Apparently the experiment failed.  I gather the public in general was no more thrilled with the new cartons than the blogging world.  According to Roberta Rosenberg (The Copywriting Maven), this failed experiment cost Tropicana $35 million. I appreciate her alerting us to the original change, and the reversal.

Interestingly, I think a year ago I would have been more appalled at the price tag.  Unfortunately, lately the news is full of huge numbers, and $35 million seems, well small.  Compared to the trillions the government is talking about.  Which leads me to another question:  What comes after trillion? According to my dictionary, my first guess was right: quadrillion.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want the government to go there…

Meanwhile, back at my local grocery store…

My local stores were slow to get the new packaging, and still have the new up.  When I look at the cartons, I see a sea of white.  Somehow this sea of white seems more surreal to me than a juice aisle.  It even seems to affect the lighting in that part of the store.  Weird.  And they still remind me of canned generic vegetables.

As I noted in my previous post on this, the generic-type branding looked a lot like the new Pepsi.  Which I’m also not exactly thrilled with.

But, to each his own.

In this case, though, Pepsi also owns Tropicana.  Now the similarity makes sense.  Probably used the same agency to design both.

I wonder if Pepsi is having second thoughts, too?

“IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, …”

It reminds me of the recent economic crisis and various government officials’ responses.  Especially when I hear the ones most responsible are blaming … consumers.  Not acknowledging their own responsibility in the crisis.

The use of the Marketing of Fear seems to have exponentially increased recently.

And I don’t like it.

Some years ago a pharmaceutical rep tried to tell me I couldn’t use a particular antibiotic for pneumonia because it wasn’t licensed by the FDA for that purpose.  In contrast to her drug, of course.  She was wrong.  My choice was a better choice than hers under the circumstances, and completely legal.

Escorting her out of my office, I made sure my office staff knew I wouldn’t see her again.  In retrospect, I probably could have complained to her boss.  But that wasn’t my style.  Today I might react differently.  Probably more assertively.

Over the past few years, our government has jumped on the Marketing of Fear bandwagon big time.  First it was one administration; now it’s another.

During the Great Depression, President Roosevelt reminded Americans in his first inaugural in 1933,

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory.”

In most of our wars, the enemy tried to get us to fear.

Today?

It’s our government.

As Walt Kelly in the Pogo comic strip so brilliantly penned,

“We has met the enemy, and he is us!”

I still don’t like the marketing of fear.

For your reference:  Rudyard Kipling’s full poem IF and FDR’s First Inaugural Address.

You know, where the flashing lights on the futuristic scanner … in reality are just flashing lights. And the original hand-held medical scanners were salt shakers. Ah, the power of the imagination.   Actors and actresses taking the written word and transforming everyday objects into advanced scientific gadgets not yet invented.

All the audience has to do is suspend reality and believe …

Is the power of the imagination — with some savvy marketing — transforming questionable claims into science?

Over the weekend I read where there’s a company allegedly using brain scans to advise political campaigns. Interesting.

Supposedly they use MRI scans to “scientifically” determine people’s reactions to a particular candidate. I’m not convinced the science is that accurate yet. At least not with an MRI. A different scan, well … maybe.

The areas of the brain are not physically mapped like a roadmap. If I look at a map of the Interstate, yes I can find out where the next exit is. And how far I am from it.

But the areas of the brain are not that precise.  There may be some individual varation making pinpoint accuracy impossible.

Additionally, the areas of the brain overlap, as Dr. Sally Satel notes in the February 2, 2009 issue of Forbes notes. She notes that one area of the brain rarely performs only one task.  The same area of the brain may be responsible for multiple emotional responses. Dr. Satel coined the phrase “pseudoneuroscience” to describe the practice of making claims sound scientific by using the term “neuro” in the front of their specialty.

As in neuromarketing.

Neuromarketing reminds me of a course I took once. Billed as an “easy course” (it wasn’t that easy). Because it was given in May and June some of my fellow students dubbed it “Neurogolf.”  So when I hear the term neuro obviously tacked on to the beginning of another word, my first reaction is to stifle a laugh.

Dr. Satel’s full article can be found here.

Congratulations to them. Good for them, right?

Well, maybe…

All three organizations are among the most well known organizations exerting influence in Washington. But two of these organizations are also viewed as among the four organizations having the least amount of power. The survey had an interesting finding, what they called an “equation.”

Trust is inversely related to power.

The organizations that are perceived as the most powerful are the least trusted. And those that are the least powerful are the most trusted.

So, where else is this equation true?

It certainly at times seems to be true in politics. How often do we see an underdog candidate get elected, and then after assuming power, the people’s trust in her falls? Sometimes it’s due to corruption or mistakes in wielding power, and sometimes it’s just due to using power.  Even with integrity.

I’ve seen it in the politics of businesses. Someone from the ranks assumes leadership, and suddenly his decisions are questioned. Not always because he’s made unpopular decisions, sometimes just because he’s made a decision. Any decision.

Which raises several questions, including:

• Where does your organization or business fall on the power – trust equation?
• More importantly, is its place consistent with its mission and values?
• And do your copywriting and marketing materials help or hurt your company’s position in the equation?

I know I’ll be thinking about the power – trust equation when I make decisions about my copywriting and marketing — for both clients and my own business. Perhaps you will too.

The full Harris Interactive Poll results are here.

This week I learned a new recipe for making cookies. And it got me to thinking about how a successful sales letter, in many ways is a recipe.

So, what do you do first when writing a sales letter? Assemble the ingredients? Instead of flour, sugar, shortening, etc., assemble the headline, lead, order form, etc.? No, that comes later.

Maybe you look at the recipe? That way you’ll know what you need. So, for a sales letter you could look at notes on how to write a sales letter, or even look at old successful and unsuccessful ones. Also an important component, but it’s a later stage of the process.

The first thing in cooking you have to do is decide what to make. And likely that depends upon who will eat the finished product. Cookies I make for my dog will be quite different than those for Great Aunt Tillie. At least I hope so!

And my sales letter should be just as customized.

Yes, it’s customized for the client. But even more, it’s customized for the audience. Finding your target audience is one of the earliest steps of a successful sales letter. And no, it’s not as easy as deciding to make Aunt Tillie’s favorite cookies. Unlike Aunt Tillie who told you her favorite cookies, your audience usually isn’t directly talking to you. Finding who they are often requires some detective work.

This time of year I get inundated with solicitations for money. So many are great causes. And just this week I opened one that wasn’t written to me. My professional interest kept me reading. Otherwise, there was no reason for me to read on … let alone give.

And that’s the essence of the first step of writing a sales letter:

Give your reader a reason to continue reading.

Finding that reason depends upon learning about your target audience, focusing in, and finding your elusive dream client.

Before writing a word, your writer should be developing a mental image of your dream client. Knowing her hopes and dreams, where she’s been – and where she’s going.

Only then is it time to start on the next step.

And giving your reader a reason to keep reading is an important part of the entire sales letter.

To be continued …