Here's a package for the timely Social Chaos Survival Guide. It's a dark picture indeed. I try not to get the marketer's version of "medical students' disease" when I read packages like this. That's the condition frequently reported in med … [Continue reading]
Step into this time machine for a trip back to weight loss advertising from the wild and woolly 1990s. But this isn't your random hyperbole-laden diet copy, penned by a shameless huckster, that dominated the times. No, this is the once mighty … [Continue reading]
No matter where you live -- no matter your industry -- if you're in direct response, you know the two planetary advertising poles that guide us all. And what better example is there than weight loss. Up top, we've got a classic Rodale magalog. … [Continue reading]
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]
Roll-on application is an unusual delivery system in the world of mail order alt-health products. Sure, there are untold thousands of skin creams and high performance serums for sale. But roll-on? That's not your everyday copy … [Continue reading]
Most good options trading marketing starts small. There's often a pitch for a $39 book or video and once the prospect raises his or her hand for that, the promoter breaks out the $2,000 (or much more) offer. That's a little lever moving a BIG … [Continue reading]
It's almost IMPOSSIBLE nowadays to publish something in print and watch it age well. Ditto for online for that matter. Here's one of the latest crisis copywriting promos arriving in a mailbox near you. It's still mailing in October of 2020. … [Continue reading]
A single good lead magnet can build a great business. But today, having MULTIPLE response-getting lead magnets, like Fisher Investments for example, beats just one. As of late 2020, this fee-only investment advisor manages $123 billion in … [Continue reading]
Christian Godefroy was a European direct marketing giant and one of the world's foremost copywriters and marketers in the French language. His untimely passing in 2012 was a blow to many of us. Fortunately, he achieved enough success for several … [Continue reading]
Here's a startling subject line that hit my inbox this morning, October 3, 2020. It uses a geo-targeting with the prospect's or customer's CITY, as opposed to his or her first name, . :-) First name personalization doesn't have the ZING it once … [Continue reading]
It's seemingly the perfect pitch. There's a big benefit laden headline aimed at the white hot center of the target market... backed up by plentiful proof elements and iron clad reasoning. But there's only one problem. Prospects are being … [Continue reading]
This is a hidden gem of an offer headline in the health and beauty markets. Here's what I like about a great offer headline. Everything is out there, front and center for your prospect to see -- no fine print, no waiting around to spring the … [Continue reading]
Amateurs attempting the work of pros is nothing startling. It's all around us. Crummy copy is never more than a page turn or a click away. I'll let you be the judge of this copy, . … [Continue reading]
First there was the mighty Phillips Health, almost single-handedly launched by Clayton Makepeace's ad copy in the early 1990s. Then it became Healthy Directions after one of those private equity deals in 2005. Then Helen of Troy bought Healthy … [Continue reading]
This is a classic OLD SCHOOL direct mail package that's as relevant in this post-pandemic world, as when it mailed twenty years ago. Perhaps even more so. Take this headline: "A business strategy that may be common as dirt in one industry can … [Continue reading]
How could any self-respecting ad archivist resist this swipe in a case study that cost an advertiser $300 k? You've likely run into A Little Mistake That Cost a Farmer $3,000 Each Year in Victor Schwab's classic house ad spread 100 Good … [Continue reading]
Who would have guessed this ad sold one and a half million copies of a $12.95 book? There was no backend offer to this blockbuster that ran by the thousands from 1999 to 2003. It was just a lonely frontend that pulled in over $19 million. It's … [Continue reading]
This direct mail package might as well have been written a lifetime ago, instead of the the early to late 2000s, when it mailed heavily. Look at all that's changed. … [Continue reading]
Here's an ad from one of the BIG direct response players from yesteryear. This MAGIC headline did much of the heavy lifting to sell over 2.6 MILLION copies of the book that captured the zeitgeist of the times. … [Continue reading]
Here's a rare, send-no-money, risk-free trial offer, with no obligation to buy. This self-mailer is making the rounds in late 2020. The offer for this pain relief cream is as resistance free as it gets. What's the goal behind such a generous … [Continue reading]
Talk about copy that transcends the product for sale. Take a look at this one. This is how you sell a $199 coin by mail order. … [Continue reading]
When you've got an ad that's capturing response like crazy... what do you do? Obviously, not sit on your laurels. Answer: Test, test and test some more! You're looking at one HOT ad that's had tens of thousands of print insertions since … [Continue reading]
Why has this testimonial headline been going strong since 2014? Let's have at it. First off, despite the potential for a lot of POP, the testimonial headline is often ignored. … [Continue reading]
Believe it or not, you can learn a LOT about response getting direct mail -- and winning direct response in general -- from the lowly penny stock pitch. This is the sequel in the campaign to the colossal newspaper mailing from earlier this year … [Continue reading]
Some of us 20th Century marketers may recall an interesting lead generation case study from eBay. There was an eBay seller who'd seemingly cornered the market on guitar picks and offered hundreds of lots of guitar picks at any given time. The … [Continue reading]