If you’ve been paying any attention to what’s going on with marketing and copywriting lately, you’ll find more and more guru’s talking about how consumers have become more cynical.

They mention the fact that words like FREE aren’t as powerful as they used to be. That consumers are smarter than we marketers and copywriters think (duh!). And that they are getting wise to the big, bold, overblown claims of get rich now with no work, lose weight without doing a thing (hmmm…isn’t that how most people gained the weight to start with???) and so on.

To me, this seems dead obvious. Especially with the Internet, it’s so easy to be taken in by scams and end up with a virus-loaded computer, or out hundreds of dollars, that we are becoming a nation of cynical shoppers.

This is important to note even if you’re marketing a small business and would never use those kinds of claims or promises. Because it can and should have an effect on how you communicate with your clients and prospects.

After all, you want them to trust you and believe that you really have their best interests in mind. And that what you sell can truly help them solve their problems, achieve their goals or fulfill their wants.

To a large degree that means using every tool possible to establish your credibility…From adding in plenty of facts and figures when you write your marketing materials, to using testimonials, adding your headshot to your materials, and maintaining a warm, helpful attitude and tone of voice (just to name a few).

If you’re trying to be credible and trustworthy, hype just ain’t gonna help.

So far this is all good and sensible, right? But there are some contrarian marketers out there who are using the exact opposite technique to get you buy.

Instead of trying to establish credibility and legitimacy, they go over the top creating an anti-hero. One who makes claims so big you can practically smell the b.s when you first click on the page.

This anti-hero is usually a bit obnoxious, definitely a boaster, and generally someone you’d hate to be seated next to on an airplane. Because they’d spend the whole time telling you how wonderful their (car, life, bank account, wife, or whatever) is while making you feel small and worthless.

Usually, by the bottom of the Web page, they admit the whole thing is a hoax. Then they go on to say that while, as you’ve probably guessed, you can’t really do all the things they’ve been boasting about, you can do something more realistic. And that’s what they try to sell you.

Personally I find this tactic annoying.

It insults my intelligence in so many ways, the only reason I make it to the bottom of the page is that I’m a marketer and want to see what their game is.

On top of that, I get no sense of the person behind the promotion. Are they legit, or is the whole thing one big scam? I dunno, so I’m not signing up for jack…Even if it’s free.

But that’s just me, and I am not the average consumer. So I’d like to know your opinion.

Here’s the latest Website I’ve stumbled across using this tactic:
http://www.thecopygod.com/

Go take a look to see what I’m talking about.

Do you love it? Do you hate it? Would you buy—or even download a freebie—from a site that uses this tactic to market to you?

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below…

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