Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear

by Frank Luntz

Examine this single thirty-second ad word by word, line by line, and you see the rules of effective communication in practice: “Every day you look for ways to stretch your energy dollar” is exactly how Americans behave every time gas prices climb to a new level. It’s a day-to-day struggle for millions of Americans, and an energy company that recognizes this is at least demonstrating that they are listening. “Just as we are looking for new fuel solutions . . . our industry is searching for new supplies, maximizing efficiency with advanced technology” is about the aspiration of solving the energy problem once and for all. It focuses attention not on the present but on the future and the search for something better. Even the individual choice of words—“maximizing efficiency with advanced technology”—communicates a simple but effective message that a new approach will bring better results. We have also found that Americans would prefer greater energy efficiency to increased conservation because “efficiency” suggests getting more for less while “conservation” has a tone of sacrifice to it. For that same reason, “renewable” energy is more popular than “alternative” energy. “Working together, consumers, government, industry, we’ll insure diverse, reliable energy to live our lives and keep America going strong” offers the novel suggestion that we’re all in this together and that we will all benefit if America’s energy companies are successful. Morevoer, Americans equate “diversity...