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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

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

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 © 2002 by Michael Knowles. All Rights Reserved.

Michael Knowles is an ebusiness specialist and professional communications coach who helps small businesses and professionals increase profits and better serve their customers and clients. Michael publishes WriteThinking http://www.WriteThinking.net/ and is 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.