Copywriting great Claude Hopkins said:
“Many articles are sold under guarantee, so commonly sold that guarantees have ceased to be impressive.”
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People get used to things:
We get used to our surroundings, to other people, even to our own thoughts and emotions. We acclimate to anything our senses experience over and over, consistently.
This is called "habituation" — and it’s a common hurdle to overcome in advertising. Because words like “Free” and “Sale” and “Guarantee” are used so often they can lose their appeal.
Same goes for certain types of offers:
For example, this classic MEAD Cycle Co. ad from the 1940s was specifically designed to combat habituation:
Back then, every bicycle manufacturer offered customers a “Money-Back” guarantee: “Try it — and if you don’t like it, we’ll *return* your money.”
MEAD’s “Try Before You Buy For Keeps” campaign was basically the same no-risk offer but with a twist: “Try it — and if you do like it, *then* pay us.”
The latter pulled a much higher response. Not because the offer was better (technically, it wasn’t) but because it was novel. It appeared more impressive because it was different.
Habituation is a conversion killer.
Novelty is a habituation killer.
Something to think about.
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Hey there, thanks for reading. :)If you want more “micro” content, feel free to explore 100s of articles, interviews, courses, and series — all free. Enjoy!Eddie Shleyner
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