Easy Closets’ Ad Is Cute. SoWhat’s the Message?

Admittedly, this Easy Closets headline and illustration will bring a downright smile to many readers’ faces, a rarity in advertising. So what?

It slyly acknowledges that there are two kinds of people in the world, the compulsive neatniks and the rest of us. And it slyly pokes fun at both.

No, make that three. There is a third kind, the hopelessly sloppy people who dream of escape into the sunlight of orderliness and who make periodic lunges in that direction.

(And oh, yes, let’s not forget the fourth kind, those who don’t care and take a certain pride in that.) But which of these four familiar types is the ad addressing? And what is it trying to say to them?

Without a doubt, most people in all four categories will enjoy a chuckle either of recognition or self-recognition as they look at the compulsively arranged food on a dinner plate. But the accompanying headline, “There’s a closet designer in all of us,” is one of those self-contained headline declarations like “Life is beautiful” or “The future is unavoidable” that doesn’t lead anywhere or promise anything.

Yes, the reader’s reaction might well be, “Maybe there is a closet designer in me, but I can’t do anything about it. Either my closet is already perfect or it never will be.”

But, you may protest, the headline leads into the body copy directly below, where everything will be explained and promised.

OK, you could make a case for saying that. But one of the legion of art directors who hate copy has buried the text in one of those typical, compulsively neat, squared-off blocks of obligatory, uninviting 9-point sans-serif white letters on a deep color background. And since the headline doesn’t demand readership with a compelling problem or benefit, many prospective customers will never get beyond the headline and into the copy.

If they did, here’s what they could make out by squinting their eyes:

Organization is good design. And designing a beautiful custom closet is easier than you think. Visit EasyClosets.com and use our simple design tools to create your own space. We’ll ship materials and instructions to your home; you put it together. After this weekend, your home tours will start in the closet. And you will be forever known as the Design God.

Not terrible copy, as far as it goes. But it leaves an awful lot unsaid. It does at least contain the first hint that this is a click-response ad leading to a terrific Web site. The only other clue in the ad is a pale rendition of “.com” hidden in the logo at the bottom.

When I went to the Web site, I was thunderstruck by what a powerhouse of completeness and persuasion I found just on the home page. (And very neatly organized, as one might expect.)

Some of the headlines and links on this first page:

The Trusted Online Source for Closets Since 1999…Design Online…Order Direct…Ships Next Business Day…Shipping Is Always Free…E-showroom…Free designs by Fax…See Our Testimonials.

If you click on “Design Online,” an ingenious step-by-step design procedure takes you by the hand through the entire process. As I looked at all this, I realized that the print ad should not just be selling Easy Closets. It should be selling Easy Closets’ Web site.

But how to make the print ad as powerful and compelling as the site itself, so that every prospect who sees the ad would be irresistibly converted from reader to visitor?

I found the answer when I clicked on “See Our Testimonials.”

If only the keen intelligence behind the Web site could have been brought to bear on the print ad’s development. That brain fully recognizes the power of customer testimonials, and obviously has made a concerted effort to collect and quote as many of the best ones as possible. These customer comments made key sales points far more credibly and convincingly than we mere copywriters ever could.

From then on, my makeover virtually created itself. I displayed some glowing customer comments in a way that would flag and snag prospects.

Highlighting the Web address in the prominent sub-headline makes it clear that the ad is selling not just closets but the desirability of planning and ordering your own ideal closet space online.

Compare the original headline with the makeover: “There’s a Closet Designer in All of Us” vs. “They Designed and Installed Their Own Dream Closet Space — and So Can You.”

Whether you’re already a closet neatness freak or merely yearn to be, which would make you more likely to log on?

THOMAS L. COLLINS ([email protected]) has been a direct marketing copywriter, admaker, agency creative director and co-author of four books on marketing. He is currently an independent creative and marketing consultant based in Portland, OR.