Direct Response Copywriter On The Bad Side of Marketing

I’ve been working in marketing for a long time, close to 30 years. As such, I’ve worked with some great marketers and some marketers who are not so great.

What’s the difference?

The great marketers understand what a direct response copywriter can do for them. They actively search for ones who can help them generate significant revenue. Also, the great marketers speak a very specific language …

• Call to action.
• Headline testing.
• Highlighting benefits.
• Cost per acquisition.

The language is precise. They treat direct marketing as a science.

What about the not-so-good marketers? That’s easy. Here’s what I hear … jargon.

• Low-hanging fruit.
• I’ll be untangling the spaghetti here.
• I’m going to bird dog that for you.
• We have to maintain some brand equity here.

What did the great David Ogilvy say?

“Our business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon.”

At the risk of sounding like an ornery so-and-so, I’m not impressed when someone in marketing starts speaking in jargon-ese. I like to spend time with direct marketers. These are my people and I love speaking the language of direct marketing.