I wrote this one for the late, great Clayton Makepeace's The Total Package and it was mailed on Friday, Oct 1, 2010 One late summer evening, two copywriters sat down at their keyboards to craft sales letters for almost identical products. They were … [Continue reading]
None of our prospects are going out of their way to read advertising. But stories? When you tether one to a timeless direct response theme, the answer is "yes" -- a resounding "YES!" Here's an alt-health hit from yesteryear that remains a … [Continue reading]
Here's a lesson or two in selling high end real estate... from David Ogilvy's son! (UPDATE: Mr. Ogilvy passed away on February 3, 2020 at 77 years old after a long and stellar career.) David Ogilvy, son of the famous advertising legend of the … [Continue reading]
Here's a classic supplements package with a strong story selling lead and testimonial headline. "For decades, Dorthea of California suffered from constipation that got so bad, she felt she'd never escape it. Then she received a Special Report … [Continue reading]
I've always been a sucker for dystopian copy themes and this one hits the sweet spot. So as soon as I saw the email promoting this VSL sail into my Inbox... … [Continue reading]
Serovital is definitely not your $44.95 for a 60 day supply of "Brand X" supplement. Even though the brand has been going for years and now has retail presence at big chains like Costco with huge display racks, the advertiser hasn't forgotten its … [Continue reading]
This third of a page ad ran a handful of times ahead of the 1/2 day Ted Nicholas Seminar in Tampa, Florida on December 2, 1992. Since this was a free seminar, the money came from platform selling of Ted's products and/or booking the free attendees … [Continue reading]
The full lowdown on the JPDK Marketing Model is here. This is the 24-page sales letter, plus multiple pages of inserts in the typical Dan Kennedy color scheme of yore, with goldenrod, lime green, baby blue and beige. Craig is one of Dan's marquis … [Continue reading]
An incredible oeuvre! I use the word, "new" in quotes because the most recent of these ads is from the 1990s. … [Continue reading]
This ad ran twice in Ohio area newspapers in August 2006. It was run by one of the new, at the time, independent business advisors, building his chapter on the back of Dan Kennedy (GKIC) marketing. … [Continue reading]
It's one of the biggest bookalog hits of the 21st Century. It nails all the appeals... and pushes all the hot buttons of a hungry market. This bookalog mailed for FOUR solid years and launched more copywriters into the business than you can … [Continue reading]
Here's a familiar fear based lead that's mailing in 2023. It's reminiscent of many recent and distant direct mailings and print ads. "The Great Nursing Home Escape" and “Baby Boomers Now Fear Memory Loss More Than Cancer” are two that leap to … [Continue reading]
In 2016, I was having lunch with European marketing magnate and world class value investor, Norman Rentrop. Norman is remarkably down to earth, so you might not take him for a billionaire... UNTIL you spend a few hours with him, observe his … [Continue reading]
The "Stomach Eliminator" was a hot mail order product in the late 1980s. As proof, there were multiple insertions in prime, national media like Newsweek Magazine. There's a lesson for marketers and promoters over 30 years later. … [Continue reading]
This headline which is one part news and one part prognosis, will almost certainly be celebrating its sixth "birthday" come January 2024. This was the headline du jour back in 2014 and saw over a thousand print insertions. Of course, certain … [Continue reading]
This was a perennially successful offer for an evergreen, in demand interview product from trading publisher, Tradewins. So much so there were multiple promos and bundles of Jack Schwager's "Market Wizards" with other products. "Discover Dozens … [Continue reading]
Travel advertising doesn't get much better than this. High ticket selling doesn't get any better. Here's Nat Geo's Africa By Private Jet. … [Continue reading]
You can tell by the look and layout that this is a turn of the century ad. What's it selling? It's for a beauty device known as a "facial toning system." … [Continue reading]
The full page ad for the FastHelp medical assistance device for seniors has been going strong since July 2017 with tens of thousands of insertions. It's one of the most successful gadgets advertised in print because of the almost exclusively … [Continue reading]
It seems like marketers can go to the well forever with offers like, collecting from social security at any age. This full page ad for "Veterans Benefits for You" is a first cousin. While it was possible to bump into an ad like this in a … [Continue reading]
Here's another BLAST from the past. This one comes right out of the pages of the March 1995 issue of Success as a full blown 24-page insert... for a $5K seminar no less. Anyone who's been around the block already recognizes the man on the cover … [Continue reading]
It's interesting to see the giant purveyor of collectibles and costume jewelry, the Bradford Exchange, getting into the CBD/pain relief market. There's no mistaking what's on tap with an envelope like this, is there? … [Continue reading]
It pays to escape your own echo chamber once in a while. In my case, my very sanity rides on it. Because the solitary world many of us inhabit -- be it copywriting, programming or archiving -- can be as suffocating as it is solitary. As a … [Continue reading]
Some say health books are dead. Not so! Others say envelope packages are passé. No way! … [Continue reading]
Real estate advertising these days is usually overshadowed with photography and video, often to the detriment of the sale. … [Continue reading]