Mass desire is the driving force behind effective advertising. Without it, your advertising campaigns are likely to fail.
Here’s why:
As legendary copywriter Eugene Schwartz explained in his book “Breakthrough Advertising,” people in every market already have deeply rooted wants and needs they desire to satisfy.
Mass desire is the widespread public yearning for something that individuals in the market privately desire.
Therefore, a copywriter cannot create mass desire in an audience where it does not already exist. Attempting to conjure up human desire for a product that does not appeal to a mass desire is nearly impossible.
Schwartz explains, “Copy cannot create desire for a product. It can only channel the existing hopes, dreams, fears, and desires of millions of people toward a specific product. The copywriter’s task is not to create mass desire but to identify and direct it.”
Schwartz goes on to say that every product appeals to two, three, or four mass desires. But only one desire can be the main focus of the ad; only one desire can be used to attract your ideal customer.
Here’s what to do:
- Identify the most powerful mass desire within your specific market.
- Inject that desire into a catchy headline to hook your customer.
- Position the product in the advertisement as the solution to fulfill that desire.
Ignore mass desire, and nothing you put in the ad will matter.
Regardless of how creative, compelling, or informative your ad is, if it doesn’t speak to what your audience truly wants or needs, it will fall flat.