Page 171 - 100 Great Copywriting Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

79 GRAMMAR DOES
MATTER

In idea 10, I suggested that grammar doesn’t matter. That what
matters more is the underlying proposition you’re writing about.
But writing is key to the deal and since grammar, broadly, is to do
with making writing intelligible, maybe it does matter after all.

There are lots of levels to grammar and, for lay audiences, certain
mistakes will go through under the radar. If, though, you were to
write “You didn’t seen nothing like this never before,” even somebody
of the most modest educational attainment might tag the writer as
a fraud. It’s probably the easiest way to spot those phishing emails
asking you to reenter your security details onto a bank’s website.

The idea

From a large car manufacturer
I have a beautiful flyer in my Black Museum. Well, more than a
flyer, really. It’s a complex piece of cardboard engineering (that’s
a proper job, you know, I met someone who has it on his business
card) involving glue, tab A into slot B, and all sorts of internal
origami that ensures the insides appear simultaneously as you pull
a thumb tab. Why was I telling you this? Oh yes.

Alongside the action shots of a very sleek, silver Brand X saloon is
a shot of the inside: roughly 15 square yards of butter-soft cowhide
with aluminum accents and carbon-fiber cupholders. Connected
by a thin pale gray line to the ruched leather upholstery is the
deathless line,

162 • 100 GREAT COPYWRITING IDEAS