[Dale King]

"Who Else" headlines really do suck!

To say I hate them would be a major understatement.

Do they work? Yes they do.

However, that's not the point.

The point is, everyone and their dog is using "Who Else" headlines.

They're all over the damn Internet!

I mean, it's so bad, I'm almost expecting one of the major cereal companies like Kellogg's or Post to come out with a cereal called "Who Else!"

Perhaps Kanye West will come out with a hip hip song called, "Who Else Thinks President Bush Hates Black People?"

Or perhaps Tim Russert will change the name of his show to Who Else Wants To Meet The Press?

Breaking News...Geico Insurance just fired the gecko and are changing their slogan to "Who Else Wants To Save Money On Car Insurance?"

Maybe New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin will put his foot in his mouth once again and hold a press conference to ask, "Who Else Thinks Ground Zero Is A Hole In The Ground?"

Can you imagine living in a brave new world dominated by "Who Else" headlines, slogans and songs? Can you imagine seeing that everywhere you went? You'd get sick and tired of "Who Else" pretty quick, wouldn't you?

Well, I'm sick and tired of seeing "Who Else" headlines online everywhere I turn.

Now I can understand a newbie using a "Who Else" headline. They really don't know what else to do, so they copy what everyone else is doing.

But what I don't understand is why some of the top copywriters on the planet continue to use "Who Else" headlines, long after their saturation point.

I mean, some of these guys are absolute geniuses. I'm serious. Some of these guys are brilliant copywriters. Trust me on this. I've seen their work.

It's a shame, "Who Else" headlines are the best they can come up with?

Okay, "Who Else" headlines work. So what? So do many other types of headlines.

Besides, whatever happened to trying to be original? What's wrong with coming up with your own unique headline that everyone will want to copy...instead of copying what everyone else is using?

I think I know the answer to that question.

The answer is laziness.

It really doesn't require any type of effort or creativity to copy something that is already proven to work.

I mean, c'mon, how hard is it that?

Want to know what I think?

I think this proliferation of "Who Else headlines may be a sign of something even worse...a lot worse.

I think using "Who Else" headlines may be the warning signs of an unimaginative, tired, formulaic copywriter...at least when it comes to writing headlines.

Who else thinks I'm right about this?

[The Stealthy One]

I agree with you. I got a good laugh, too:

Perhaps Kanye West will come out with a hip hip song called, "Who Else Thinks President Bush Hates Black People?"

...among others!

Anyway, I do see a huge amount of "copycatting" and it's so boring.

[jasaunders]

Who else agrees with Dale?

[Dale King]

Hey, Daniel:

I have to be honest and tell you. Even though the article wasn't intended to be humorous, I got a chuckle or two out of it myself.

Dale King