The Long and Short Of It

One of the great marketing myths of recent years has been the notion that short, punchy copy will always outsell its longer, wordier counterpart.

Let’s pull no punches here: that’s just plain wrong. Long copy doesn’t work better than short. Products advertised using long copy don’t sell less than those advertised using short. In fact the opposite case is frequently true.

That said, the idea that no-one was ever persuaded to buy something from a simple tagline is equally untrue – especially when that short copy is applied to a brand with immediate recognition.

‘A Mars a day…’
‘Have a Break…Have a Kit-Kat’
‘Vorsprung durch technik’ (‘Forward through technology’, if you ever wondered)
‘The Real Thing’

The soundbites sound good but they oversimplify the situation. Neither long, nor short copy is automatically worse than the other.

How long is long? Lessons from history

What is true is that appropriate copy sells. Long or short doesn’t really matter provided what’s there is entirely relevant and serves a purpose.

So what is ’appropriate’ when it comes to copywriting? A useful rule of thumb is this: say only what needs to be said. And then stop. If that takes a line then it takes a line and short copy will be fine. If more is absolutely required then it’s absolutely required and there’s no point fretting about it.

If the topic demands long copy the likelihood is it really won’t seem all that long anyway. It’s only when the word count outlasts its welcome that long copy is too long. The American Declaration of Independence was a piece of long copy but it was also a masterclass in conciseness.

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, another piece of long copy, was actually spectacularly short by the standards of the day – and of any day for that matter. Indeed it was so short that photographers hadn’t finished setting their cameras up by the time Lincoln had finished and sat down again – which is why no photos of the speech exist.

The exact text of the speech is disputed (several versions exist) but all run to around 270 words. 270 words to introduce a country to the idea that “government of the people, by the people, for the people” should be based on the revolutionary idea that “all men are created equal.”

His speech was ridiculed at the time as being precisely the sort of rough-hewn oratory you’d expect from a countryman like Lincoln – indeed he himself felt he’d let everybody down badly – and yet the speech is arguably the finest ever made on American soil and is surely unimprovable. Nothing could be cut, nothing is redundant, not a syllable is wasted. Far from being an object of ridicule, Lincoln’s address is the model of power, clarity and substance to which any writer should aspire.

Dreaming in long copy

Dr Martin Luthor King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech made, appropriately enough, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on 28 August 1963 was a longer piece, but if anything enjoyed an even greater impact. He took 1666 words to alter the course of history and make an entire nation, a whole world, sit up, listen, and make a step-change in the way of things.

Would Dr King’s speech have had the same impact if he’d announced “I have a dream…” and then wandered off? No, of course not. 1666 words – and almost every one of them essential to impress upon the listener the sheer weight and clarity of the thought.

What works

The argument is a redundant one. Long vs short copy is as pointless an argument as air vs water. We need both. Both work. Both are particularly good at particular things.

Short copy can make us sit up and take notice. It can hit us between the eyes, lift us to our feet or floor us entirely.

“Yes, we can.”
“That’s one small step for man…”
“In space no one can hear you scream.”

In the context of the people/companies who said those words, in the circumstances in which they said them, nothing more is needed – so why bother?

For those of us who don’t have the situation, brand or standing to make short copy hit home – or when the high impact punch of short copy won’t serve the product or message - long copy will be fine; especially so when there’s a complex or detailed concept to put across.

Just don’t outstay the welcome.

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