Good Copy Doesn’t Create Desire

Can I make you want something?

Desire. It’s a word that might bring some heavy emotions to the surface. In our society, it’s heavily associated with a forbidden essence. It’s taboo to talk about our desires. Our conditioning has us believe our desires are things we cannot and should not have. In the Hindu tradition, desire is the “great symbol of sin” and “destroyer of knowledge and self-realization.”

Desires are…scandalous. They’re shameful.

But is that the truth? Are our desires something to be shunned and ignored? Or, is that simply how some cultures exploit this fundamental human emotion?

Well, you might ask yourself: Why is desire even a topic of discussion on an advertising agency’s blog? We’re here to strictly talk about SEO, conversion rates, ROI, and impressions, right? It’s true, these metrics are essential, but there’s something else that will benefit every aspect of your advertising efforts. It has nothing to do with numbers or secret tricks of the trade. And this something is vital.

It’s desire.

Any business owner can relate to this series of events: genius strikes for a novel business idea, followed by months of hard work that leads to the creation of a new product or service. Then, it’s time to spread the word. You advertise to gain the attention of the public and make them want your product.

But here’s the tricky part. Advertising doesn’t create desire. It finds it.

The truth is, advertising doesn’t make anyone want to buy something. We don’t technically create the desire. Instead, we have to tap into already held desires and get a person to act upon them. This desire we want to tap into is called mass desire.

Eugene Schwartz, the author of the acclaimed bestseller Breakthrough Advertising, describes it as…

“Mass desire is the public spread of a private want.”

Most mass desires cultivate over time from years of social, political, economic, and technological factors that culminate to create a mass desire. Not a single marketing campaign or catchy headline can create mass desire. No clever gimmick or mention of a competitor will create desire. Desire originates from the individual. An individual has a desire, and good advertising and copy tap into it.

Good copy finds this desire, channels it, and then directs it.

So, how do we find mass desire?

Let’s go back to the business owner and their novel idea for a business. It’s from this very moment that we should first look to find desire. A business owner can be considered the very first customer. They had a desire that wasn’t being met, exaggerated by a pain point, and the solution to achieving their desire was the product or service of the business.

That is the private want.

Too often, copywriters will craft campaigns without even thinking about this private want. This only leads to a disconnected message that’s weak and likely wasting a lot of money.

Instead, the goal is to craft an ad that speaks to this “private want,” then translate it into the public want. Only when an audience and an ad share the same primary emotion does that ad stand any chance to be compelling.

Key Takeaway:

You must take the desires (hopes, dreams & fears) that already exist in the hearts of millions of people and focus it into your advertising.

You have to tap into the conversation a person is already having in their mind and heart.

To do this, you take the primary emotion your customer has about your product or service — like fear, anxiety, embarrassment, envy, joy, happiness, pride, or comfort — and you talk to this underlying emotion with your copy. If it’s embarrassment they have around your product, how do you ease this embarrassment? Answer this, and you’re speaking to the inner conversation they’re already having. Answer this, and you’re a substantial step closer to a conversion.

Speak to them and connect to this inner desire, then redirect their thoughts to your product. That is the real task of good advertising and copy.

Good copy and advertising do these three things: acknowledge a person’s desire, reinforce it, and then offer a way to satisfy this desire.

- — -

Think of your customer first. It’s within the customer that desire is born. Desire is what good copy and advertising taps into, redirects, and pushes someone to act and make a purchase. The copy doesn’t create desire. A campaign doesn’t create mass desire. This private want comes from the market itself. Identify it, channel it, and you’re already way ahead of your competition.