The Power of Words - Emotional Impact

by EricMN
9 replies
This resonated with me in a way that's hard to describe. I think it articulates the power of words that we, as copywriters, can truly appreciate.

But also it's a neat look at tweaking a message and seeing the change in responses. Especially where it matters most. . . the emotions.

Enjoy

#emotional #impact #power #words
  • Profile picture of the author gjabiz
    Thanks to all who posted up...it's one of those viral videos.

    For you newer copywriters (and maybe an old one or two)...

    My HIGH PRODUCTION HOLLYWOOD video series on persuasion might be of some interest to you...the longest segment is 10 minutes...NO 3D glasses required for this one...maybe next time...

    We work with words...and we should KNOW why they work...why they EVOKE such Emotion..this brief series of videos don't have all the answers...but they are a good starting point.

    http://youtu.be/iPBs_ZsyrO0

    gjabiz
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  • Profile picture of the author Marvin Johnston
    This video has been posted here a couple of times, and I am still curious why people think this is the power of words?

    There are very few words in this video.

    The words by themselves would not have near the impact (no impact?) without both the story and the way it was presented behind them.

    Marvin
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    • Profile picture of the author EricMN
      Originally Posted by Marvin Johnston View Post

      This video has been posted here a couple of times, and I am still curious why people think this is the power of words?

      There are very few words in this video.

      The words by themselves would not have near the impact (no impact?) without both the story and the way it was presented behind them.

      Marvin
      This is obviously produced to evoke empathy and catharsis. It is the scene that creates our emotional impact to the video.

      But in the video itself, it is the changing of the words that evokes the changing in response from onlookers to the blind man.

      If we were to look at this as a case study it loses our emotional look at how it is portrayed but not so with how the "prospects" connect with the message. By simply changing a few words around, inserting a letter, or altering punctuation, you change the message.

      Even though it may try to say the same thing, it means something else.

      "I'm blind, help please" is generic. . . another person may have lost their dog, another one their home. We all have problems.

      "It's a beautiful day and I can't see it." This is a damn shame. . . but more importantly it changes how we look at it. Instead of us seeing a blind man, we see ourselves and how we are taking things for granted. How could we be so selfish in sight to not care about what we see when this man isn't afforded the luxury of seeing anything?

      One asks you for money, the other asks you enjoy what you can. . . even if he can't.

      He'd have my coin with the latter.
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      • Profile picture of the author Marvin Johnston
        Originally Posted by EricMN View Post

        One asks you for money, the other asks you enjoy what you can. . . even if he can't.

        He'd have my coin with the latter.
        First of all, I really like the video and it has been part of my video swipe file for quite a while.

        So I'll try again ... my point is the words are not doing the heavy lifting.

        It is the context in which those words are presented.

        Would you still feel the same way if the video started out showing the blind man at a ritzy type of party having a great time? And then the video continued as it was presented?

        Marvin
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        • Profile picture of the author EricMN
          Originally Posted by Marvin Johnston View Post

          First of all, I really like the video and it has been part of my video swipe file for quite a while.

          So I'll try again ... my point is the words are not doing the heavy lifting.

          It is the context in which those words are presented.

          Would you still feel the same way if the video started out showing the blind man at a ritzy type of party having a great time? And then the video continued as it was presented?

          Marvin
          I agree with you.


          That's why I was saying there's a difference between the impact of the video on people watching it and the impact of the sign on the people in the video. My case is for the latter, but I agree with you on the former.
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  • Profile picture of the author jroth728
    Thank you for sharing this, very powerful stuff for the online marketer!!
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  • Profile picture of the author Studio13
    I once saw a beggar dancing on the corner, his sign read: "I bet you can't hit me with a quarter."

    ....I pegged him twice.
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  • Profile picture of the author abugah
    Words are powerful they can mean life or death of a person or business. This has been demonstrated before in numerous ways.

    Think of political campaigns; it is normally words that rule.
    Think of relationships; your words will build or destroy them.
    The word 'repair' as been replaced by the word 'fix' in one ad and response rate skyrocketed.

    In fact, it is difficult to find people in leadership who are not good jugglers of words.

    Becoming a master of words is like getting the key to a bank vault stuffed with a mountain of gold.
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    • Profile picture of the author khaiyong
      Love this! As much as people deny it, word DO play an important role in influencing our everyday decisions.

      If you guys are interested in more word split-testing case studies, there's a cool one here at Ramit Sethi's blog:

      How to test responses at bars

      Enjoy!
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