very quirky and unique Pet Shop Boys vibe.
3. If your sales are flat or your brand is dealing with reputation problems, don't change the product. Change your promise.
Your pal,
🚀 Founder & Chief Copywriter: Teardwn
💌 Newsletter: Creative Samba
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