Reason-Why Marketing Persuades

Gary Bencivenga's Reason-Why Marketing is a powerful persuasion technique that dramatically increases marketing effectiveness by explaining the mechanisms behind why products work.

The Local Worms Marketing Example

• Starts with basic marketing: "Worms for sale 99¢"
• Evolves to benefit-focused: "Buy these worms, catch more fish"
• Transforms with reason-why: "These are local worms from local soil - fish prefer worms from their local soil"
• Further enhanced with storytelling: "Local fisherman accused of cheating because he catches the most fish reveals his simple secret"
• Finalized with an offer: "Buy two cans of local worms, get a free bobber"

Why Reason-Why Marketing Works

• Ogilvy quote: When asked why he was a big fan of reason-why marketing, he responded "Is there any other way to sell?"
• Provides logical justification for claims
• Makes benefits more believable by explaining mechanisms
• Transforms generic claims into specific, credible advantages
• Addresses the customer's natural skepticism

Bencivenga's 5 P's Persuasion Formula

• Problem: Identify what issue the customer faces ("No problem, no sale")
• Promise: Clearly state the benefit your product will deliver
• Proof: Provide evidence that your solution works
• Proposition: Present your offer in a compelling way
• Product (Cracker Jack Secret): Include a surprise element or bonus

Scoring System for Marketing Effectiveness

• Urgent problem: 25 points
• Unique promise: 25 points
• Unquestionable proof: 25 points
• User-friendly proposition: 25 points
• Cracker Jack secret (bonus element): 20 points
• Maximum possible score: 120 points

Application

• Layering these marketing techniques creates increasingly effective messaging
• Each element builds upon the previous one to create more persuasive marketing
• The reason-why component transforms ordinary marketing into compelling communication