The average direct response guy or gal would say of this ad: "Where's the copy?" And old school admen would pull their hair out over the almost illegible reverse type. No matter. This advertiser absolutely NAILS the appeal. … [Continue reading]
Here's a textbook charities pitch from The Nature Conservancy. Donna Baier Stein beat Frank Johnson's (of Johnson box fame) 20 year running mailbox hit. … [Continue reading]
I remember touring a state park in Puerto Limón, Costa Rica in 2003. While observing the monkeys swinging underneath the tropical tree canopy, the tour guide mentioned something interesting. He suggested a foolproof way to become a millionaire … [Continue reading]
Here's a stellar example of subscription (renewal) selling for a newsletter in our current inflationary world. There are some things our customers and prospects can afford to be without during an economic squeeze. No matter what you're … [Continue reading]
(I've met some great Aussie marketing friends and colleagues this first week 0f 2025 and will return to the States end of next week with some primo updates.) BT Funds Management ran these unforgettable ads in the 1990s in Australia and New … [Continue reading]
It takes some moxie to run an ad with the headline: "Do You Realize XYZ is the Largest Book Publishing Enterprise Ever in Existence?" But when you've sold over 100 MILLION titles, you're allowed to boast a bit. Who was he? … [Continue reading]
Course copywriting and educational advertising don't get any better than this. This particular 52-page catalog with the 80% off offer had one goal -- to move a mountain of product. … [Continue reading]
Why study winning advertising from markets and industries different from your own? Because you can bring all kinds of ideas that are fresh and response boosting into yours. This ad for Illinois Masonic Medical Center had many insertions in the … [Continue reading]
Here's the British equivalent of the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) loan. This lead gen for the Safe Home Income Plans (SHIP) from Stalwart Assurance Company Limited ran in British tabloids in the 1990s. … [Continue reading]
Marshall McLuhan said: "The medium is the message." Whether it's a millennial on a mobile, or a boomer with a newspaper, the medium plays a BIG role in how the message is received. That's why newspaper mailings have been HOT for the last few … [Continue reading]
It's not enough that the second word in this two-word headline is in CAPS, but it's also underlined. It's hard to pack more punch into a such a compact headline as this. And there's no shortage of frustrations in most markets to deploy a … [Continue reading]
convincing the world... it wasn't a biz-op." Guess I like my Keyser Söze references from time to time. This is surely one of the greatest secrets for marketing a business opportunity program... to a MUCH wider audience. … [Continue reading]
Knockoff artists aren't nearly as common as many people think. Strangely, no one's made an obvious effort to knock either of these long running ads off -- ads that look weak to those with sharp eyes and teeth. Choose Life: Grow Young with HGH … [Continue reading]
Before the Web... this is how you got clients on demand for copywriting, consulting and business development. And of course, newsletter subscribers -- the springboard for all the above. It's the old advertising dance known as the … [Continue reading]
This double page spread appeared in the April 1973 issue of Good Housekeeping. Long before SaaS (software as a service), books ruled the roost of subscription selling. … [Continue reading]
Audio-Forum ran this campaign for TWENTY solid years, starting in 1977. The great Don Hauptman was the genius behind it. ¿See that inverted exclamation point at the beginning of the headline? Quoting Rodney Dangerfield... ¡That little … [Continue reading]
The headlines are virtually the same. So is the appeal. The high ticket marketer swiped it from the commodity priced one. What's the difference? Let's dive in. … [Continue reading]
Mere "beauty cream"... from Secaucus, New Jersey... or a high performance serum from Switzerland? One you can sell for $39... and the other you can stick a zero on the end... maybe two. If you've seen the “Swiss BIO DNA Cellular Regenerative … [Continue reading]
Oenophiles and copywriters, rejoice... great gourmet advertising marches on... "from the 3rd highest vineyard in the world." How's this for an offer headline, ? When you've got a bunch of paying subscribers to high ticket trading advisories, … [Continue reading]
One of the laws for winning in direct response is making your advertising itself valuable. This 40-page guide is one any numismatic neophyte would welcome. … [Continue reading]
"Reason why" may not be as popular of an advertising approach as it was a few decades ago -- and for this very reason -- it can pack a wallop. So many advertisers these days are just phoning it in. Not this ad. … [Continue reading]
You just can't beat the latest and greatest in American direct mail. Unfortunately, it's not so easy to come by outside of the States. And I'm not talking about far flung places like Western Tasmania. Even Canadian marketers suffer a shortage … [Continue reading]
Here's a late 2024 control for the Cleveland Clinic's Men's Health Advisor. This envelope package, replete with lift letters, sales letter, reply envelope, and order form, with an old school reply sticker (token) is a great example of HIGH ROAD … [Continue reading]
Is it really possible for fledgling copywriters to beat out advertising veterans when it comes to drumming up business? Ogilvy's "Magic Lanterns" give any neophyte a road map. It starts with demonstrating deeper knowledge than your competitors. … [Continue reading]
This turn of the century control ran as a quarter page insertion for Accelerated Learning Systems. The copy and offer would make for a solid landing page in the language learning market. … [Continue reading]