The “Ahhh!” That Refreshes

One of the talents good copywriters bring to the table is the ability to add an emotional component to the sales pitch. By inventing some word or phrase that embodies an emotion, a copywriter adds that extra layer of persuasion that might make the difference between an average success and a rip-roaring, break out the champagne and give the copywriter a bonus success.

I’m getting older – and for a guy who offers professional copywriting services, that means many of my examples are from my days as an callow youth. You may, if you’ve reached your fifth decade remember "Mmm Mmm Good!" (Campbell’s Soup)

What a grand idea. Describing soup as "Mmm Mmm Good!" is far better than any ordinary words the copywriter could have used, like tasty, delicious, satisfying, exciting or exhilarating. That one phrase got a generation or two of kids to like eating soup.

Most Everyone is familiar with the beverage commercial showing a person just after they’ve downed a healthy amount of whatever’s being advertised. He or she looks at the drink and goes "Ahhhh". Don’t laugh. We all do it. And we all understand it. It means "this is good; this is refreshing; this hit the spot". Now here’s the little secret. It’s almost impossible not to go "Ahhh!" after taking a big swig of whatever. Here’s why.

When you prepare to take in a goodly amount of liquid (water, beer, soda, etc) you first take in a breath, then you hold that breath and drink. (Think about it…if you tried to breathe while you’re drinking you might just drown.) When you’ve finished your swallow you, by necessity, release your breath and out comes… "Ahhh!".

So whatever great advertise first thought of this as a way of showing that their drink is so refreshing and wonderful, the drinker can’t help but express extreme satisfaction. And people associate your beverage with exactly the quality that moves them to buy. "Ahhh!"

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For over 30 years I have been giving branding and copywriting advice to many businesses. I love sharing my marketing tips, insights and secrets. Interested in learning more valuable stuff that could help improve your marketing life? Go to http://www.moneywordsmarketing.com/alans-blog/.

Alan Tarr Author of The 7 Deadly Sins Of Marketing and Win The Marketing Game And Stop Wasting Money! atarr@MoneyWordsMarketing.com