One of my first core classes as a college freshman was Critical and Analytical Thinking. On the first day, our assigned homework included watching television (I could not believe my good luck) – specifically, to pay close attention to commercials. Our class discussion centered around what I later understood as “marketing,” and how we are persuaded to want and, more importantly, to buy.
Remember the Certs commercials from the 1980’s? If you do, you have probably already recalled their tagline:
“Certs, with a glistening drop of Retsyn.”
Their unique selling point was that their breath mint was superior to all other breath mints because of this “glistening drop of Retsyn.”
You didn’t know what Retsyn was – and the makers of Certs didn’t tell you what Retsyn was OR what it did – but you sure wanted it.
The 21st Century may be the dawn of the truly savvy consumer. We’ve feasted on print and billboard ads for a century, have spat out pop-up-ads, and are now the at-home chefs preparing the potluck marketing dishes of social media.
Marketing is storytelling, and “Retsyn” is a story of a single word.
If you are selling a product or service, at least part of your efforts should be about making your customer want your Retsyn…whatever it may be.
* Retsyn, Retsin, Retsen…does it really matter? Not only is it not important what it actually is, it’s not important how it’s spelled. All that is important is that you know that it’s what makes Certs special!
