Reflections on Ch 9 of Breakthrough Advertising

Gradualization

The three dimensions of human persuasion:

Desire, Identification, and Absolute Conviction

Absolute Conviction: The fusion of desire and belief, making the prospect feel right in their choice

Belief: The emotional security the prospect arrives from his own convictions, the facts viewed through his worldly lens

The prospect’s need to believe, the need to feel secure in their belief, is one of the most powerful forces the copywriter can

harness.

The fundamental beliefs are formed in childhood, and thus should never be violated. You must channel it.

The Gradualization is the bridge that you must build between the beliefs of childhood and the beliefs of your product, so that the

prospect can feel it as a natural extension.

He must never be aware of it, but should feel it in his very core.

Connect the facts so that it is irrefutable to deny his connection to the product.

It is a stream of acceptance upon which the structure is built.

The ad must start with the beliefs of childhood, ones the prospect will accept with open arms. Then the beliefs of your product

must be introduced.

But remember, the most powerful claim is not always the correct one. It must be believable, adapted by your prospect as an

extension of their own.

Belief depends upon structure.

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