What is an advertorial? Straightforwardly, the word advertorial is the combination of the words advertisement plus editorial. Here's the skinny. People are used to reading editorials and often averse to reading ads, so if you format your ad to look … [Continue reading] about What’s an Advertorial?
Crypto Nazi Copywriting
Who are the Crypto-Nazis and what in the world do they have to do with copywriting? It started with a conversation some years ago with a marketing colleague who proclaimed: "my customers are crypto-Nazis." "They watch Fox news, read Newsmax, and … [Continue reading] about Crypto Nazi Copywriting
10 Ways To Protect Your Children Against Halloween Hazards (Supermarket Advertorial)
Makes me nostalgic for my years back in old New York. These 10 Safety Rules for Halloween by Julia Waldbaum saw annual insertions and added an interesting advertorial style twist to the usual, "white bread" approach to supermarket advertising. Happy … [Continue reading] about 10 Ways To Protect Your Children Against Halloween Hazards (Supermarket Advertorial)
Should We Also Flood the Sistine Chapel So Tourists Can Get Nearer The Ceiling?
This ad is a time machine stretching back to 1966 and a reaction by David Brower of the Sierra Club to the intellects in Washington (on par with today's incumbents) who proposed flooding vast portions of the Grand Canyon in the name of profits. The … [Continue reading] about Should We Also Flood the Sistine Chapel So Tourists Can Get Nearer The Ceiling?
Persuasion Patterns
How'd this junk mail writer amass one of the largest modern art collections in America? Working just 4 hours a day from his oak desk, he sold over a billion dollars worth of products in every conceivable market. These 8 Persuasion Patterns are keys … [Continue reading] about Persuasion Patterns
Selling High Ticket: The Admiral Byrd Society Sales Letter
How do you sell a high priced around-the-world adventure, including the North and South Poles, on a shoestring budget? Simple. Lead with a great idea, then persuade the world's best mailing list expert and copy talent to jump on board. This … [Continue reading] about Selling High Ticket: The Admiral Byrd Society Sales Letter
The Open Letter In Copywriting
The open letter approach in copywriting is hard to excel upon. The key factor you've got going for you with an "open letter" is just that -- it's a letter first and foremost -- not an ad. As anyone who's learned from the great advertising masters … [Continue reading] about The Open Letter In Copywriting
Joe Sugarman Seminar Ad
This ad comes from the December, 1980 Popular Mechanics issue and sold Joe Sugarman's seminar retreat in the North Woods of Wisconsin. Joes's was the first high end seminar for direct response advertising and a finishing school for countless … [Continue reading] about Joe Sugarman Seminar Ad
Bin Laden’s Ghost
"Bin Laden's dead." "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy," the sarcastic little New Yorker in my head instantly uttered, on hearing the news. Since I lived in Lower Manhattan at the time of 9/11, I like most New Yorkers, recall far more than the TV … [Continue reading] about Bin Laden’s Ghost
The Lost Sugarman Tapes and a Sugarman Story
One evening, eight years ago, I was sitting in my high-rise apartment across the Hudson River from New York City. I was working on my laptop when my wife broke the silence. "Hey, have you heard of Joe Sugarman?" "He's giving a workshop on … [Continue reading] about The Lost Sugarman Tapes and a Sugarman Story
Strip Mall Marketing Success Story
Posted this with the permission of my friend Bill in Chicago who sent this to me a few months ago. Bill's a sales and marketing genius. Last year, he outsold everyone else in his home office combined. Here's his recap of this strip mall merchant's … [Continue reading] about Strip Mall Marketing Success Story
I Stand Corrected…
A friend brought this successful print ad to my attention about a year ago and sent it my way. I recently wrote a post about it with the headline "Manufactured Proof," based on the model disclaimer in the ad and the incorrect assumption that the … [Continue reading] about I Stand Corrected…
Millions of gold coins in circulation today are counterfeits
Dan Rosenthal is not only one of the legends of financial copywriting but he's one of my all time favorite print ad copywriters. This space ad for the Silver & Gold Report had insertions 25 years ago. I could easily see this in print today with … [Continue reading] about Millions of gold coins in circulation today are counterfeits
Instant Money? Here’s Your Fix
Like a nice soothing cup of instant money? Bank of America has got your fix. This portentous Bank of America spot from the pre-Starbucks 1960s accurately captures the dual American dependence on caffeine and debt. Decades later, BofA acquired … [Continue reading] about Instant Money? Here’s Your Fix
Why You Will Probably Lose Everything In The Coming Depression
Coming depression around the corner? Who knows? But with the price of oil ratcheting up week after week and the U.S. fast approaching its debt ceiling, it's starting to feel slightly reminiscent of 2008 again. As an avid history reader, I like to … [Continue reading] about Why You Will Probably Lose Everything In The Coming Depression
Investment Ad #17: How To Prosper In The Coming GOOD Years
Unlike traders, marketers have the luxury of choosing a Plan A and a Plan B. What I mean is we don't have to pretend we're smart enough to time the market. And we don't have to make any pronouncements about what will or won't happen next week -- … [Continue reading] about Investment Ad #17: How To Prosper In The Coming GOOD Years