Woah, What a Friggin Hook!

19 replies
This is a great example of interruption marketing. Lousy followup on the copywriting. But if I was still into bodybuilding, I probably would have bought anyway.

DWAYNE JOHNSON GONE!
#friggin #hook #woah
  • Profile picture of the author Egyfitness
    Interesting but I feel being lied to and a little pissed.
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  • Profile picture of the author angiecolee
    Isn't is kinda shady to borrow someone else's authority? Not that TMZ has a shit ton of authority, but to use their brand to promote a product seems really shady.
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  • Profile picture of the author godinu
    misleading/inaccurate headlines are one of my biggest peeves. I won't even call them pet peeves because there's nothing cute. trustworthy or welcome about them.
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  • Profile picture of the author CopyMonster
    You can add this to the pile too. Came up on the FB feed.

    Ronda Rousey Positive for Doping

    Given that fight a few days ago, it will definitely get clicks (got mine).
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    Scary good...
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  • Profile picture of the author angiecolee
    Disney/ABC/ESPN are beasts about their IP. Good luck to those guys.
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  • Interruption marketing presumes (and prevails c/o) stoccatofication of the current obvious.

    Tellya, we gonna be so f*cked off with this destabilisin' diminuendoschwango come 2020 no cliff gonna define our aspirational freefall.

    Interrupt my continuity of purpose even right now an' ur blankof*cked on sight.

    My gen wants to get on with big stuff gonna risk/save the future, an' we do not need yr invasive & presumptive ****wittery fragmenin' our direction u sohip topdowner losers of guru shocko pulso.

    All narrative thrives on interruption, or u get only what u expect.

    But we are all protags now: we are self-interruptin', so get outta our frickin' asses with yr dildoslips of dubious buzzo.

    We are on it right now.

    U wanna distract us offa our lives, u better be ready for a fight called IGNORO.
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    Lightin' fuses is for blowin' stuff togethah.

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  • Profile picture of the author sethczerepak
    Yeah, it's slippery. Slimy. But good lord people. I didn't say that people who created the ad would be great moral guides. I said it's a great hook. Right. Some people won't like it. Maybe a lot of people.

    But why do so many copywriters assume that they have to like or approve of something for it to be effective? If you're not the target market, it's not meant for you. But not everyone thinks like you do.

    Two words: National Enquirer. No, I don't read it. No, I wouldn't take my moral values from the people who write for it. But numbers don't lie. The point is, hooks work.
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    • Profile picture of the author perryny
      The ad did get my interest, and I do believe it's making a ton of money.

      But there's a world of difference between a really good hook and a bold-faced lie.
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      • Profile picture of the author sethczerepak
        Originally Posted by perryny View Post

        The ad did get my interest, and I do believe it's making a ton of money.

        But there's a world of difference between a really good hook and a bold-faced lie.
        If you're talking about a morally good hook, then yes. There is a world of difference. But if you're talking about getting a reader's attention, unfortunately, sometimes there's little to no difference.

        Look at the headlines on the mag rack in your grocery store. There's a reason those cats have been in that space for decades.
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  • Profile picture of the author angiecolee
    It's a great hook in that it's a complete disconnect from what you would expect of The Rock. I totally get it.

    But considering it's pretty much completely made up, the pattern interrupt is all I get from it. The rest is just ick.

    I never said you can't learn from it. Just that it's shady as ****.
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    • Profile picture of the author vtesta
      There were classified ads that had "SEX!" as the headline. Then went on to read "Got your attention? Now let me tell you about..." The ads never had anything to do with sex so the reader stopped reading right there.

      It does grab attention but that's the end of it. There is no follow through so it's not effective (in sales copy). The hook should be the beginning of engagement forcing the reader to want to know what comes next. The example would immediately do the opposite of what you want the reader to do. It would cause them to stop reading. Your message would not get delivered.

      For a hook to be effective it needs to state a benefit that the target audience not only wants, but also leaves the reader thinking "how can that be?" (curiosity) which forces them to read the next part of the ad. Grabbing attention for the sake of grabbing attention is useless in writing "sales copy" as it won't sell anything.
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      • Profile picture of the author sethczerepak
        Originally Posted by vtesta View Post

        There were classified ads that had "SEX!" as the headline. Then went on to read "Got your attention? Now let me tell you about..." The ads never had anything to do with sex so the reader stopped reading right there.
        Yes, we've seen those ads too. Except that they had nothing at all too do with sex. So this is a poor comparison.
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      • Profile picture of the author Big Squid
        Originally Posted by vtesta View Post

        There were classified ads that had "SEX!" as the headline. Then went on to read "Got your attention? Now let me tell you about..." The ads never had anything to do with sex so the reader stopped reading right there.

        It does grab attention but that's the end of it. There is no follow through so it's not effective (in sales copy). The hook should be the beginning of engagement forcing the reader to want to know what comes next. The example would immediately do the opposite of what you want the reader to do. It would cause them to stop reading. Your message would not get delivered.

        For a hook to be effective it needs to state a benefit that the target audience not only wants, but also leaves the reader thinking "how can that be?" (curiosity) which forces them to read the next part of the ad. Grabbing attention for the sake of grabbing attention is useless in writing "sales copy" as it won't sell anything.

        Exactly what I was thinking. It's a great pattern interrupt for people who are interested. But my guess would be that those people interrupted are not necessarily interested in the product being sold.

        A better interrupt could be something that speaks specifically to the body builder type while using the same startling arrest.

        "Dwayne Johnson Arrested For Body Building Supplements!"
        "Warning To Body Builders: Police Arrest Famous Celebrity For Possession Of Supplements!"

        These were written on a whim, but they illustrate the need to try and target the main demographic audience in the headline/pattern interrupt. Otherwise, there's a lot of waste.
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    • Profile picture of the author sethczerepak
      Originally Posted by angiecolee View Post

      It's a great hook in that it's a complete disconnect from what you would expect of The Rock. I totally get it.

      But considering it's pretty much completely made up, the pattern interrupt is all I get from it. The rest is just ick.

      I never said you can't learn from it. Just that it's shady as ****.
      Well Angie, I also assume the ad has nothing to offer you beyond mere curiosity. Unless you'd like to have a body like the Rock too :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author angiecolee
    I hear growing massive pecs will keep the girls from traveling south. Or at least, it'll keep 'em up north longer.

    If only it didn't involve chest hair growth...
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    • Originally Posted by angiecolee View Post

      I hear growing massive pecs will keep the girls from traveling south. Or at least, it'll keep 'em up north longer.

      If only it didn't involve chest hair growth...
      I plan to bend my knees as I grow older to keep evrythin' in place.
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      Lightin' fuses is for blowin' stuff togethah.

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    • Profile picture of the author sethczerepak
      Originally Posted by angiecolee View Post

      I hear growing massive pecs will keep the girls from traveling south. Or at least, it'll keep 'em up north longer.

      If only it didn't involve chest hair growth...
      Maybe we'll find a good lasix ad too
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