I recently read an article about mental barriers to performance, where the writer offhandedly asserted that 17′ had become a mental barrier to women pole vaulters (no one’s broken the mark).

It was an attempt to draw on a real-life example of a mental barrier, but what he didn’t consider was that most of the track and field world competes in metric. And what’s a 17′ vault in metric? A very un-barrier-like 5.181 meters…

The Trap

Perspective offers unlimited creative potential to a copywriter, but it’s also a yawning abyss where a lot of good copy has fallen to its death.

Some of it’s been mine. What can you assume about your audience? What do they know? And more importantly, what don’t you know?

Research helps, but the mindset you take into a project is the make or break element.

Years ago, I wrote ads for automotive performance products. One add-on improved the performance of your motor home, and my mindset - from past experience - suggested that motor homes were hideously underpowered.

I wrote ads suggesting that every motor home was a weak, underpowered dog that needed improvement.

The ads died. Horribly.

My mindset was dated; motorhomes had improved to the point where their owners were happy with their performance.

My ads were essentially irrelevant, if not downright insulting.

Perspective. Check yours, then market.

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