Northern Trust’s plain English ad
I like this plain English ad from Northern Trust, which I found in The Wall Street Journal on August 23, 2011, on p. B1.
What about you? What about this ad appeals to you?
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Copyright 2012 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved
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SUSAN WEINER, CFA
September 8th, 2011 at 2:56 pm
I love how conversational the ad is: starting the body copy with “Your hard work has paid off” gives it an immediate friendly tone. And, as you know, I’m a big fan of starting sentences with “and” as this ad does in the next sentence. The message is clear, and the tone works for what the company is trying to convey. For some reason the word “needn’t” in the headline feels a little too formal, although I’m not sure if I have a better alternative. Maybe “shouldn’t”?
September 8th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Thanks, Robyn!
I hadn’t thought about the “and” or the “needn’t” until you commented.
September 8th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
I think you’re right that “shouldn’t” is less formal, but “needn’t” didn’t bother me.
September 8th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
There’s something about “needn’t” that’s quite appealing. Perhaps, because it’s the road less followed.
September 9th, 2011 at 12:28 am
I think I’d like a mulligan. “Shouldn’t” that be the road less traveled?
September 9th, 2011 at 8:41 am
Bennett,
You’ve got that mulligan and thank you very much for your comment!
September 9th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Everytime a sentence starts with And, a comma dies. I think needen’t (doesn’t have too) and shouldn’t (should not) are two different things. Needn’t sounds stuffy to me, but then again, we’re writing for the upper class, no? In addition, I’m always against suggesting that complex financial planning is “simple” or should be. What do I need Northern Trust for then? Why do I need an advisor or asset manager? It is complicated; that’s why you need to hire it out and I suggest making sure a very competent lawyer looks it all over too.
September 10th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
David,
Oh dear, I wonder how many commas I’ve killed.
Your reaction reminds me that many people respond differently to the same text.
I think Northern Trust suggest that Northern Trust IS complicated, but their advisors can simplify it for you.
Thanks for commenting!
September 12th, 2011 at 9:50 am
Susan; Like a lot of readers, I focused on the tagline and only glanced at the text below. And I’ll admit that when creating marketing content, I am also guilty of preferring to be more clever than accurate. And I also sometimes begin sentences with unnecessary conjunctions because it’s become so common, I do it to appear hip.
September 14th, 2011 at 12:35 pm
David,
That’s a good reminder about readers who skim the tagline or headings.