Here’s your typical penny pitch for one of the industries du jour – lithium.
And this package, like just about every direct mail package for penny stocks, is really a Trojan Horse. [Continue reading]
“Massive Megatrend Profit Opportunity”
A “Proper” British Ad… Only Problem? No Sales!
I've run across clients on both sides of the Atlantic who have a fetish for what is proper. "This isn't a supper club!" I shot back at one. "We're here to sell." … [Continue reading]
HOME RUN Headline (47 years and STILL Going Strong)
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]
The Last of the Diaper Chieftains (Secrets of Successful Print Ads in 2025)
Print advertising in U.S. newspapers has been on life support ever since the covid-related pandemonium put a giant dent in newsstand sales. The same is true in other countries. On a trip to Australia earlier this year, I was disappointed to see … [Continue reading]
Contrarian Copy That Conquers Skepticism
Even if you never plan on selling a high-yield real estate trust deed - or even know what one is - this 1979 ad from Pacific Plan is a masterful lesson in mass-market persuasion. Think how often prospects have been burned by the lure of big … [Continue reading]
Jay A’s Amazing 2-Page AD-VENTURE in USA Today (UPDATED)
I only know one person on the planet who talks this way... in marketing circles or otherwise. Here's what he says of this two-page spread which appeared in the November 1, 2019 edition of USA Today. "Recognize how we used posture, performance, … [Continue reading]
“Is Spiritual Peace Worth 3 Minutes A Day To You?”
Evergreen products are fascinating. What would motivate a prospect to respond to an offer in 2024 that pulled big in 1949? Wide appeal and a timeless topic help. James Keller's Three Minutes A Day was such an offer. … [Continue reading]
A Haunting Advocacy Ad from a Memorable Print Campaign (The ad that “predicted” 9/11)
Not everyone was thrilled with the idea of two 110-floor towers being built in Lower Manhattan. The big objection to the World Trade Center project in the late 1960s was that the gargantuan new towers -- the tallest in the world at the time of … [Continue reading]
BottomLines’s IRRESISTIBLE Reactivation Offers
Marty Edelston built Boardroom (and later BottomLine) into a world class publisher and one of THE direct mail operators to watch. His right hand man, Brian Kurtz, played no small role either. … [Continue reading]
Classic Self-Help “Spiritual Solution” Package
Self-help is a market that's smaller than many, but it's got two things going for it. First, most self-help products tend to be evergreen in nature, so a good self-help book or course can stay relevant for a decade or more. Admittedly, there are … [Continue reading]
Knocking It Out of the Park with Nostalgia (“Try my Granny’s Delicious Old-Fashioned Recipes”)
Ah, the good ole' days of print advertising when you could ran an ad like this in a general circulation newspaper and get rocking response. This ad from the fine folks at Windsor had plenty of insertions in British tabloids back in 2009. The copy … [Continue reading]
Kings of Coin & Currency Copy
GovMint and Stauer are sister brands based in neighboring cities in Minnesota, USA under the Asset Marketing Services umbrella company. And though they represent quite different markets – one is coins and currency, and the other costume jewelry – … [Continue reading]
“One Weird Trick” for REVIVING “Clickbait” Subject Lines That SELL!
Let's hop in a capsule and head back in time a decade to the "underbelly" of direct response around 2010. And let's explore one headline-subject line in particular. Yes, I'm talking about the "One Weird Trick" that was the topic of both … [Continue reading]
Case Studies in Catastrophe (When the FTC Comes a Knockin’ Part 1)
Picture this. One day you're on top of the memory market and can't buy enough insertions for your ads. They're in almost every publication from coast to coast The next day you get an official looking 9x12 envelope in the mail. It's from the … [Continue reading]
“But I only care about advertising in my own market!”
Would you like to know one of the joys of archiving winning ads? Whenever I find an ad like this, that had thousands of insertions from 1962 to 1975, I'm compelled to ask the question: Why was this ad such a SMASH hit? … [Continue reading]
Shameless Swipers and the Most Knocked Off Diet Copy in History (Update)
Run an ad like this today only if ORANGE is your absolute favorite color. Prison orange. Seriously, there are just too many ways to end up in HOT water with the powers that be if you're loosey-goosey with claims in the weight loss market. You need … [Continue reading]
“How to make sure you NEVER end up in a Nursing Home”
It's no wonder this package had a long shelf life. Just about every prospect who's 55 and over has the desire to be sound of mind and body and keep her freedom. And that's exactly the target market for the alternative-health newsletter, Second … [Continue reading]
“How You Can Get Super Rich In Commercial Real Estate”
How often do you see a full fledged real estate investment pitch like this in the New York Times? This ad was on fire in the Wild West of workshops in real estate investing and had thousands of insertions. … [Continue reading]
World’s Greatest USP & Reason Why 100-Page “Dirty Dossier” of WINNING Ads
A good unique selling proposition can be the difference between success and failure. And a great one? A great USP can create an industry disrupter in short order. This 102 page "Dirty Dossier" tells you all you'll ever need to know. … [Continue reading]
“The Cousteau Society Collection of Stamps of the Sea” (The Genius of Joseph Segel)
The late Joseph Segel made a mint as the founder of Franklin Mint which he founded in his garage in 1966. He briefly retired in 1974 at the age of 43 before later founding the giant QVC television shopping channel, along with numerous other … [Continue reading]
The Little Black Book of Billionaire Secrets (UPDATED)
The Little Black Book is one powerful and universal format. You can deploy it in any market. This 28-page promo was HOT a few short years ago. The concept is as appealing as it is simple. "Forbes Billionaire's Portfolio helps average … [Continue reading]
“When you have a designer, every package looks like a magalog.”
I've sent copy and consulting clients to graphic designers over the years and noticed a pattern. Many designers specialize in magalogs and immediately recommend it. … [Continue reading]
Thank You Mister President… For This Great Copywriting Lead
Here are two magalogs that mailed 20 years apart. The first one just just ahead of Bill Clinton's inauguration. And the second one during Barack Obama's second term. Being the oddball archivist I am, I thought of the "All persons fictitious … [Continue reading]
If I Had Only ONE Supplements Magalog on a Desert Island
Here's a 64-page Slim Jim from the mighty NutriHealth, who once stood at the top of the hill of direct mail marketing. A Slim Jim, as you may know, is a more compact and narrower version of a magalog, which of course resembles a magazine. Even … [Continue reading]
Shoestring Direct Mail Startups and The “UNPAID” Newsletter (UPDATED)
Have you heard of the UNPAID newsletter, ? As the name suggests, it's not a paid newsletter subscription. … [Continue reading]
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