Or at least can give people the will to keep living, trying, not give up.
For example:
About 20 or so years ago I remember listening to a doctor talk about someone who had a terminal illness. I was especially interested in this topic at that time because my dad had a late stage potentially terminal illness himself. And for whatever reason, this patient the doctor was talking about went and holed himself up in a hotel room with nothing but Marx Brothers films. As the story went, the patient emerged weeks later totally health — having literally “laughed himself back to health.”
I’m not making any claims or giving medical advice here.
Let the pedantic types take note…
I’m simply telling you the story I heard about the potential power of entertainment. Many entertainers, movie producers/directors, and writers know full well how entertainment can and does change lives. Not long ago Bounding Into Comics ran an article quoting the director of the ‘Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’ game saying the purpose of entertainment is:
“To give the people the will to live, today and tomorrow.”
The late Stan Lee would talk about this a lot as well.
One of my favorite quotes from him was:
“…I have come to realize that entertainment is not easily dismissed…Without it, lives can be dull. Singing a song, playing sports — anything that entertains, that takes people away from their own problems, is good.”
Then there’s the Rocky films.
How many lives have been changed, extended, improved by those movies? How many people got into shape, avoided amputated limbs, strokes, early heart attacks because they saw Rocky and got inspired? We’ll never know. But just anecdotally it’s a lot of people I have known over the years. I suspect many reading this can attest to that as well.
More:
Back in the last Depression it was a known phenomenon that people depressed, out on their arse, unemployed would spend their last few cents not on food but to watch a movie — as it was the ultimate in self medication. Many people reading this on their $900 iPhone who have never missed a meal in their lives would bark about how that was irresponsible. But I’d argue it was very likely a way to psychologically regroup and find the strength to keep going.
My point:
Entertainment is an extremely powerful force.
And if you’re not using it in your marketing/copywriting/emails you’re almost certainly missing out on a ho bunch of sales, happy customers, and opportunities to help your market and bond them to your business in ways your boring competition just parroting the same benefits as everyone else cannot touch with a 12 foot cattle prod.
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Ben Settle
