4

I regularly write advertisements for a client who insists that capitalizing "the" improves conversion rates (the number of people that click or buy).

I know that it's technically wrong and it drives me crazy!

Does anyone have a similar experience or has anyone done A/B testing to see the effect of capitalizing or not capitalizing?

Some examples are:

Discover The Taste Of Croatia - You'll Love Our Croatian Tours - Make Memories Of A Lifetime!

| improve this question | |
  • 2
    Welcome to Writers. You asked about "The", but the same question would apply to some other words in your examples ("A" and "Of"). Are you asking specifically about "The" or about all words like that (that would normally not be capitalized)? – Monica Cellio Aug 12 '14 at 13:52
  • 2
    It sounds like you might get a more satisfactory answer on ux.SE. They might be able to give you something you can take to your client. From a writerly point-of-view: yes, capitalizing 'The' is incorrect unless it's the first word, but there are many stylistic (and other) reasons to use incorrect grammar or syntax. – lea Aug 13 '14 at 7:17
1

Capitalizing 'the' gives a strong impression of "one and only", which might bring a feeling to the reader of the advertisement that the advertising company is very confident about the product.

For example, "Discover THE best meal in XYZ restaurant." is more impressive than "Discover the best meal in our XYZ restaurant. "

| improve this answer | |

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.