The Rant: Don’t Say It, Prove It

By / October 19, 2009 /

Volume 35 In a Series By Felix

A comedian walks into the spotlight on a small stage. There’s a brick wall behind him, and the audience in front is quiet. The sounds of glasses chink and some people clear their throats, but the anticipation of the comic’s opening line is tangible. He opens his mouth and says, “I’m funny.”

He doesn’t say it in an amusing way. There’s no angle. He repeats the phrase flatly, “I’m funny,” somewhat annoyed that people aren’t reacting. Then he realizes his mistake. He hasn’t explained it enough.

“I’m really funny! I’m so funny you’ll cry with laughter. I am the funniest guy you have ever heard. I’m funnier than the last guy that was on stage. I’m funny, funny, funny. And I want you to leave here tonight knowing in your heart and soul that I was funny. I’m funny!”

The silence is deafening. The audience is confused. Some grumble, some shift in their seats, some start to heckle the comedian.

The comic then puts a sign on his chest that reads “very funny guy” and wears a hat with the slogan “so funny you’ll die laughing.”

As the comedian is booed off stage, he can’t quite figure out where he went wrong. He told everyone he was funny. He had the research that proved people want funny. His agent looked over his routine and doubled the number of times the word funny was mentioned. There was no way they couldn’t have got the message. What went wrong?

This, my friends, is what is wrong with most advertising today.

Brands (through the advertising we create) scream and shout at people, telling consumers what they want them to believe. But they rarely prove any of it.

If we go back to the example, Lewis Black is a great comic because he makes us laugh. He proves that he’s funny. He doesn’t come on stage and beg people to laugh at him. He tells stories and jokes and gets the reaction he wants. It’s a simple premise.

But in the messed-up world of advertising, that simple premise has been lost. The client wants us to tell customers what they want them to think, because proving it “takes too long and it could be lost on people.” (That’s an actual quote I heard recently…I will not name names but you know who you are.)

Banks and insurance companies tell us that they really do give a shit. They care about us. But do they prove it? Not really, and they want us to forget the fact that they shaft us royally up the ass with late fees, rate hikes and bullshit charges. Apparently, that can all be wiped out with an unsubstantiated “we care” message.

Fast food chains tell us that they have tasty food. Honest. I guess it must be true then.

Airlines court us with the promise of a nirvana at 38,000 feet.

Car commercials bombard us with pithy one-liners about their product. But rarely do they even scrape the surface of what is actually under the hood. If you love advertising, good advertising, as much as I do, then you’ll be a big fan of DDB’s early Volkswagen work. If you want advertising that proves it, start there.

Print ads talked about features and benefits of the car in a way that still makes art directors and writers drool. They waxed lyrical about the thickness of the paint, the sturdiness of the chassis and even the dedication of the mechanics. These days, most car ads are just glossy images of the vehicle with some witty non-sequitur stuck at the top.

Want another example of proving it? How about legendary copywriter David Abbott laying underneath a Volvo that is dangling above him. The line – “If the welding isn’t strong enough, the car will fall on the writer.”

I’d say that proves a point.

The way you say something can also “prove it.” Nike rarely goes into the depths of tennis shoe manufacturing. They’re out to prove a different point, but it’s one that they make in every ad. The “Just Do It” philosophy is proven time and again, and it has built a brand worth billions of dollars. Other sports brands try to prove a similar point, but really…do you know what Adidas or Reebok is all about? All they seem to prove in their ads is that they are a Nike wannabe.

Ironically, the advertisers that prove the product on a regular basis are lurking in the shady world of infomercials. Sadly, they prove it in a way that leaves a lot to be desired. But they do actually prove the benefits of the product in painstaking detail. Billy Mays could do it in 30 seconds.

In an advertising world lacking copy, the ability to prove a product or service benefit has also bit the bullet. We need to get back to the roots of good advertising and actually prove our point. Until then, advertising will continue to be Paris Hilton – nice looking but not much going on upstairs.

By the way, if you’re still in the mindset that it’s ok to say it rather than prove it, I’d like to end by saying that this is the best article you’ve ever read.

Oh, and the inspiration for this story came from a small passage in Jeremy Bullmore’s excellent book “Behind The Scenes In Advertising.” If you haven’t already done so, I suggest you all read it. Pronto.