I want to preface this by making a disclaimer: This thread is NOT meant to be a Dave Dee bash, but merely a discussion on a legitimate marketing situation.


In the October issue of MAGIC magazine, Dave Dee has a half page ad advertising a free e-book that is available.

One of the sub-heads says: (A $14.95 Value - Now Yours Free The Asking)

Now, I have heard people say that studies show that errors in ad copy increase responses, etc. etc. but I really don't buy it. I am a consumer, and when I see that, I think to myself "Well, he obviously doesn't care enough or is not smart enough to have someone edit his copy."

I would be interested in hearing other Café members' input and opinions on this topic. Not necessarily with Mr. Dee's stuff, but with any marketing materials. I know I have seen enough flyers where they say "Your" instead of "You're" and things like that.

I'm going to agree with you in saying, as a consumer, I'd be a bit concerned if I get an ad filled with errors. I once received a flyer from someone looking for a business partner. The problem was that he spelled several things wrong. Would I really like to work with someone who can't correst simple spelling and grammar? Heck no!

I can't speak for statistics, but I don't see how anyone would act upon a grammatically incorrect ad faster than a well-written one! Craziness!

Brent,

Personally, I agree with you. I cringe every time I see a typo in ad copy. It's just sloppy, and I am reluctant to do business with that person or company.

That being said, I also cringe every time I hit the submit button without proofreading my posting here on The Café. Invariably there is a mistake I wish I could take back. I hope no one judges me here by the same standards I expect in printed advertisements!

In another discussion forum, I brought up this same topic. Someone else said something very similar to what Jim Snack said.

I am just as guilty as anyone in having typos in my postings here on the Café. However, my postings here are not meant as professional statements and I do not expect potential or current clients to read them.

However, any professional materials that may be seen by clients is gone over several times to make sure it grammatically correct. It certainly helps that my wife was a copy editor for a newspaper for many years.

So, I think that typos in postings on discussion boards in an informal setting are much more acceptable. But I certainly think less of any professional organization that allows them to creep into materials for public consumption. Yes, I realize that to err is human, but these types of errors would be a lot less frequent if people utilized the services of a copy editor or even simply had someone else read through their materials before "carving them in stone."

I have never heard of the theory that errors in ad copies increase responses. I would think they would only increase bad responses. I look at marketing material much like I look at a resume. If I received a resume from a prospective employee with typos it would be filed in the circular file.

Regarding typos in Café postings: After I submit a post I review it one last time and use the edit function if necessary. If I catch a typo a few days later I go back and edit it. An occasional typo is fine but I am often surprised how many 25 word posts have four or five errors in them, sometimes with two different spellings of the same word. (By the way, this statement does not apply to posters where english may not be the primary language).

And do not get me started on formatting of posts, like using all lowercase letters. . .

Here on the Café, we grammar hosts are supposed to catch words spelled wrong, run on sentences (this one seems to be a favorite mistake of many), punctuation errors, subject-verb disagreements (which sometimes turn into an all out war), and other such mistakes. There are only a limited number of grammar hosts and we're kept quite busy.

As for copy that goes out with mistakes: It's flat-out unprofessional and anyone who doesn't take the time to proofread themselves (or hire someone who can) is just a punchline in search of a joke.

In our town, there was once a car repair shop that had a big sign out front that said, "WE DO BREAKS!" I'm sure they meant the brakes that stop your car rather than creating new problems for your car, but after meeting the owner, I was never quite sure.

There's an old adage that says "You never get a second chance to make a good first impression." When your first impression is a piece of copy filled with errors... you may never get the chance to prove your skill as an entertainer.

If you can't proof it yourself.... hire someone who can.

"Walking the Talk" is what pro speakers call it.

If you lecture on time management, you better make sure you return calls promptly
and turn up for meetings on time.

The same with magic and marketing.

I brought this up in another thread when I pointed out a "websites designed to grow your magic business" seller who hosted his own on a "free" banner supported site.

The message was not congruent.

English is a second language to me as it is to the majority of the people in my country. When we write or speak English, we aspire for textbook English elegance. That’s where most of us learned our English, from written texts such as books and newspapers, as opposed to conversations with native English speakers.

Since we try our best to approximate the elegant English we find in books (an elusive dream to many, of course), this try-hard attitude sometimes produces unintentional comedy that is as funny as a stand-up comedy act. In fact, one of the sure-fire ways local comedians use to make their audiences laugh is to speak in broken English. One comedian even made it big time with a stand-up act he delivers in Pidgin English complete with malapropisms, confused syntax and inappropriate idiomatic expressions.

Now what does all this mean in light of marketers who write sloppy ad copies? If marketers show these carelessly written ads to native English speakers/writers, all they may get are grumbling and perhaps few expressions of distaste for such kind of writing. But show those same typos-studded copies to readers whose English is second language, and as sure as night follows day, the readers will roll on the ground laughing. Well, maybe I’m exaggerating. Let’s just say they will laugh out loud.

Do errors in copies increase response? This is urban legend in the same category of courier-font-gets-more-response copy. Funny that some of the new crop of marketers, dazzled by every newfangled marketing strategies that sprout like mushrooms daily, spread this folklore as gospel to sound smart.

Moral of the story---if you want to make sales to the rest of the world (not just in America, England and in other English speaking countries), proof read, proof read and proof read your ads. Otherwise, you’ll hear laughter instead of the cash register ringing.

Ben Benjay
Manila, Philippines

I remember seeing a sitcom in which a storeholder spelt their sign incorrectly so people would come into the shop to tell the owner. Once they were through the door he had them!

In Australia one of the talkshows has a segment where people send in amusing mistakes etc. they have seen. It would be great marketing if you could create a business card with a 'accidental' mistake that had a new funny meaning.

Deliberate malapropisms have been used off and on in advertising for decades in the USA. How effective they have been has been a matter of some discourse in marketing classes and advertising agency planning meetings for just about as long a time.

As an acute sufferer of TYPOchondria (acute typographic dysfunctionality), I can understand someone tripping over a cuticle or hangnail every once in a while on a chat board such as this one. Such mistakes are common practice and should not have an effect on one's marketing efforts, IMPO.

But on marketing materials, unless you know exactly what you are doing, allowing typos to show is a distinctly dangerous thing to do.

As Jon so accurately pointed out, you cannot take back a first impression. But you CAN use a supposed misspelling to your advantage.

Take the example from the post about the auto repair shop, above. "We Repair Breaks." IF they were referring to things that were broken on your car, this would be a not-so-cute play on words. Judging from the rest of the post, it seems more like the sign was a bad typo day, displayed for all the world to see.

Sloppiness does NOT inspire confidence.

And marketing is a confidence game... let me restate that ... Marketing is a game that is BASED on the confidence you build in a client's mind!

Sloppy language, typographical errors and the like do not inspire the confidence of a potential client.

Just my couple of bytes' worth.

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.
http://www.leedarrow.com

The question it raises is How can you be sure your copy is safe?

I have a giant website which I update constantly and because of that I am sure that many mistakes end up on the site.

I can't spell and I can't afford a proof reader twice a week.

Maybe I should run a spot the spelling mistake comp....

Hey Nicholas,

There's a small town just north of Sydney on the Central Coast where there are about 4-5 shops that have their advertising boards
hung upside down outside the shops.

I suppose one of them did it at some time,
it got a good reaction: "your signwriter must have been drunk", etc., and others followed suit.

Deliberate mistake to draw attention.

timothy hyde
http://www.magiccoach.com

Maybe you can barter your services for someone else's. For example, maybe there's an English teacher in your area who has a kid. You offer a birthday party in exchange for their proofreading services for six - twelve months.

Maybe there's a nearby college with an English major looking for something to put on their resume.

I just traded three hours of strolling magic (at a private party) for the legal services we needed when we closed on our house. I got about $1500 worth of advice for a three hour gig. I got a lot more than I would have normally charged.

Maybe we need to start a thread on barter, Jon.

I have used barter for years (always declaring the income with the IRS - you HAVE to) for everything from dental work to putting a new engine in my wife's car.

Using barter for promotional services is a pretty standard practice in a lot of areas - radio stations are famous for it - car dealerships swap car leases for air time advertising, for example.

Maybe this is a thread that we could explore under its own heading?

Regards,

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.
http://www.leedarrow.com