Easy.Simple.Cheap.Done.

Who needs a copywriter when you have a style guide?

The market research suggested a list of words that potential buyers responded to positively. So the creators of this two-page ad simply strung a few of them together and called it finished. And. They. Did. It. With. Periods.

I have to deal with these stupid lists of words all the time. They're frustrating because it's as if a group of very devious scientists have picked the brains of the target market and now they're telling you how to write. When the research is so refined as to tell you exactly what to write, you cease becoming a copywriter and are now a copy and paster. At least that's how I feel when I have to deal with these lists. But I've always believed that the idea is to incorporate the words into your copy. Subtly. Not piled on top of each other. Any monkey can assemble your ad or collateral piece for you when you already have the words chosen and a pre-assembled collection of art the target responds to as well.

So maybe, just maybe, (and this would be awesome) this is a copywriter's way of telling the style guide compilers to kiss his/her ass. "You already know the words that make people buy? Great. Here you go."

Scanned from the October 14th edition of The New York Times Magazine.