Filter by/
Region/  All
Type/  All
Sorted By/  Most Recent

“Think different” was Apple’s slogan

By / / In Insight /
Over the next few weeks, we'll be bridging the gap between data insight and effective action. Once described by David Ogilvy as knowing “more about direct marketing than anyone in the world", Drayton shares his exclusive straight-shooting wisdom right here on the GMA. He reminds us all of what really matters: persuasive copy that gets results.
“Think different” was Apple’s slogan

“Think different.”

Ungrammatical: but good advice. Apple Think Different

An entertainingly vitriolic new book and a Spectator magazine online event reinforce its wisdom.

“Thinking Backwards” is an event featuring Rory Sutherland and Matt Ridley that took place on September 1st.

Steve Harrison’s, “Can’t Sell Won’t Sell” preaches a similar sermon from a different perspective.

Their thesis? If you do what everyone else does you’ll get what they get. Less than you deserve.

(I’ll declare my interest: both Steve and Rory started their marketing careers with me at Ogilvy & Mather.)

Many people believe to succeed today you must be “creative”, different and original, ignoring tested techniques that have worked since modern advertising began.

Steve shows how today’s marketers consider selling so beneath them that they’ve forgotten what pays them – which is sales. So being different now means, well, just selling.

David Ogilvy gave the facts simply. “No sell, no eat”.

>> Get more insights from Drayton and other marketing leaders straight to your inbox. <<

If you plan to make a living in this recession you’d better focus on persuading people to buy what you offer.

And a very, very simple formula shows you how. It is Attention, Interest, Desire, Action – AIDA.

However I have always added a C – AIDCA.

The C stands for Convince.

It’s not easy to seize people’s attention, interest them enough to desire your offering, then make them act.

But your hard work is wasted if you don’t convince them. And in today’s fake news jungle it’s harder than ever.

That is why the testimonial is powerful – and essential.

How many have you got? Do you collect them? Are they boldly displayed on your website?

Do I practice what I preach? There’s a glut of testimonials on DraytonBird.com – plus an offer at the top right of a free copy of the wisest and shortest book about advertising ever.

Drayton Bird
Author: Drayton Bird

Drayton has helped sell everything from Airbus planes to Peppa Pig. His book, Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing, out in 17 languages, has been the UK’s best seller on the subject every year since 1982. He has also run his own businesses in the U.K., Portugal and Malaysia.

Leave your thoughts

Related reading

  • Keep up to date with global best practice in data driven marketing

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.