Proof that nobody reads copy

Or, maybe proof that yes, they do, too. I mean, you made the enormous leap from that headline to here, right? You're reading copy right now. Don't be ashamed. Everybody does it.

Howard Gossage famously proclaimed that "Nobody reads ads. People read what interests them. Sometimes, it's an ad."

And while we're lauding lions, Dale Carnegie said "People aren't interested in you. They're interested in themselves."

What interests me (and I think you, since you're still reading) is the intersection between those two thoughts. That is, people will be interested in an ad if it is about them.

How do you do that when you are supposed to be talking about somebody else -- the brand? Well, there are lots of ways. Let's look at how this blog post did it.

There are three kinds of people who may see this post. The first is those who skip right by it because it just isn't relevant to them -- they do not see anything of themselves in the idea expressed.

The other two groups, however, do see something of themselves in that header. For one group, the header reinforces a pre-existing belief system -- they agree that nobody reads copy -- and so they read because the idea offers validation. For the second group, the premise contradicts what they believe about reading copy -- it creates cognitive dissonance for them -- and they read to find out why and how someone could think this way.

So in this case, the header provokes a reaction in the reader about their own beliefs, and uses that provocation to invite them to read more. Building ads this way requires real insight into the human truths of the audiences you're addressing.

Of course, there are other ways, as well, some lame, some inspired. We'll cover more of those in later posts. And who knows, maybe you'll even read some of them.