• By Kevin Sinclair
• Published 06/6/2008
• Copywriting

For all practical purposes, ‘words’ have a two-way impact on people in terms of controlling their minds as well as changing their viewpoints completely. In fact, words literally are the ‘final word’ for inducement and allurement. Politicians, public relations professionals, and even elders convey their messages via the ‘word’ route. Such being the ‘power’ of words, their effective use can result in excellent advertising. The use of modern words heightens inquisitiveness. It gives the buyers the feel of being the ‘first’ to try out a new product, thereby giving them the feel of having an upper hand. It has been a general trend, over the years, to advertise ‘laundry’ goods as being better that ever before. Most of the time, such ‘new’ products are a mere contemporary change of the earlier marketed products. However, the words and the newness factor highlighted in advertising together bring around a favorable response of the consumers. The use of power words like ‘Money back guarantee’ help in gaining the confidence of the buyers. These words, at the end of any advertisement, have become an absolute ‘must’. Following this should be the mode of payment and the amount of money to be refunded in case the user does not feel satisfied. Heightening the curiosity level of the people is the basic idea underlying sure shot success of any advertisement. The information crazy audience laps up whatever is offered to them on a new platter. The human tendency is that people do not want to miss trying out a new product and want to have up to date information. Experts of the trade utilize the secret of power words. They pretend to conceal some important information, which is supposed to be revealed only after money is shelled out to try the product advertised.

The word ‘free’ word in the ‘catch phrase’ of any of the message is actually

magical. Such a message sinks into the psyche of the buyer tempting him to go in for the free service. However, it is tightrope walk alluring consumers this way; and any breach of trust can result in losing a prospective customer. Most of the time, ISP filters of websites block the ‘free’ word, fearing it to be spam, and hence the word appears as FR~E. Another important word used in the field of advertising is ‘You’. Pointing straight at the consumers, the word ‘You’ adds a personal touch to the product or service advertised. A good seller should think as a buyer, and work out methods to sustain their interest, without ever letting it fall. Once this is done, let the buyer know that the product is an exclusive one, particularly meant for ‘You’. This way the buyers can be easily reached. Another power word is ‘immediately’ – it indicates the sense of urgency. This is one word that influences the buyer a lot, urging him/her to avail the benefits of ‘Now’. Give the buyer an impending feeling of possession – and see the power of the wonderful word ‘power’. It gives the buyer a sense of desire for going in for such a product that he/she was hitherto lacking.

In a nutshell, the foundation of advertising business lies in understanding consumer need and working out an effective plan towards fulfilling those particular needs. Rather than a mere statement of the facts, a good advertisement should allow the consumer to visualize the benefits of the product. Take the example of an advertisement for a digital camera – simply talking about its in-built memory of 1 GB would not be enough. Try to change the statement into adequate memory space for 50 videos or 350 pictures. This alteration offers an answer to a question in the mind of the consumer. It is practical to take cues from the sentence structure of successful advertisements of a similar product. Once the sentence to be highlighted has been decided, add zing to the overall campaign with a judicious use of selective ‘power words’.