Reject BOSS Direct’s “brainwashing” marketing! Avoid these 3 misunderstandings when promoting your products!

Recently, many netizens have expressed that they were disgusted by the advertisement of BOSS Direct during the World Cup .

Even the official Weibo account of the People's Daily criticized it by name:

Seeing this, the editor can't help but feel pity for BOSS Zhipin. They spent tens of millions to buy the prime advertising space for the World Cup, hoping to promote themselves and establish their brand image, but instead they were criticized. Some netizens even said:

"I will never use BOSS Direct Hire."

Moreover, Brother Xian, the boss of our company, made the following comment when he saw this advertisement: This group of people are so heroic and look more like they are going to demand wages and hold banners rather than looking for jobs . With this attitude, no boss would pay attention to you!

It can be said that this advertisement has successfully eliminated its potential users (whether they are bosses or employees). It can be said that it is a thankless task and a waste of money.

I won’t go into too much emotional complaints. Today, I want to rationally analyze the misunderstandings that BOSS Direct Recruitment’s advertisements have fallen into from the perspective of copywriting . I hope that after reading this article, everyone can avoid pitfalls.

1. The copywriting does not hit the real needs of users

Let’s first experience its brainwashing slogan:

“Looking for a job!”

"Just follow!"

"Talk to the boss!"

“Looking for a job!”

"Go! BOSS direct recruitment!"

"Promotion! Salary increase! Promotion! Salary increase! Promotion! Salary increase! Find a job! Directly! Talk to the boss! Find a job! Go! Boss Direct Hire!"

After the collective brainwashing that was like a pyramid scheme oath, I wonder if you are like me, with one sentence echoing in your mind: talk directly to the boss when looking for a job.

However, "talking directly to the boss when looking for a job" is just one way. What effect will it have if I talk to the boss? Shorten the interview process? Improve pass rate? Higher salary?

BOSS Zhipin did not tell us whether these effects that users most want can be achieved.

For example, the advertising copy of a resume editing agency is written like this:

"A veteran from the Fortune 500 company will help you revise your resume quickly."

This is also a very typical copywriting that only talks about the process, does not emphasize the results , and does not hit the user's real needs.

If you don’t tell users what the results will be, it won’t work even if you package your copy as “CEO of a Fortune 500 company will help you revise your resume.”

The ultimate goal of users asking agencies to modify their resumes is to increase the resume passing rate. The results that users really want are "attracting HR's attention, getting a high salary, and getting 29 offers in one go."

Only when your copy is based on user needs will your packaging strategy be more effective.

As for brainwashing advertisements, Pinduoduo should be considered to have done a pretty good job. Its slogan, "The more you work, the more you save," conveys the product's money-saving effect to users very well.

2. The solution is not the best choice for the user

Of course, it is not enough to identify user needs. You also need to evaluate whether this need is consistent with the solution you provide.

Take the copywriting of BOSS Zhipin as an example: "Promotion, salary increase" is the user's demand, but the solution provided by the brainwash advertisement is not the best solution to the demand.

It says: "For promotion and raise, find your boss." However, what really matters to promotion and salary increase is the applicant's own skills and job hopping.

Furthermore, when searching for the keyword "promotion and salary increase" in the Baidu search box, no content related to recruitment websites appeared. This shows that when users have the need for "promotion, salary increase", they will not think of recruitment websites first.

This is why many people feel embarrassed when they hear “get promoted or get a raise through BOSS Direct Hire”.

To fully appreciate the awkwardness of having your solution not match user needs, let me give you two more examples.

An underwear brand, its copy roughly means that business elites demonstrate gentlemanly demeanor. I always feel that as a business elite, the need to show grace can be solved by not showing your underwear to others. People will think you are crazy.

Also, I saw a promotional copy of a brand of water heater on JD.com before, "Change the world, subvert your life." I really don't know how a water heater can change the world.

3. The target users do not recognize the identity image it creates

Everyone should be familiar with Gionee’s previous advertisements. Let me ask you a question: after watching this advertisement, would you want to buy this phone?

99% of those born in the 90s and 00s don’t know how to do that. Because at the beginning, Gionee phones gave you the impression of being a copycat domestic phone , used by non-elite middle-aged men, which didn’t match their status.

Later, in order to attract the post-90s and post-00s generations, Gionee invited Xue Zhiqian , Shawn Yue and others to be its spokespeople, creating a young and fashionable image so that the post-90s and post-00s consumer groups could find a sense of identity.

By the same token, the group of people in the BOSS Direct Recruitment advertisement shouting slogans like crazy make people feel like they have entered a pyramid scheme. After watching this advertisement, you will feel annoyed and think that this group of people are very reckless. If you use BOSS Direct Hire, you will be considered as irrational "just like the people in the video."

In fact, this violates a very important principle in communication - "identity recognition" . What this means is that most people will pursue a sense of identity and make decisions that match their identity.

Let’s look at some good examples of using identity recognition:

BMW car advertisements convey a high-end feeling to users through pictures, making people feel that what you buy is not only a car, but also a display of noble status.

There is also Bentley’s advertising copy, which conveys to people a feeling of “I am noble, I am awesome, I am more awesome than the emperor.” (Because this sports car has 850 horsepower)

Another example is H5, which is often on the screen, which also uses identity recognition to encourage users to spread it spontaneously.

Of course, posters like this one contain words you like to hear and things you want others to see. If the poster is full of insults to you, only a fool would want to share it.

Therefore, the copywriter uses identity recognition to describe what the user wants to become. In order to show their "certain characteristics" to others, the user will accelerate consumption.

Another example is using identity recognition in reverse to reduce the number of times users use a product.

In order to urge citizens to quit smoking, the UK has stipulated that all cigarettes must be replaced with packaging like the one shown below.

Once it was launched, fewer people bought cigarettes. Why does uniform packaging have such an effect?

It turns out that the brand of cigarettes represents status, and the rich and the poor smoke different brands of cigarettes.

After the unified packaging, consumers cannot distinguish the brands of cigarettes based on their appearance. In addition, the packaging is too ugly, so its appeal to many people has decreased.

Summarize

Today we made a simple analysis with the help of "BOSS Zhipin World Cup Advertising Copy". If you don't want your copy to be criticized like it, don't step into these three pitfalls:

1) The copy does not address the user’s real needs.

2) User needs do not match the solutions you provide.

3) Create an identity that users do not recognize.

Author: Taolu Editorial Department , authorized to publish by Qinggua Media .

Source: Operation Research Society