Author: Alastair Walton

THE BEST BLOG POST YOU’LL EVER READ

Posted on by Alastair Walton

A quick piece of writing advice:

The other day I saw an ad which claimed it could help me get a “better” body.

This really got my attention. You see, in this type of scenario, most copywriters would use the word “best” i.e. get the best body of your life in under 90 days, or something like that. But the reason why better is so much better, is because it’s honest and credible. Along with that, it sounds a lot more believable. After all, it’s a far easier to believe you can make something a little better, isn’t it?

Basically this claim seems possible and realistic.

The word better also sets up a comparison between your new and current body.

It creates the idea that by putting in the effort you can improve your body, and that this is actually achievable (by comparison, getting the best body isn’t necessarily under your control.)

The word best also has other issues.

For example, it’s difficult to prove.

(After all, how do you define or measure if something is actually the best – in a lot of cases you can’t.)

The word best also triggers skepticism. Why? Because it makes you sound arrogant. If I told you I was the best copywriter in the world, would you believe me? Probably not. On the other hand, if someone else said I was the best well…

…you’d at least consider it a possibility.

Alastair Walton

P.S. One more tip before I go. A lot of people use the word “most” without really thinking. For example, you might find yourself writing, “most people do X” i.e. most people brush their teeth at night. The problem is that you have no way of knowing if most people do actually do X. There’s no real way of proving it, is there?

This is why it’s always better to use the word “many” instead of most. There’s a simple reason for this. Many is a lot more believable, and also credible. Something else you should watch out for is the word “everybody.” i.e. everybody does X – obviously this isn’t true. Bottom line: avoid making statements that are difficult to prove and you should be okay.

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AVATAR 2: WILL IT FLOP?

Posted on by Alastair Walton

As I write this Avatar 2 is a week from being released.

A video I watched the other night claims this movie is going to FLOP hard.

According to the guy behind the video, people have forgotten all about Avatar. There’s no buzz surrounding the movie. It’s too long. James Cameron is old, and has no idea what he’s doing. The last movie was too long ago, and no one cares anymore – especially younger people, who didn’t watch the original film.

(BTW, you’re probably wondering what the hell this has to do with marketing or copywriting. Well, keep reading, there are some subtle lessons here regarding psychology, business, and yes, marketing.)

You see, I’m fairly certain Avatar 2 is going to make at least a billion dollars.

Why?

IMHO there are several reasons.

1. Baby Boomers

Now, it’s true that younger people haven’t grown up with Avatar, and when I say young, I’m talking about really young people i.e. those who weren’t born when the last movie came out. These kids have no connection to the previous film, and no real reason to watch it. But what you have to understand is that this really doesn’t matter. It’s not important because – in today’s society – these aren’t the people with money. No, what you have to realize is that it’s older people (baby boomers) who have cash to spend, plus the time to go out and watch movies. Not only that, these are the people who actually saw the previous movie – and thus have a connection to it.

2. Foreign Markets

I’m fairly certain Avatar is going to do gangbusters in places like China and India. These markets are known for enjoying big-budget pop-corn movies. They’re the reason why franchises like The Avengers, Transformers, and Fast the Furious make so much money – and now you can add Avatar to the list.

3. Nostalgia

Avatar will forever be associated with the 3D movie craze. And although that trend has basically died, there’s a certain level of nostalgia involved. If you saw the original, you can probably remember the excitement of watching a movie in 3D for the first time. This experience made a big impact on people, and gives them yet another reason to watch the sequel.

4. Escapism

To put it bluntly, the world sucks right now. What this means is that people crave escapism, and this movie is perfect for that. Audiences want an escape from reality. They want to be transported to the bright blue world of Pandora, go on an amazing adventure, and forget about their troubles for a while.

5. Length

Apparently the new Avatar clocks in at around 3 hours. This is another reason why people think the movie will fail – it’s just too long. Unfortunately, these people are completely wrong. What it all comes down to is consumption. Basically, length = value for money. Imagine going to Burger King and getting a Whopper that is twice the size for the same amount of money (A good example of this is Stranger Things season 4, which was wildly popular with fans – despite its 13 hour run length.)

6. Christmas

This movie is releasing during Christmas, and right now there’s really nothing to watch – especially when it comes to big “tent pole” movies. Think about it, what else can you compare to Avatar? If you’re going to the movies, well, you’ll probably end up watching this film. There’s basically no other competition, which counts massively in its favor.

The final factor is James Cameron.

Quite simply, this guy is a genius and knows exactly what he’s doing.

(Especially when it comes to blockbuster movies.)

Anyway, let’s see how the film does…

Alastair Walton

P.S. How much will Avatar actually make? Who knows, but I’m fairly certain it’s going to break the billion dollar mark. In fact, I have a feeling it could even do 2 billion dollars.

HERE’S WHY THE RINGS OF POWER WAS A MASSIVE FAILURE (NO IT’S NOTHING TO DO WITH DIVERSITY)

Posted on by Alastair Walton

By all accounts Amazon’s Rings of Power was a massive failure.

(Whether or not this is actually true, who knows, but that’s what I’ve heard.)

Every critic and their grandmother has a reason why.

This includes everything from people being unhappy with the casting. To the abysmal script and story (probably the biggest reason why it failed IMHO.) To over-usage of CGI, and angry Tolkien fans unhappy with the lore. Another big reason is because it was overshadowed by the vastly superior House of the Dragon, which was released at roughly the same time.

But this brings me to a very important point…

You see, according to rumors the team behind this show had a very specific mandate.

From what I’ve heard, Jeff Bezos basically commanded them to create the next GOT.

He wanted a mega successful fantasy series that would gain a world-wide audience.

And this is probably the biggest reason why it failed.

You see, when it comes to marketing, business, copywriting, or content you NEVER want to copy someone else. Now there are occasional exceptions, but for the most part you should avoiding attempting to “clone” someone else’s success.

There are dozens of reasons for this.

For starters, the biggest is that you’ll always be compared to the other person…

…meaning it’s unlikely that you’ll ever be as successful as them.

Even worse, you’ll have to play second fiddle and will always come off second best.

Not only that, you’ll probably end up looking like an idiot.

(After all, if you’re so great, then why did you need to copy someone else?)

The point is that it’s critical that you strive for originality.

The Rings of Power was NEVER going to be as successful as Game of Thrones…

…and this is mainly because it was always a poor imitator.

Alastair Walton