RE: Questions about marketing copy
As a consumer, if I see bad grammar, fragments,
etc., I am less apt to read the entire ad and thus less likely to buy the
product.
From a technical writer's viewpoint, this type of writing is literally
painful to me!
What's wrong with "available in most areas. Call for availability. Expires xx/xx/xx."? That's standard small-print, cover-your-butt marcomm copy. Sentence fragments are part and parcel of marketing communications. It has high impact, as someone said earlier. I dare say that if fragmented sentence structure in the small print/legal area causes you to not purchase the product, you may need to get out more often <VBG>. I'm kidding because some TV commercials have the same effect on me...the furniture store owner who has to shout at me at 5:30am and throw Monopoly money at the camera to make a point will not get my business...
In order for this not to be painful for you to read, you can't be reading marcom copy from a tech writer mindset. Marcomm writing involves having to switch writing and thinking modes to be more right-brain oriented (that doesn't mean you need half a brain to do marcom writing ;). I would wager that many (meaning up to 49%) technical writers couldn't make the switch to marcomm because they'd be too concerned about the wrong things. They have to be in their right mind!
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