Spam filters are driving a creative renaissance in direct marketing copywriting. As technologists set filters to exclude the most proven and the most effective words and phrases used to cue feelings of need and urgency, writers are being forced to change vocabulary, tone, and phraseology.

Surprisingly, this is not a bad development in spite of the fact that it has torpedoed long term control messages that have proven effective time after time. Though it is giving fits to firms that have lived off or over-relied on proven control messages to drive their businesses on autopilot.

The loss of “FREE,” “Act now,” “Try it today,” and “Don’t Delay” is forcing direct marketers to use a conversational tone, a more personalized appeal and a more relaxed tone, all of which have a reasonable chance to resonate with target audiences. To some extent, without these verbal crutches, copywriters have to work harder to get into the hearts and minds of those they hope to persuade. But this forced innovation could be a blessing in disguise since getting through the Spam filters is the only realistic chance DMers have at maintaining predictable response rates.

In the cat-and-mouse game of e-mail deliverability, copy is just one factor. Yet if you can finesse the technical issues, copy is the most potent tool to generate awareness, interest, and response. A forced revolution in phraseology can’t possibly be bad.

In fact, losing those effective, yet shop-worm terms and copy lines could save e-mail. Losing the phrases that provoke stored audio memories of cheesy announcers saying “Act Now Supplies are Limited” or “Try it today and Save” can only give marketers increased credibility in a very skeptical, fragmented, attention-poor, and filtered marketplace.

Danny Flamberg is Presdent of Prescients, LLC, a marketing consultancy.

Tags: spam, direct marketing, danny flamberg, copywriting renaissance, target audience