Blog

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 January of 2023.)

What did we talk about?

Byrne and I, of course, grilled him on his tell-all book, The King of Madison Avenue: David Ogilvy and the Making of Modern Advertising.

Like a typical, turbo-charged CEO, Ken called into the conference line from the back of a yellow cab, while cruising around the snow covered curbs of Manhattan.

This is a book that tells…

The rest of the story about David Ogilvy

…the most famous advertising man in the world, from someone who worked shoulder-to-shoulder with him for decades.

More than just a book about Ogilvy, The King of Madison Avenue reveals the evolution of modern direct response advertising in the 20th Century. [Read more…] about Interview With Former Ogilvy & Mather CEO, Ken Roman

He went from the Downtown comedy clubs to the hallowed halls of the J. Walter Thompson ad agency.

He started by writing ads and followed his mentor, James Patterson, into the world of writing mysteries, becoming an advertising creative director along the way.

Who is he?

He’s mystery writer, copywriter, screenplay writer, creative director, improvisational comedian and now children’s book author, Chris Grabenstein, that’s who.

And I was fortunate enough to be able to interview him… oh, so many years ago back in November 0f 2009. (I was stunned by how much wisdom is here on review in Feb. 2018.)

How has Chris been able to achieve so much in so many different areas?

It’s really no mystery.

Chris shares over 30 years worth of strategies for succeeding in the world of advertising and fiction, attention getting communication and winning productivity habits.

Here’s some of the nuggets you’ll glean from this interview:

• How a cream pie in the face can earn you millions
• Why there are no losers in advertising…only unemployment
• How to “leave out the part that readers tend to skip”
• Why improvisational comedians outperform door-to-door salesman in advertising…sorry Claude Hopkins
• Why no one cares about your product (or if you spent a year on R&D)
• A foolproof system fiction writers can use to hold themselves accountable
• Why there’s always another winning idea…even after everyone else has given up
• Why you must EARN people’s attention in advertising (or any kind of writing)
• The copywriter-mystery writer connection

[Read more…] about An Interview with Mystery Writer Chris Grabenstein

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 it?

It’s this.

NOT TESTING!

Direct response is a game of constant measuring… and observing cause and effect.

Take an action, see what happens… tinker with a break-even headline and perhaps, turn it into a winner… change up an offer and see what effect it has on response rates. [Read more…] about The crimes they commit against their ads

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 — and often hapless — entrepreneurs trying to make it in this cut-throat world of business.

Just today, I got two calls from a bubbly little ball of goodness named “Sarah” with Webatronics. [Read more…] about Sarah and the Webatronics Tele Scam

The American writer and public intellectual, Gore Vidal, once quipped:

“As one gets older, litigation replaces sex.”

If Vidal had made it to the gym in his later years, he would’ve switched “litigation” for “CNBC.”

Let me explain.

This copywriting research secret has nothing to do with the cable television business news channel.

It’s a little known way to… [Read more…] about CNBC Replaces Sex

“$100 Million Wasted On Ads That Never Pay” was written by Claude Hopkins in 1909.

Hopkins was possibly the highest salaried copywriter in history — he pulled down today’s equivalent of $4.5 million a year.

There was a reason his boss, Albert Lasker, paid him so much. He brought in more revenue for his agency and their clients than any ad writer had ever done before.

Here’s how “$100 Million Wasted On Ads That Never Pay” starts out:

“We estimate that every year is wasted $100,000,000 on ads that should never run.

That $125,000,000 is being spent annually to accomplish what $25,000,000 should do.

If such ads were put to comparative test, they would all be discarded. And each would teach a lesson which one never could forget.”

In 2013 dollars, $100 million translates to $2.5 billion dollars.

For all the waste circulation in advertising today, $2.5 billion seems improbably low.  Keep in mind that print advertising was largely the only game in town back then. [Read more…] about The “Billionaire Bonehead” of Direct Mail Marketing

Anyone in the alt-health and supplement business can’t help but notice the growing trend of wrongful death cases.

A few weeks ago, I wrote how Manoj Bhargava, founder of 5-Hour Energy, went on the assault when his company came into the spotlight due to several wrongful death suits. I’m neither an attorney nor a nutrition scientist but I’d be surprised if there’s any judgement against Bhargava’s product, given how little different it is from a cup of dark roast Starbuck’s with some B vitamins thrown in.

Last week, a wrongful death case against Jack3d (pronounced: “jacked”) manufacturer, USPlabs, hit the wires.

But this is a product in a whole other category than 5-Hour-Energy due to the controversial ingredient dimethylamylamine (DMAA). It’s an  amphetamine-like stimulant that’s already been banned in the U.K., Australia and Canada.

It’s available in any sports nutrition outlet the United States and is the preferred pre-workout supplement for many gym rats, including yours truly on occasion. I’ll be hitting the medical databases before my next scoop though.

Many lifters in the States are stockpiling the stuff anticipating an eventual ban.

Here’s the link to the lengthy New York Times article: Is the Seller to Blame? Workout Supplement Challenged After Death of Soldier.

The “mystery monk” got his first taste of energy drink ten years ago at a trade show.

From his first sip, he knew he wanted a piece of this market but wasn’t ready to take on emerging giant, Red Bull.

Nor did he care to share fridge space with Coke or Pepsi.

So, he invented his own product category — the energy shot.

It’s the retail point of sale success story of the last ten years. His product is now located next to countless cash registers all across the country.

And, the “mystery monk?”

Until recently, little was known about him. He broke his silence in this must read Forbes article last year.

His private company went from zero to over a billion dollars a year in sales in short order. [Read more…] about Mystery Monk’s Brand Battle

It’s hard for those of us attached to long copy to admit it’s not always the answer.

One of the greatest direct response hits in years is a product created out of thin air.

It rarely gets more than a line or two of copy, yet sales of over a billion dollars a year speak volumes for this brand. (Case study coming soon.)

This ad to the left and backstory were forwarded to me by my friend and colleague, Bill O., who’s one of the top high ticket salesmen in the States.

“Attached is an ad that has run non-stop for the past 18 months or so for a small Italian beef stand.  I know the ad is super successful for two reasons:

1.  Every time I go in there, [the place] is packed with people.

2.  The same ad runs over, and over and over in the local paper and coupon mailers.

Their simple, little direct response ad works like gangbusters.  I don’t know how much money they are making, but every time I go in there I ask, “how’s business?” and always get the same answer: “really, really good.”  The Mercedes and Porsche parked next to the back door are telling, too.

Any small business could offer some type of widget and create some type of irresistible offer, but almost none do.”

PDF of “Simple, red-hot offer.”

Earlier this week, I received the belated and sad news of the passing of my friend and colleague, Christian Godefroy. I last heard from him on November 2nd and he suffered a fatal heart attack two weeks later on November 17th.

Christian Godefroy was one of the top marketers and copywriters on the European continent for the last 30 years and was an extraordinary teacher, as well as marketer.

He was the kind of person you could meet at a seminar who gave no hint that he “owned a mountain” and took in over $20 million a year for the last 30 years.

Christian was soft spoken (whether in French or English) but he was as competitive as they come.

Before holding his copywriting seminar a few summers ago, he shared with me that he wanted to top the great Gary Bencivenga by offering 300 seats at $5,000 a pop. He sold out this event and later marketed it online. Here’s the sales letter if your French is up to scratch.

Christian was rightly proud of his Positive Club, which focused on his first passion of self-help.

He had many friends and colleagues the world over who will miss him!

A few months ago, I was having dinner with a friend in New York.

He works for a large investment bank and shared an interesting story about an unusual conference call. He told me all the US personnel were instructed to get on a conference call for an important announcement.

The announcement was short and stark.

John Doe has had a sex change.

On Monday morning, John Doe will be coming to work as Jane Doe.

Any jokes, innuendo or comments even bordering on the inappropriate… will result in immediate termination.

25,000 people all across America now had to be on their best behavior. Anyone who crossed the line was out, no matter their rank or production.

[Read more…] about Monday Morning Sex Change

Chet Holmes passed away on August 12th after a year-plus long battle with leukemia.

He appeared to be on the road to recovery but developed graft verses host disease after a seemingly successful marrow transplant.

Chet kept a private weblog for family and friends and the intimacy of what he shared combined with the courage he maintained throughout his illness are inspirational.

Fortunately, his sales and marketing legacy lives on though his books, recorded seminars and teachings. He built some of the fastest growing companies and broke sales records almost everywhere he went.

His track record in the Fortune 500 world was as impressive as they come, but it was when he teamed up with Jay Abraham in the late 1990s-early 2000s that Chet became a fixture in the direct response world.

Chet’s sales and marketing strategies can fill a book, and they do. But it’s a particular interview strategy I admire of his, that helped him build record breaking sales teams. Chet was a caring human being and a great teacher, but above all he was a hard charger.

[Read more…] about Remembering Chet Holmes