Headlines beyond bad taste? Do you approve... ?

13 replies
I received an email overnight. This marketer is a pretty nice and ethical
person; at least that has always been my impression over the years.

This email was a small rant, though. She saw a headline and it obviously
hit a nerve. Needless to say, her opinion was that this copywriter, and I
don't know who it was, went far beyond the boundaries of propriety and
acceptability.

The headline, or rather the offensive part:

"It's Almost Like Selling A Fire Extinguisher To The
Owner When Their House Is On Fire And Their
Baby Is Stuck Inside!"

Ok, the marketer objected to the reference of a baby being inside a burning
house, etc.

What are your thoughts and feelings?

Is something like that going too far?

Do you think the copywriter should, in the words of fellow copywriter Mal
Lambe... "Fall on his sword"?


Ken
#approve #bad #headlines #taste
  • Profile picture of the author bertuseng
    It's so strange to see this post. Just yesterday, I saw that same headline. I also had a very good look at it and wondered if the copywriter went to far. I am certain a line like that would stand out. How effective it is I don't know...
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    • Profile picture of the author marciayudkin
      "It's Almost Like Selling A Fire Extinguisher To The
      Owner When Their House Is On Fire And Their
      Baby Is Stuck Inside!"
      I can see how someone might find this offensive.

      However, apart from the issue of taste, it's really unclear how to take this headline.

      Is the point that they're selling something unethical? (An ethical person would help put out the fire, not try to sell a fire extinguisher.)

      Is the point that they're selling something ineffective? (When a house is on fire, a fire extinguisher will not usually put it out. It's too big at that point. You need the fire department.)

      It's a very ineffective headline if it not only holds the potential to offend, but also isn't understandable.

      Marcia Yudkin
      Signature
      Check out Marcia Yudkin's No-Hype Marketing Academy for courses on copywriting, publicity, infomarketing, marketing plans, naming, and branding - not to mention the popular "Marketing for Introverts" course.
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      • Profile picture of the author Rezbi
        Originally Posted by marciayudkin View Post

        It's a very ineffective headline if it not only holds the potential to offend, but also isn't understandable.
        Marcia Yudkin
        You got there before me.

        It's not only offensive, it's also not any good at all.
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      • Profile picture of the author Lance K
        Originally Posted by KenThompson View Post


        The headline, or rather the offensive part:

        "It's Almost Like Selling A Fire Extinguisher To The
        Owner When Their House Is On Fire And Their
        Baby Is Stuck Inside!"
        Originally Posted by marciayudkin View Post

        I can see how someone might find this offensive.

        However, apart from the issue of taste, it's really unclear how to take this headline.

        Is the point that they're selling something unethical? (An ethical person would help put out the fire, not try to sell a fire extinguisher.)

        Is the point that they're selling something ineffective? (When a house is on fire, a fire extinguisher will not usually put it out. It's too big at that point. You need the fire department.)

        It's a very ineffective headline if it not only holds the potential to offend, but also isn't understandable.

        Marcia Yudkin
        Agreed. I can tell you with absolutely zero doubt that you would have to come inside the burning house to sell me that fire extinguisher.
        Signature
        "You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
        ~ Zig Ziglar
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      • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
        Originally Posted by marciayudkin View Post


        It's a very ineffective headline if it not only holds the potential to offend, but also isn't understandable.

        Marcia Yudkin
        Right, Marcia. Unfortunately that is all the information I have about
        the situation. No idea about the product, etc.

        Granted depending on the rest of the story, maybe it would all work
        together, make a solid point, and be understandably 'not' in poor taste.

        Ken
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  • Profile picture of the author Scott Murdaugh
    I've seen the letter.

    The headline has nothing to do with the copy and beyond the "easy to sell" analogy not a lot to do with the product either.

    It's just a shot at getting attention. My guess is it's missing the mark entirely, but I have no idea how it's working out.

    -Scott
    Signature

    Over $30 Million In Marketing Data And A Decade Of Consistently Generating Breakthrough Results - Ask How My Unique Approach To Copy Typically Outsells Traditional Ads By Up To 29x Or More...

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  • Profile picture of the author wcmylife
    If the Copywriter is any good, he or she can surely do better than to pull a baby in - even if its hypothetical to grab his reader's attention. Rather distasteful I must say...
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    • Profile picture of the author Irish Intuition
      I love these nonsense headlines that have nothing to do with anything.

      What's next, dying puppies?

      It's amazing how many use these gibberish headlines trying to force
      us into feeling something.
      Signature




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  • Profile picture of the author The Copy Nazi
    Banned
    The actual practise of committing suicide by falling on one's sword dates back to ancient Rome. Plutarch records such a death in The Life of Brutus:
    Finally, he [Brutus] spoke to Volumnius himself in Greek, reminding him of their student life, and begged him to grasp his sword with him and help him drive home the blow. And when Volumnius refused, and the rest likewise ... grasping with both hands the hilt of his naked sword, he fell upon it and died.
    And yes, the burning baby analogy is a complete turnoff. I would have used a "Mint Condition 1937 Cord in the garage."



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    • Profile picture of the author Rezbi
      Originally Posted by Metronicity View Post

      And yes, the burning baby analogy is a complete turnoff. I would have used a "Mint Condition 1937 Cord in the garage."



      That's a nice car. Never seen one of those before.
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  • Profile picture of the author Publisher Point
    I don't see the big deal personally. Maybe if he/she said, "Buy my product or I'm going LIGHT A BABY ON FIRE" ...then yeah, okay, too far. But this is basically just an extreme, dramatic analogy to grab attention.

    Whether it helps sell whatever they're selling, I don't know...but it obviously got all of our attention.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ken Strong
      Originally Posted by Publisher Point View Post

      I don't see the big deal personally. Maybe if he/she said, "Buy my product or I'm going LIGHT A BABY ON FIRE" ...then yeah, okay, too far. But this is basically just an extreme, dramatic analogy to grab attention.
      That's actually less offensive to me because nobody would take it seriously... it's immediately obvious that it's just an attention-getting device. No one would actually think he was going to actually light a baby on fire.

      However, for anyone who has a small child, the house fire description immediately brings horrific images to mind. That's what makes it a big deal. If they were selling home fire alarm systems, you could at least make a case for it, but in this case it apparently has nothing to do with the email that follows.
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      • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
        Originally Posted by KenStrong View Post

        That's actually less offensive to me because nobody would take it seriously... it's immediately obvious that it's just an attention-getting device. No one would actually think he was going to actually light a baby on fire.
        That one reminds me of another I've seen at least once.

        "_____ or the puppy gets killed" There are variations and
        doesn't stir the same emotions as a 'baby' visual.

        But still, almost everyone loves puppies. Except Mal.


        Ken
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