Rational arguments and emotional envelopes

A discussion of the differences between American and British advertising, which the author feels are misunderstood.

Rational arguments and emotional envelopes

John Philip Jones suggests that British agencies under-use functional, rational claims as a basis for campaigns

John Philip Jones

At the Admap/AA conferences in London on 20 and 22 January 1998 (1, 2), there was much discussion, some quite heated, about the relative value and relevance of rational and emotional appeals in advertising. Since many people evidently disagreed with my own views, I resolved to address this issue. This article is largely, though not totally, concerned with fast-moving consumer goods (in America repeat-purchase packaged goods), and my argument embraces all media, especially television, which in...

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