The Ad Money Machine

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]

Anatomy of “the Last” Supplements Ad in USA Newspaper Print

There are actually a small handful of supplements ads sill alive and kicking at the time of this writing in November of 2024. I've been writing about the trend of the death of printed newspaper in the USA for a while. … [Continue reading]

The Amazing Advertising Secrets of the Correspondence School… Above the Menswear Shop in Manchester (“Write Your Way To a New Career!”)

The UK based Writer's Bureau was the brainchild of Ernest and Susan Metcalfe in the late 1980s. … [Continue reading]

He Could Have Been King… And the KINGS of Continuity Selling

Book of the Month Club, Time-Life, Reader's Digest, Columbia House and Newsweek Books... Who cares about dinosaurs like these? Marketers who know the value of history that's who. Before social media... before the Web... … [Continue reading]

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 (46 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 “Curious Contradiction” in Copy That Makes Your Ads IRRESISTIBLE!

Ah, the medical breakthrough. Straight out of the pages of The New England Journal of Medicine, or The Lancet. Or not. No. This is not your father's proof element. … [Continue reading]

The Death of Print… No Really!

Have you read your share of "the death of (blank)" proclamations over the years? This one happens to be accurate. Dr. Al Sears has been dubbed the "last man standing" in newspaper print advertising countless times here. That's because of the … [Continue reading]

Harvard Graduate’s Vocabulary in just 15 minutes a day!

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]

“This book came between two men and separated them forever” (The guts of the 775-word story that brought in a staggering $1.8 billion)

The power of this headline resonates over one hundred years after this ad first ran in June of 1922 in Red Book Magazine. Bruce Barton was likely the copywriter, who also served as a faculty member for the entity founded by Joseph French Johnson, … [Continue reading]

Even More Tales of Terrific Teaser Copy

This was a long mailing package with plentiful testing. Agora Financial is long gone, but packages like this are still instructive. (Caveat emptor! Always make sure your copy is compliant via a qualified advertising attorney.) This mailing's … [Continue reading]

How Layne Lowery Founded (and Sold) the Ultimate DM Supplements Brand

Perhaps, it's a tad hyperbolic calling Health Resources the "ultimate" supplements brand, sold by direct mail. But for my money, Health Resources had it all. - Powerhouse products prospects couldn't get enough of - Direct mail copy that took … [Continue reading]

Even More… Killer Lead Gen Magnets from a $100 Billion Firm

Obviously, I'm partial to print. And you've seen the print campaign already from the company with a whopping $294 billion under management. Well here's the online counterpart. These banners of Fisher's keep getting better and like the print … [Continue reading]

Anti-Aging Advertorials “On the Go” (Part 2)

Suli Go was the right woman... at the right time... with the right positioning... at the right LOCATION. Here's another model advertorial that had numerous insertions in the LA Times as a half page vertical in 1998. It strikes the right balance … [Continue reading]

“Mail Order Health Books Are Dead… NOT”

Here's one hot off the presses in November 2024. It's the 24 page magalog for: … [Continue reading]

“This is the advertising job you thought you’d never see advertised” (Ogilvy Copywriting Test & Lead Gen Legend)

Here's how the big boys and girls scouted for copy talent before the Web. … [Continue reading]

DEPRESSION-INFLATION SURVIVAL PLAN

What bolder and darker headline would you expect from a newsletter entitled Inflation Survival Letter... And fittingly in all caps no less? … [Continue reading]

2 MAGIC HEADLINES Battle It Out… And the Winner Is…

Welcome to the "Mailbox Gladiatorial Games." This was one of the BIG hits of 2017-2019. If you sell anything income related to boomers and seniors pay heed, because this one mailed far and wide for TWO SOLID YEARS. … [Continue reading]

“Dawn of the Entrepreneurial Golden Age”

Here's another DM package from the sweet spot of business development and self-help. The old school of direct mail marketing is exemplified with the ever present: … [Continue reading]

“It’s A Lot of Bull!” (More Contrarian Copywriting!)

There's nothing like examining a powerful control from yesteryear (in the light of day, today) and giving it a new lease on life. That's exactly what a long time colleague did with a similar CONTRARIAN copywriting piece. Instead of the old and … [Continue reading]

Good Grief, Gary! (“An Open Letter To Every Man And Woman In America…”

I had a dash of mild compunction before posting this Gary Halbert oldie... but I doubt it will scandalize anyone these days. And after reading this intriguing bullet from the ad: "Why your fingernails may be unconsciously turning your lover off," … [Continue reading]

“The Fifth Greatest Trade Of All Time”

There's no shortage of trading pitches either online or in direct mail. But this one boasts a BIG idea that makes it memorable, years after it successfully mailed. The headline is ingenious. Why? … [Continue reading]

“‘Invest’ 30 Days in This Personality Makeover, It Works!”

"SNAP! Change Your Personality in 30 Days" is a pretty whimsical title, even for a big-promise self-help book. While the ad copy for this offer is classic book advertising... any 20th Century advertiser would recognize... the goal is loftier, as … [Continue reading]

Story Selling THRILLER from €2.36 BILLION Fundraiser

This story selling SMASH hit continues its conquest of mailboxes all over parts East... and West "Dear Friend, About 2 o’clock in the morning I hear a knock on the door. It’s the night guard from our hospital. He tells me there is a pregnant … [Continue reading]

“Great Art And Artists” (4-Page Spread for a Premium Subscription)

In this 1983 quadruple-page spread in the January edition of Vogue, perhaps the most important piece of copy, from the subscription point of view, can be found in the coupon area. … [Continue reading]