Among my favorite marketing blogs is GrokDotCom by the guys at Future Now. These are some of the brightest folks in the world at how to use the Internet most effectively for your business. And, while I’ve been friends with some of their employees for years, I don’t have any business connections with the company. I just admire they way they think and the way they work.
Today, for example, I was reading an article that follows up on one of their posts about who to write great copy. This particular article examines the question of “What Is Substance?” as in the phrase “Style versus Substance.”
The primary conclusion I drew from what Jeff Sexton has written in this article, at least that applies to the voiceover world, is that in addition to sound, tone and performance…one highly significant factor that influences choice is emotion. I think we tend to give too little thought to this factor when we’re making calls, sending emails, auditioning or trying to find representation. I know I do. What about you?
Read the article. Then leave a comment. I’d love to know what you think.
Bob, I did just what you said, I read the article. These folks are some “thinkers” for sure. I would have to totally agree with them that:
“Buying decisions are driven by emotion, and style affects us emotionally.”
I was in car sales about 15+ years ago and one of the key things they teach you is “You need to get the customer in the car and then on a test drive”. They know the affect the “new car smell” has on folks. Also, I don’t know what the stats are, however I remember being trained that of those who actually get in a car and go for a test drive at the dealership, they tend to purchase within 72 hours of that test drive. Thus, the sales managers never wanted you to “let a customer go” because they knew the odds are that the person will buy somewhere in the next few days.
Yes, emotion has much to do with our choices…good or bad!
Brian in Charlotte
Brian,
Thank you for those excellent comments.
Be well,
Bob
Bob,
Thanks for the post about my article. I actually started out that series with a post on Intellect vs. Emotion, so we seem to be on the same wavelength ; )
Since you related emotion and style back to sound/voiceovers I couldn’t help but think of this incredible article by Walter Murch, where he talks about the difference between encoded sound (intellect) and embodied sound (emotion). In this example, speech is encoded and music is embodied. Sound effects are somewhere in the middle – especially sounds with symbolic significance such as the door slam that ends the first Godfather movie.
Anyway, I’m hardly doing the article justice, so just go read it here:
http://filmsound.org/murch/murch.htm
It’s the one titled “Dense Clarity Clear Density”
-Jeff
Jeff,
I very much appreciate your helpful comments and the link to Walter’s article. More grist for the mill, for sure.
Please give my greetings to Anthony and Holly when you have opportunity.
Be well,
Bob
Bob,
This too is an excellent find. In an Attention Deficit world, we tend to lose sight of our emotions, many times because we lack the time to allow ourselves to feel. Feeling and speaking are what make us human, and set us apart from the rest of the plant and animal kingdom. Thank you for sharing this one.
Best,
Bobbin Beam
Bobbin,
Thank you. I quite agree.
Be well,
Bob