Verbal Advantage was a force to be reckoned with.
They mastered the driver of the PRESTIGE appeal in advertising.
Here’s one of their turn of the century full page ads in the nationally published, Newsweek magazine. [Continue reading]
I’ve written a lot of copy for supplements and serums, and read even more. Just how many dietary supplements are there? There are some 85,000 dietary formulas sold in the U.S. alone, not counting the tens of thousands of cosmetic serums. These … [Continue reading]
If you can't turn a profit with a good publication about vinegar for health... Perhaps, info marketing isn't for you. I could come up with a dozen different marketers who've made hay over the years with this subject... if push came to … [Continue reading]
Here's a fine example of personality in copy. It features the "Carpet Kings." Einstein Moomjy employed several ad agencies during its history, but the apex of their advertising was in the 1970s and 1980s. (I'm trying to track down the agency in … [Continue reading]
John Caples was the great story selling adman of the early 20th Century. Seems like "They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano" has been swiped more times than memory champion Akira Haraguchi can recite π (Pi)... to 111,700 digits in 2015. But … [Continue reading]
This 9 x 12 envelope pulls no punches... though the income claims would make most laugh nowadays. There's teaser copy galore and the apropos STACKS of C-notes -- no confusion what this is about! … [Continue reading]
"Defiant Child?" is one of the all-time great ads with a compact, two-word headline — right up there with "Better Than Botox?" — and it’s also a keeper in the area of winning lead generation. While this ad lacked that level of gravitas, it … [Continue reading]
Just kidding about the Sample A. Sample, . You'll notice that's the name of the addressee for this Bottom Line Personal promotion. This GIANT tabloid goes all the way back to 1999... and of course there's plenty of obsolete content like: … [Continue reading]
Ah, back to enargia. Why do I keep harping on it? Only because some of the biggest mailers in the world use it as their go to creative approach. Just think of enargia like a swimming pool. With enargia, you're painting a picture that's so … [Continue reading]
AKA, the American Writers & Artists Institute... hailing from 2002... with all the accoutrements of classic direct mail: - Teaser copy laden envelope - 12-page sales letter - 4-page testimonials sheet - Lift letter - Old school reply … [Continue reading]
Here's a solid, send-no-money, risk-free trial offer. This self-mailer is still making the rounds for over five years. The offer for this pain relief cream is as resistance free as it gets. What's the goal behind such a generous offer? In … [Continue reading]
Jessica Mitford did for correspondence schools what Upton Sinclair did for the meatpacking industry in her exposé entitled Let Us Now Appraise Famous Writers, revealing the dark side behind the mail order money machine known as the Famous Schools. … [Continue reading]
If you ever find lead-gen boring, you're not paying attention. Because there are countless markets in direct response and an infinite variety of lead magnets. And sometimes you can learn more from a direct response player OUTSIDE your normal … [Continue reading]
Consider this. How many advertisers in the language learning market are pounding their heads right now... trying to create new ideas? Meanwhile, there's a bounty of treasure right under their noses -- ideas that could be getting them LOTS more … [Continue reading]
When you think of the late, great Ted Nicholas Peterson, what comes to mind first? - Copywriter? - Publisher? - Ultra entrepreneur? - Master at buying media for a fraction of the rate card? He was all of these things, plus a GREAT … [Continue reading]
This may not be a high ticket offer, but it boasts a strong PRESTIGE appeal in the mold of the Bonner Private Portfolio. "I’d like to invite you to join us at special kind of “round table.” At this table, you’ll meet millionaire businessmen and … [Continue reading]
For a lesson or two in selling a prestigious and pricey product to a discerning prospect, look no further than Easton Press. The above ad, featuring distinguished British-American actor, John Houseman, appeared on four glorious pages of the … [Continue reading]
The UK based Writer's Bureau was the brainchild of Ernest and Susan Metcalfe in the late 1980s. … [Continue reading]
Robert Ringer was one of the great self-publishing stories of the 1970s. After conventional publishers passed on Winning Through Intimidation, Ringer did what direct marketers tend to do when the gatekeepers say no: He went around them. … [Continue reading]
What do advertising and martial arts have in common? A lot actually. The world of general advertising is still largely clueless about sales. Many advertisers never make an offer or ask for the sale, so they have no idea whether their ad's been … [Continue reading]
This ad for a weight loss capsule is like stepping into a time capsule. Because of the legal minefields in the States among other factors, it's nearly impossible to find long copy diet ads like this in print today. … [Continue reading]
This 1990's space ad from the South China Morning Post is the counterpart to the now 30 YEAR mailing mega-control for International Living. Testing different media and different advertising formats remains a key to success in direct response. … [Continue reading]
The product has been on the market since 1967. The headline has been SELLING it by the bushel since 1977. How does an ad sell for almost a half-century without the slightest sign of fatigue? Here's the instructive full page insertion and … [Continue reading]
Here's a squeeze page that continues getting a lot of play in August 2026 on social media. It has the "Fool yes/no pathway" which works wonders in so many markets, but is surprising little known. … [Continue reading]
Talk about a jolting lead. This one is right up there with some of the best story selling ads ever to hit a mailbox. It had a long mailing track record. … [Continue reading]