Copy That Smokes

by Michael Knowles

My wife jokingly refers to them as my Playboy(r) magazines.

But she's talking about my cigar catalogs. I confess: I love
them. I was going through the latest catalogs from Thompson & Co,
Inc., and Famous Smokes, Inc., enjoying the sumptuous pictures.

And then it hit me. The catalog copy was good, and sometimes
great. Now, I'm not suggesting that you pick up cigar smoking.
But I AM suggesting that you grab a catalog from each of these
companies and study how they sell their products.


Headlines Match the Target
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The headlines are carefully crafted to catch the reader's
attention. Each one is matched to the type of sell that's going
on.

If, for instance, they're offering cigar bundles of their
privately labeled cigars, they might use a headline like "Unless
you're a cigar factory inspector, you'll not recognize these as
seconds!" The body copy goes on to mention the cigar factory that
rejected these seconds, and I love how they never actually use
the word "reject." Instead, they say, "Honestly, even to the
trained eye the imperfections are virtually unrecognizable." The
description is dead-on targeted to the daily cigar smoker on a
budget who appreciates a good cigar from the Dominican Republic.

On the other hand, their copy for the rare and exquisite Partagas
150 has a different pitch: "Never to be made again and very few
still exist." Yes, the appeal is to the cigar smoker who isn't
concerned about budget. (Good thing, too -- these cigars start at
$40 apiece!) The catalog copywriter has established the rarity
and scarcity of the product -- a verifiable fact -- and closes
the copy in this way:

     It is doubtful that many cigar retailers have any Partagas
     150 to sell. [a fact] Our inventory of Partagas is quite,
     quite limited. We'd suggest you order some immediately. That
     way, you will put yourself in an interesting, but delightful
     dilemma; when and where to smoke one, knowing you will never
     be able to replace it at any price.

I love that. Makes me wish I was one of those lucky few who can
afford such a cigar.


Body Copy Uses Words That Generate Visceral Response
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I talked about the body copy above, but I wanted to also show how
these cigar companies use words and phrases that stimulate the
senses and evoke a sense of exotic pleasure. Here are a few of
the words they use:

* mild and sweet
* imported vintage leaf, long filler with sun-grown Cuban-seed
  wrappers
* lustrous green Candela wrapper (with a photo and reference to
  the fact that President Kennedy sought to stockpile for his own
  humidor prior to the embargo against Cuban cigars)
* delicate
* full-bodied
* spicy Cameroon wrapper
* all-natural sun-grown Connecticut wrapper
* rich, dark, flavorful Maduro
* a daring blend of Dominican Piloto Cubano, Brazilian Mata Fina,
  and Nicaraguan Ligero long fillers

I could go on, but you can see what the catalog copywriter has
done. These descriptions are designed to make the cigar lover
drool. Aficionados know what these terms mean, and the writer
uses that to craft copy that sells millions of cigars every year.

Sure, you can buy all the "how to be a great copywriter" books
you want. But specialty catalogs offer prime, current examples of
the best (and worst) in copywriting. You'll get more from a
thirty-minute study of a Famous Smokes or LL Bean catalog than
from any copywriting text book ever written, in my opinion.

And catalogs are free. So curl up with a catalog, and take your
own copywriting to a new level.


Copyright (c) 2002 by Michael Knowles. All Rights Reserved.

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About the Author:

Michael Knowles is an ebusiness specialist and professional
coach who helps small businesses and professionals increase
profits and better serve their customers and clients. Michael
is publisher of WriteThinking (http://www.WriteThinking.net/)
and author of the highly praised ebook "You CAN Take Credit
Cards Online!" (http://www.youcantakecreditcardsonline.com/).
For a no-cost personal consultation, e-mail coach@mwknowles.com.