r drink has grown accustomed and tired of the same old claim of purity. The claim of purity has lost its power.

Therefore the maturity of the market (how many products have been presented to the prospect, how many wild, and wilder claims have been presented to him, how much of these wild humongous benefits is he willing to accept or reject)…the maturity of the market explains why Benefit Headlines would not work on a SPECIFIC PRODUCT at a SPECIFIC TIME.

I hope I was clear: Level of

Clayton is great; I subscribe to his newsletter, and I love every issue.

But Eugene Schwartz explains in two ways why certain times, a big benefit headline will flop…”Why Haven’t TV Owners Been Told These Facts” outpulled “Fix Your TV By Yourself” type of headline.

First, the comment of Patrice is on target. Telling the customer not to do something or not to buy something implies revealing some secret or new information (benefits) to the reader…therefore the headline : ” Why this or that doesn’t work” addresses the reader’s skeptism, confirms his doubt, and tells him :”Here’s a chance to know for sure why this or that doesn’t work” and this chance is a BENEFIT.

Second, in Breakthrough Advertising, which I guess most of you must be familiar with, Gene Schwartz talks about market awareness and market maturity and life cycle of markets.

I think the power of benefit headlines is tied to the market awareness in these ways: is the customer aware that he can have the benefits you’re offering, is he prepared to believe the benefits you’re offering? If the prospect is not aware of the benefit, that the benefit can be obtained, if he is not aware of the need, but only feels that there is a general problem, a benefit headline might not win against a “Skepticism Headline” or ” questioning the status quo headline”.

Second, market maturity explains why benefit headlines become impotent. If 200 products are being presented using the same benefits (super-generous guarantee,outselling everybody else, offering employee discount,or other performances or offers…etc), after a certain time the benefits will be common ground and 1)they will have less impact on the reader 2)no company is really offering something different.

Claude Hopkins says something similar about market maturity, in My Life In Advertising. Basically, if everybody is screaming that their beer is pure, then nobody is really making a favorable impression on the beer drinker…the beer drink has grown accustomed and tired of the same old claim of purity. The claim of purity has lost its power.

Therefore the maturity of the market (how many products have been presented to the prospect, how many wild, and wilder claims have been presented to him, how much of these wild humongous benefits is he willing to accept or reject)…the maturity of the market explains why Benefit Headlines would not work on a SPECIFIC PRODUCT at a SPECIFIC TIME.

I hope I was clear: Level of

r that doesn’t work” addresses the reader’s skeptism, confirms his doubt, and tells him :”Here’s a chance to know for sure why this or that doesn’t work” and this chance is a BENEFIT.

Second, in Breakthrough Advertising, which I guess most of you must be familiar with, Gene Schwartz talks about market awareness and market maturity and life cycle of markets.

I think the power of benefit headlines is tied to the market awareness in these ways: is the customer aware that he can have the benefits you’re offering, is he prepared to believe the benefits you’re offering? If the prospect is not aware of the benefit, that the benefit can be obtained, if he is not aware of the need, but only feels that there is a general problem, a benefit headline might not win against a “Skepticism Headline” or ” questioning the status quo headline”.

Second, market maturity explains why benefit headlines become impotent. If 200 products are being presented using the same benefits (super-generous guarantee,outselling everybody else, offering employee discount,or other performances or offers…etc), after a certain time the benefits will be common ground and 1)they will have less impact on the reader 2)no company is really offering something different.

Claude Hopkins says something similar about market maturity, in My Life In Advertising. Basically, if everybody is screaming that their beer is pure, then nobody is really making a favorable impression on the beer drinker…the beer drink has grown accustomed and tired of the same old claim of purity. The claim of purity has lost its power.

Therefore the maturity of the market (how many products have been presented to the prospect, how many wild, and wilder claims have been presented to him, how much of these wild humongous benefits is he willing to accept or reject)…the maturity of the market explains why Benefit Headlines would not work on a SPECIFIC PRODUCT at a SPECIFIC TIME.

I hope I was clear: Level of

e benefits you’re offering, is he prepared to believe the benefits you’re offering? If the prospect is not aware of the benefit, that the benefit can be obtained, if he is not aware of the need, but only feels that there is a general problem, a benefit headline might not win against a “Skepticism Headline” or ” questioning the status quo headline”.

Second, market maturity explains why benefit headlines become impotent. If 200 products are being presented using the same benefits (super-generous guarantee,outselling everybody else, offering employee discount,or other performances or offers…etc), after a certain time the benefits will be common ground and 1)they will have less impact on the reader 2)no company is really offering something different.

Claude Hopkins says something similar about market maturity, in My Life In Advertising. Basically, if everybody is screaming that their beer is pure, then nobody is really making a favorable impression on the beer drinker…the beer drink has grown accustomed and tired of the same old claim of purity. The claim of purity has lost its power.

Therefore the maturity of the market (how many products have been presented to the prospect, how many wild, and wilder claims have been presented to him, how much of these wild humongous benefits is he willing to accept or reject)…the maturity of the market explains why Benefit Headlines would not work on a SPECIFIC PRODUCT at a SPECIFIC TIME.

I hope I was clear: Level of

erous guarantee,outselling everybody else, offering employee discount,or other performances or offers…etc), after a certain time the benefits will be common ground and 1)they will have less impact on the reader 2)no company is really offering something different.

Claude Hopkins says something similar about market maturity, in My Life In Advertising. Basically, if everybody is screaming that their beer is pure, then nobody is really making a favorable impression on the beer drinker…the beer drink has grown accustomed and tired of the same old claim of purity. The claim of purity has lost its power.

Therefore the maturity of the market (how many products have been presented to the prospect, how many wild, and wilder claims have been presented to him, how much of these wild humongous benefits is he willing to accept or reject)…the maturity of the market explains why Benefit Headlines would not work on a SPECIFIC PRODUCT at a SPECIFIC TIME.

I hope I was clear: Level of

r drink has grown accustomed and tired of the same old claim of purity. The claim of purity has lost its power.

Therefore the maturity of the market (how many products have been presented to the prospect, how many wild, and wilder claims have been presented to him, how much of these wild humongous benefits is he willing to accept or reject)…the maturity of the market explains why Benefit Headlines would not work on a SPECIFIC PRODUCT at a SPECIFIC TIME.

I hope I was clear: Level of Awareness on the Part of The Prospect and Market Maturity can tell you why a Big benefit headline will flop. If I were not clear, please get yourself a copy of Breakthrough Advertising, anywhere you can, anyway you can.

Benefit Headlines will not work for a specific product at a specific time of the product life and the market maturity.

Swans G Paul