Well, of course they named it “The World Greatest Health Care Plan of 2017.”
It’s the only logical thing the Party of Trump could name it. You wanna know if this gambit is going to work? Just listen for the first citizen in a bar or on the bus or in the cubicle next to you to actually use the term. And they will.
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When George H.W. Bush was beating the drums for war back in late 1990, he said Saddam Hussein was worse than Hitler.
I thought, “How in the world can he say that?! Fer chrissakes, he fought in World War II!”
Yet, less than a week later, I was sitting in the living room of a then-in-law. “Y’know,” this person said, “that Saddam guy is worse than Hitler.” This person, as a matter of fact, also had served in the US armed forces during World War II.
That’s the way the citizenry works. That’s their thought process. People want to think in the simplest possible terms. A catchy line carries far more weight than a well-reasoned argument. Advertising people have known this for a hundred and fifty years. A great slogan delivers on the following criteria, the four commandments of advertisers:
- Memorable.
- Includes a key benefit.
- Differentiates from the competition.
- Imparts positive feeling.
Here are a few taglines, catchphrases, and slogans that take up space in your cranium:
“Plop, plop. Fizz, fizz. Oh. what a relief it is.”
“Don’t leave home without it.”
“Mmm, mmm, good.”
“A diamond is forever.”
“Finger lickin’ good.”
“Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.”
“Tastes great; less filling.”
“Just do it.”
“Be all that you can be.”
“Breakfast of champions.”
“Can you hear me now?”
“It’s the real thing.”
“Fair and balanced.”
I’ll bet you can name, at very least, three quarters of the products and/or companies referred to by the lines above. And, double or nothing says you can’t identify the speaker of this quote:
A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.
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