{"id":18128,"date":"2015-04-12T17:28:33","date_gmt":"2015-04-13T00:28:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danoday.com\/blog\/?p=18128"},"modified":"2015-04-13T00:10:59","modified_gmt":"2015-04-13T07:10:59","slug":"saying-dollars-radio-ad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danoday.com\/blog\/2015\/04\/saying-dollars-radio-ad\/","title":{"rendered":"SAYING \u201cDOLLARS\u201d IN A RADIO COMMERCIAL"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"radio<\/a>First, let’s listen to part of a radio commercial that recently aired in Los Angeles.<\/span><\/p>\nhttp:\/\/danoday.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/LiivingSpace-NoSayDollars.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n


\nGenerations of radio copywriters have been told never to say “dollars” when referring to the price of an advertised item.<\/span><\/p>\n

The rationale behind that dictum is, “You don’t want people to think about having to spend money” to acquire whatever is being sold.<\/span><\/p>\n

Apparently you\u2019re supposed to hope the listener will assume the furniture sells for 300 pesos, not dollars.<\/span><\/p>\n

But never say “dollars.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Hogwash.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you want to communicate with people, you want to speak their language.<\/span><\/p>\n

In real life, there are<\/em> occasions when real people typically don’t say “dollars.” <\/span><\/p>\n

“How much is that package of baloney?”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

“Lessee\u2026Four seventy-nine.”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Saying “four dollars and seventy-nine cents” would seem a bit odd.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a supermarket ad that boasts, \u201cHormel Pigs Feet, just two eighty-eight\u201d<\/em> \u2014 you don\u2019t say \u201ctwo dollars and 88 cents\u201d<\/em> because that\u2019s not what real people say. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t believe me, just ask a pigs feet consumer.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, if someone asks you how much you pay for your new cloud-based computer backup service<\/a> and you reply, “Oh, it’s only 5 a month,”<\/em> the other person will react with a quizzical look. <\/span><\/p>\n

“5 a month? Um, you mean 5 dollars?”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Ironically, self-consciously avoiding the word “dollars” actually draws attention to<\/em> the cost.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you say the advertised furniture sells “for 300,” you force<\/strong> the listener say \u201cdollars\u201d sub-vocally. (Sub-vocally is a very impressive way of saying, \u201cTo themselves, silently.\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

Because no one<\/em> says \u201cthe furniture costs three hundred,\u201d the psychological principle of closure<\/em> takes over.<\/span><\/p>\n

Closure is the natural tendency of the human mind to impose order upon chaos.<\/span><\/p>\n

When your brain hears \u201cthe furniture costs three hundred,\u201d it wonders, \u201c300 what???<\/strong>\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

An instant later it replies, sub-vocally, \u201cOh, 300 dollars. Okay, fine. Let\u2019s move along now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The best reason for avoiding \u201cdollars\u201d in a commercial<\/strong> is in a situation where people would be unlikely to say it in real life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, you go that car wash down the block, right? What do they charge for a basic wash & wax, with none of their overpriced extras included?\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cUmm\u2026Nine ninety-five, I think.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

In that situation, you\u2019d be unlikely to say, \u201cUmm\u2026Nine dollars and ninety-five cents.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

On occasion, you can minimize the financial cost by employing slang when appropriate:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026for just 30 bucks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

or<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll drive to your house; install your state-of-the-art entertainment system; install this amazing home security system that lets you see everything that\u2019s happening anywhere in your house from anywhere in the world, simply by glancing at your new iWatch, which we\u2019re also going to give you; and replace that unsightly firetrap that sits atop your home with a brand new slate roof\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026all for less than 3 grand.\u201d<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In that case, \u201c3 grand\u201d probably would be fine. <\/span><\/p>\n

So would \u201cthree thousand dollars.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But \u201call for less than three thousand\u201d would force listeners to fill in the blank for themselves: \u201cHuh? Oh, three thousand dollars. Why didn\u2019t they just say that??\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This Commercial Wanted<\/span> Listeners to Think \u201cDollars\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s return to this radio commercial.<\/span><\/p>\n

Clearly the copywriter has been trained to \u201cminimize\u201d the apparent price by never, ever saying \u201cdollars.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But in this spot, they\u2019re talking about how much money the listener will save.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t you think they\u2019d want to emphasize<\/em> the actual dollar amount that listeners can save during their sale?<\/span><\/p>\n

Summing Up Today\u2019s Genius Radio Copywriting Lesson<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Speak to your listeners in the language they use and understand.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, this is so valuable that I\u2019m going to call this:<\/span><\/p>\n

My One Million Copywriting Tip<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Get quick inspiration for fresh radio commercials<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First, let’s listen to part of a radio commercial that recently aired in Los Angeles. Generations of radio copywriters have been told never to say “dollars” when referring to the price of an advertised item. The rationale behind that dictum is, “You don’t want people to think about having to spend money” to acquire whatever […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-18128","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized"},"yoast_head":"\nSAYING \u201cDOLLARS\u201d IN A RADIO COMMERCIAL<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Generations of radio commercial copywriters have been told never to say "dollars" when referring to the price of an advertised item. 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