All advertising aims to influence the skeptical, to induce belief — and buying! — in the face of mistrust and cynicism.

But 94% of ads use strategies that do not and CAN NOT work on the skeptical. Specifically:

  • Claims,
  • Boasts, and
  • Positive positioning.

All claims about Performance, 4-out-of-5 Experts, Family-Owned, 5-Star Service, In Business for XX Years, Warrantees, Guarantees, Licensed-Bonded-Ensured, and so on, fail in the face of skepticism.

There are only three strategies scientifically proven to work for that job:

  • Flattery
  • Storytelling
  • Demonstrations

Flattery

Yes, flattery works even when people suspect that you’re just buttering them up. To quote Mae West: “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

Psychologists explain it via “dual attitudes.” Their research shows that receiving flattery — even with an obvious ulterior motive — creates two coexisting attitudes:

  • Explicit Attitude: This is the temporary, conscious judgment we form when we recognize insincerity or an ulterior motive, and momentarily discount the impact of the positive compliment. This fades the moment we stop thinking about it.
  • Implicit Attitude: This is the immediate positive emotional response that the flattery creates, which bypasses the conscious mind’s critical analysis. This gut feeling leaves a lingering positive impression that outlasts the conscious discounting and influences later behavior.

In the studies, ads that flattered the customer outperformed regular ads by 50%!

Yes, flattery can be subtly and skillfully executed or ham-fisted, but when was the last time you came across an ad that even attempted to flatter the audience the way this postcard, sent to Mercedes owners, flatters its intended audience:

Storytelling

Research shows that stories influence even when the audience is told that the story is false or fictional vs. when they’re told it’s a “true story.”

Pull an audience into a story, and it’ll still persuade them even if they suspect an ulterior motive, embellishment, or slanted, one-sided perspective.

In fact, you may recognize that the previous postcard example uses both storytelling and flattery, which is why this mailer and associated campaign, created by my colleague Chuck McKay, increased sales to the point where Mr. Beckley was able to hire a manager and travel the world as a rich, absentee owner.

Want another storytelling example? Try this gem for Tootsie Pop, which ran unchanged for decades, boosting sales the entire time:

 

Again, a story can be skillfully told or butchered, but when was the last time you came across an ad that entertained through story rather than boasted through claims?

Demonstrations

I’m a huge fan of Demo Ads precisely because they work. People naturally believe the evidence of their own eyes in a way that melts through prior skepticism.

The catch?

You have to have a product or service that’s demonstrable. Think Polaroid Cameras, Ginsu Knives, OxiClean, or this beautiful demo from Tesla:

 

So if you have a demonstrable product, by all means demonstrate it in your ads!

But if you don’t, stick with storytelling and flattery to outpace and outgrow 94% of the competition.

And if your competitors are already using storytelling and flattery, hire a creative team more skillful with those tools to become a rich, absentee owner yourself.

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