Pondering words and marketing-speak

[CatMuse33]

I'd like to hear from copywriters on this, as well as other writers, since we tend to be conscientious about words in general.

I got into a discussion with a banker-friend today who changed the marketing materials in her bank from "Free Checking" to "No-Fee Checking."

Now, from what I know about marketing and subliminal advertising, (and the Law of Attraction, but I'll keep that out of this...) when you name something, even when you put "no" in front of it, people associate your company with it. So "no fee" checking would not be as effective as simply "Free." Plus, from what I know about marketing, everyone LOVES something for free. She said, in her mind and in her customer's minds, free = cheap.

What do you think?

My next question, along similar lines... I'm writing about a process that is exclusive to a client. I can't decide between the word "trademarked" or "proprietary." Which would make you want to ... Hmm... I'm thinking "Exclusive" is the way to go. And I just thought of that. What's your vote? Trademarked? Proprietary? Or Exclusive? (This is a management process we're talking about, but that's all I can say.)

Thanks for the feedback/discussion.

Dawn

[fov]

My $0.02 -

I like Free Checking better, for the reasons you mentioned. Also, having "No" as the first word gives a negative connotation, and "No-Fee" reminds the customer that there *are* fees in some situations, which isn't a great selling point. (Reminds me of when I supposedly had free checking at Washington Mutual and went into the branch to ask to have an ATM charge reversed, since not getting charged for ATM transactions was supposed to be part of the package. Their response: "Oh, no, that's the *other* free checking. You have a different free checking." Huh?)

If they're catering to an upscale clientele -- the guys with the million dollar accounts -- I could understand the argument about free being construed as cheap. That being said, if the audience is going to walk away from "free" because it sounds "cheap," well, I'm not sure that's a person you'll be able to hook with "no-fee" either.

For your second question, I'd use proprietary. Not sure who your audience is, but I know it's a word investors love. I'm not sure if you can trademark a process, but even if you can, the word "trademark" makes me think of the TM symbol you stick after a word / title / etc. that has been legally filed with the government and it's weird to think you could somehow stick a TM symbol onto a process. Exclusive sounds more to me like "We really want you to think this is special" (like an exclusive news reveal to a press outlet, an exclusive party invite, etc.) as opposed to the "We rolled up our sleeves and worked hard to make something no one else could" connotation of proprietary. But of course you could say "it's a proprietary process used exclusively by Company X..."

[Debbie V]

Proprietary - Pertaining to a proprietor; subject to exclusive ownership; protected as to name composition or process.

Trademarked - has received the TM symbol from the government.

Exclusive - not shared, having only one source, original; catering to a select group, excluding the other.

Which really fits what you mean best?

Love my dictionary.

[Jamesaritchie]

I'd go with no-fee because fees are what people associate with the cost of a checking account. And it's also the parlance of banking. Not to mention the fact that free checking and no-fee checking aren't the same thing. I have no-fee checking, but there are still costs associated with it.

[Tripletsmom]

My responses to your question come from two angles: first, I spent 6 years directing marketing programs for one of the largest financial companies in the world, and second, I wrote a book about copywriting (Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps).

In terms of no-fee vs. free, there are legal concerns in banking whenever the word "free" is used. If I tried to put that word in marketing materials during my corporate days, the legal team would immediately change it. You have to be extremely careful when using the word free in any kind of banking or financial materials. Many class action lawsuits have been lost over that one little word.

In terms of proprietary, trademarked or exclusive -- they mean very different things. For example, Google's search algorithm is proprietary but not trademarked. It's intellectual property that is well-guarded. Business names, logos, and so on are typically trademarked, meaning they're protected by law to ensure there isn't confusion in the marketplace. Exclusive carries a connotation of being special or out-of-the ordinary. When you look at each closely, they're not really interchangeable.

Hope that helps!

[jeffo]

I've also seen a general trend away from "free" in marketing, I'm not completely sure why. I think better than both today might be "Zero Fee," because I do see the drawbacks with the word "no" in there!