JWT Copy Test Answer: #6 How To Sell Phone Service to a Trappist Monk

Two down and eight to go.

Last spring I found the terrific J. Walter Thompson copy test which ran as a full-page ad 26 years ago in the New York Times.

Thousands of entries were sent in to the agency, only ten people grabbed spots.

Mystery writer, Chris Grabenstein was one of them and I interviewed him a few months back. But Chris never kept his answers to the test — though he did remember the answer to the sixth “entertaining and involving assignment.”

And last week, in steps Billy Bloom, one of the other 10 candidates who nailed the copy test and got a position at JWT.

Moreover, Billy kept his submission and he sent me the whole kit-and-kobodle over the weekend.

Initially, #6 was my favorite but after seeing some of Billy’s answers, I’ve switched my allegiance. I’ll be posting the other seven over the next week.

Question #6:

“You’ve heard the story about the man who made a fortune selling refrigerators to Eskimos. In not more than 100 words, how would you sell a telephone to a Trappist monk, who is observing the strict Rule of Silence? (But he can nod acceptance at the end.)”

Answer #6:

MONKS HAVE MOTHERS, TOO

You’re a Trappist Monk. You’ve chosen the lifestyle
that suits you best. For others, talk is cheap. But
not for you. Only through complete silence can you
come to appreciate the universe around you.

But just because you’re silent doesn’t mean you can’t
hear. On the contrary, you pride yourself on your
ability to listen. To the sounds of nature. To the
creaks in your house. To your mother.

Get the phone that allows you to listen, but not talk.
The only phone designed exclusively for the Trappist Monk.

NOSPEAK: The Phone Without A Mouthpiece.
(…from AT&T)