Just when you thought you've seen every Gene Schwartz print ad there is, another one creeps up from his seemingly endless oeuvre! This one promotes the Marshall McLuhan Dew-Line Newsletter which looks like it had a modest run between 1968 and … [Continue reading] about Marshall McLuhan Says That TV Killed Bob Kennedy (Gene Schwartz Newsletter Ad)
Interview With Former Ogilvy & Mather CEO, Ken Roman
In February of 2010, (Yes, years ago but it was a great interview!) I had the chance to chat with author and former Ogilvy & Mather CEO, Ken Roman, at the invitation of my friend, Byrne Hobart. (I'm re-posting with some edits in June of … [Continue reading] about Interview With Former Ogilvy & Mather CEO, Ken Roman
Chiropractic Marketing Machine
Dr. Chris Tomshack built HealthSource into one of the biggest chiropractic franchises in the world on the back of long copy and providing the solution to the biggest driver that gets prospects to take action... PAIN! "The 5 WARNING SIGNS of … [Continue reading] about Chiropractic Marketing Machine
The “With-Without” Formula
A client I hadn't heard from in a while contacted me at the end of last year. He had a print ad pulling a very respectable three times ad cost and wondered if he could get it even higher. His objective went beyond merely trying to bump response … [Continue reading] about The “With-Without” Formula
A Tale Of Two Copywriters
One late summer evening, two copywriters sat down at their keyboards to craft sales letters for almost identical products. They were very much alike, these two copywriters. Both had years of experience writing every type of ad and were dynamos at … [Continue reading] about A Tale Of Two Copywriters
Why Puerto Rico is unique as a place for manufacturers to make more profits
This ad with Malcolm Forbes was part of the series Ogilvy and Mather created for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. They're flatly some of the best business development ads ever written and were responsible for changing the landscape of the … [Continue reading] about Why Puerto Rico is unique as a place for manufacturers to make more profits
How Long Should An Advertisement Be?
Warning: if you want the long answer to this, it'll take about 20 minutes to read this behemoth of an ad from Victor Schwab. Also, unless you're comfortable working with electron microscopes, printing this on an 8 1/2 x 11 will be a slog (Just … [Continue reading] about How Long Should An Advertisement Be?
Ad Legend Albert Lasker and “Salvaging the Shipwreck”
"Albert Lasker was the father of modern advertising and - yes - of Madison Avenue. The revolution in promoting and selling which Lasker started in the early 1900s has swept across, and beyond,the Western world. Lasker himself, having taken more money … [Continue reading] about Ad Legend Albert Lasker and “Salvaging the Shipwreck”
Ogilvy Ad from Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Series
Here is another ad in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Series -- perhaps one of the most effective business development advertising campaigns ever devised. Why Puerto Rico is the most profitable of Omark Industries' 14 plant sites in 5 … [Continue reading] about Ogilvy Ad from Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Series
Ads That Command: Defiant Child?
Why do some ads hit the white hot center of a market and become the control ads remembered years later, while others fall by the wayside? This long running ad from the child psychology market sheds some light. Here's the powerful, yet economic … [Continue reading] about Ads That Command: Defiant Child?
The crimes they commit against their ads
Advertisers sabotage themselves in countless ways. But of all the ways to go wrong, this one is the CAPITAL crime of direct response advertising. And, while it's a crime of omission, it murders sales (and growth) like no other. What is … [Continue reading] about The crimes they commit against their ads
Before banks were synonymous with vampire squids
Here's a lead generation ad, or a want ad if you will, from Merrill Lynch during their halcyon days in the early 1970s. Before the era of the vampire squids and the CEOs who detonated century old companies with toxic derivatives, Merrill was a … [Continue reading] about Before banks were synonymous with vampire squids
Sarah and the Webatronics Tele Scam
Seth Godin sold a fair number of books with the title, All Marketers Are Liars. And these days, that's just scratching the surface. It seems no matter which way you turn, there's no shortage of nefarious types willing to prey on good-natured -- … [Continue reading] about Sarah and the Webatronics Tele Scam
Ads That Command: The Outrageous Challenge
Through the lens of 2016, this ad's copy might not be up to snuff. But it wasn't scintillating ad copy that kept Robert Allen's ads and spots going strong for decades. Allen had countless competitors in the "nothing down" real estate market -- … [Continue reading] about Ads That Command: The Outrageous Challenge
Math Wizard Reveals Amazing Secrets Of Calculating Skills
"Math Wizard Reveals Amazing Secrets Of Calculating Skills Students shed calculators and pencils with Math Magic." The "Math Magic" course was successful in print for many years and, like the "Total Transformation" campaign, is a great … [Continue reading] about Math Wizard Reveals Amazing Secrets Of Calculating Skills
Copywriting: Headline Nightmares
Whenever I interview a prospective copywriting or consulting client, one of the first questions I usually ask is: "who's this product for?" And more often than I'd like to hear, I get the answer: "it's for everyone." Experience has taught me to … [Continue reading] about Copywriting: Headline Nightmares