U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1961)

HOMETOWN U.S. A. commercial clinic Words Commonly Used in Copy May Have Low Emotional Impact Aspiring copywriters t;ike note: A good many of the "standard" advertising words, hallowed by years of advertising agency tradition and use, turn out to have relatively low emotional impact on housewife radio listeners, according to a recent survey by a Seattle radio station. Some of the restdts are surprising. Among the low fun-content words are "saving.'' "economical," "rich," "generous," "sophisticated" and that old stand-by, "magic." The word "instant" is a real clinker, the sur vey revealed. It evokes feelings of enjoyment in only 7.3 percent of the housewives. Radio station KOI. Seattle conducted the survey to help improve station written commercials. A printed cjuestionnaire was sent to a random sample of women listeners who had been in contact with the station for some purpose. Of the 250 listeners polled, 138 filled out and returned the questionnaires. Answering housewives ranged in age from 19 to 09, with the average age 37.4 years. Topping the list are "rhythm," "excitement," "relax," "lovable," "alive." The word "color" rated relatively high. Specific color words meant "fun" to the housewives in this order: "Red," "green," "blue" and "yellow." As a result of the survey, K.OL has eliminated some words from general usage, and adopted others not used previously — dutifully following the di< tates of housewives' fancies. • • • Following is a partial list of the words in order of their preference: Word % Check Word rhythm excitement relax lovable alive variety informal company tuneful take part in easy-going tempo fragrant comfort warm fresh after dinner planning smooth on-the-go color bright shopping athletic freedom % Check 69.6 65.2 60.8 60.1 59.4 58.6 56.5 55.0 54.3 50.7 47.1 47.1 45.7 44.2 43.5 42.7 42.0 40.5 40.5 39.9 39.9 39.9 39.1 38.4 36.3 energetic 36.3 masculine 35.5 new 34.8 quiet 34.8 easy 34.8 stimulate 34.8 get things done 34.8 take it easy 34.0 emotion 34.0 bounce 34.0 cooling 31.9 impulse 31.2 satisfy 31.2 modern 29.0 feminine 28.3 exotic 27.6 familiar 26.8 sip 26.1 informative 25.4 curiosity 25.4 downtown 24.6 generous 23.9 smart 23.9 light 23.2 alert 23.2 but worth it 23.2 magic 22.4 70 v-necK rich 21.8 feeling 21.8 safety first 21.8 afternoon 21.0 hit 21.0 bargain 21.0 spending 20.3 helpful 20.3 fast 19.6 saucy 19.6 red 19.6 agile 18.8 dynamic 18.8 green 18.8 morning 18.1 blue 17.4 grownup 17.4 frivolous 16.7 hot 15.9 liberal 15.2 economical 14.5 sophisticated 13.8 important 13.0 first 13.0 swift 13.0 saving 13.0 purpose 12.3 strange 12.3 1 1 U. S. RADIO January 1961