The Best Movies For Conversational Copy

Conversational-style copywriting has always been a part of the direct-response world — you probably learned about using it when you completed The Accelerated Program — but it’s growing in popularity along with the rise of the Internet.

The ability to take feedback from your readers and translate it into ever-better copy is amazing. These movies showcase the power of having an intentional conversation with a single prospect at a time.

No Clue

No Clue is a hilarious Canadian spoof on those hard-boiled detective flicks that make Humphrey Bogart look really good.

The main character, played by Brent Butt, is a pudgy, dopey, middle-aged man in “specialty” advertising. He’s bored, he’s lonely, and when a beautiful and desperate woman apparently mistakes him for the cheesy private eye in the office across the hall, he rolls with it.

Despite knowing that he’s completely unqualified, and that she’s probably not as into him as she’s acting, he keeps going simply because it’s something interesting to do.  

As he cheerfully narrates the devolving story-line, it turns out he’s actually a pretty good detective for the same reasons he’d make a decent copywriter – he’s curious, observant, and he talks to people.

Better still, he listens, remembers, and comes back with pointed references and hints that eventually force the different characters to show their cards.

Cold Comfort Farm

This is another little-known TV movie. It features some incredible performances by Kate Beckinsale, Ian McKellen, and Rufus Sewell. It’s charming, ironic, hilarious, and it has the best portrayal of the true power of words and the art of listening I’ve ever seen.

Cold Comfort Farm, like Jane Austen’s more famous Northanger Abbey, is a spoof on gothic, film noir horror stories.

An impoverished London debutante, Flora Post (Beckinsale), finds herself destitute in the 1920s. She casts herself on the mercy of country relatives, only to find their farm is under an appalling curse.

But no curse has ever met Miss Flora Post – who’s less a helpless heroine than an elegant force of nature. Miss Post believes that curses are untidy, and could certainly be spruced up with some clean curtains and a little practicality.

With gently murmured suggestions and attentive listening, she carefully teases out the true desires of each of her cursed cousins and proceeds to tailor happy endings for each.

Most of her techniques are right out of a copywriter’s handbook – though some are downright manipulative – but she truly brings to life how a copywriter’s super powers can be used for good, rather than evil.

What’s Your Take On The Movies?

Both of these films show off the power of conversational copywriting, and while you may not end up a hero detective like Brent Butt, you can still use his style to find out hidden clues about your own clients and their audiences. Or, you may feel I’ve sent you on an odd goose chase, hunting down copy tactics where they’re unlikely to be found. Either way, I can’t wait to hear you share your opinion in our LinkedIn group.

Next week, we’ll be problem solving again… but this time, it’s all about how copy can be the solution to the world’s problems. Stay tuned!