How good is your judgment?
Below are two ads, both over 100 years old.
Can you guess which did better?
You’ll find the answer near the end of this piece.
How did you do?
Now let me tell you about them.
I originally saw these ads during my first job as a creative director, some 40 years ago. Our biggest client sold washing machines direct – and I must have done a pretty good job as our chief competitor went broke.
I would like to say this was entirely because of my uncanny talent, but it was largely because we had a better product.
Anyhow, I had read something by David Ogilvy saying that before he wrote for any new client he studied all the advertising in the relevant category over the previous 20 years. I went back even further.
I found a book called My First 50 Years in Advertising, by Max Sackheim – which is excellent, by the way.
Max eventually co-founded one of the first specialist direct marketing agencies – Sackheim and Sherman, and he told the story of the winning ad, one of the first he ever wrote, in the late 1890s.
Anyhow, this leads to my next hint, taken from the great John Caples, who was once asked by the Wall Street Journal if the principles he laid down in the ’30′s and ’40′s still applied.
“Times change. People don’t” he responded.
So, study what has worked in the past – even the distant past.
Which ad worked better? “Let this machine do your washing free” (with a happier face and much longer copy) trounced the negative approach and set Max Sackheim’s career going.
I read his story and then wrote an ad headed, “Try this washing machine free in your home for 7 days”. I even used the same typeface, which at that time was out of fashion.
I decided on this approach partly because I had found that once people had the washing machine in their homes hardly any complained, whereas only 20% of normal enquirers converted to sales.
The ad worked like a charm, and saved a ton of money in salesman’s commission
***
Here’s a sad postscript.
After I quit the agency to go into the mail order business, they forgot the principles I had listed for them, started getting “creative”, and the client went broke.
The poor fellow who owned the company committed suicide. So good marketing can be a matter of life and death. And fancy ideas can kill.
***
(Max Sackheim and his partner devised the concept of the modern book club, and I shall write to you about him again, as he wrote one of the most successful advertisements ever, which ran for 40 years).
Best,
Drayton
P.S. This is number 24 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas. You can sign up on the link below for the rest.
—————————————–
Website: www.draytonbird.com / www.eadim.com
Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.
Filed under copywriting, David Ogilvy, direct marketing, Drayton Bird, John Caples, Marketing Agencies, Wall Street Journal by on Mar 22nd, 2010. Comment. 
I think of a headline as an ad for an ad. As a
marketer, you should too. And be aware of the
following truth.
“On average five times as many people read the
headlines as read the body copy. It follows that
unless your headline sells your product, you have
wasted 90 percent of your money.”
Who said this? The late David Ogilvy, world-
famous founder of the ad agency Ogilvy & Mather
and author of the best-seller “Confessions of an
Advertising Man.”
I call today’s headline shortcut Ways To/Reasons
Why.
Here are some headline examples which illustrate
this powerful and underused technique.
*******
Seven Reasons Why Information Publishing is
Today’s Best Business Opportunity
*******
11 Secrets I Wasn’t Taught in School That Have
Put Millions in My Bank Account
*******
Ten Ways to Survive and Prosper
During the Current Recession
*******
Six Ways to Beat the Coming Tax Increase
*******
13 Inside Secrets to Getting the Best Deal
On Your Next Automobile
Car Dealers Do Not Want You to Know
*******
101 Little-Known Ways to Add
Perceived Value to Your Home
So it Sells Fast For at Least
98.5 Percent of the Full Asking Price!
*******
17 Ways to Make More Money From Home
With Your Own Internet Business
*******
There are Three Good Reasons an Internet Offer
Succeeds… And You Already Know Two of Them–
The Third Reason May Be The Final Piece of the
Puzzle That Makes Your Next Offer Click
*******
The main reason this wonderful technique works so
well rests on a very simple principle that is a
powerful motivator for all of us.
Curiosity!
Think about your own experience as a consumer.
When you see an ad that lists a number of ways to
do something beneficial to you, can you resist
checking it out?
I cannot. I’m always intrigued. I want to know the
“ways.” Or “secrets.” Or “reasons.” And once into
the copy, if it’s good, I often order.
Do you relate to this?
My experience has proven to me most consumers
feel the same way.
The formula for the technique Ways To/Reasons
Why is very simple. Here it is:
(Specific number) ways to dramatize (the big
benefit)
I look forward to seeing your highly charged
headlines and, as always, hearing about your greater
success.
Since the headline shortcut series began, so many
Success Margin subscribers have sent in beautiful
headlines. I’m considering a contest for the best
ones.
Your correspondent,
Ted Nicholas
—————
“This article appears courtesy of THE SUCCESS
MARGIN, the Internet’s most valuable success and
marketing e-zine. For a complimentary
subscription, visit http://www.tednicholas.com/
Some time ago I went to see a client who asked me where I get the ideas for these effusions from.
All sorts of places is the answer, but the question stimulated me to write Where to get ideas.
I love history, so I’ll start with Vincenzo Lunardi, a Neapolitan who in 1784 was the first person in England to ascend in a balloon. They say 200,000 people watched him, including King George III through a telescope from St. James’s Palace.
Afterwards the intrepid balloonist wrote to the King describing it all. Besides a dog, a cat and a pigeon, which escaped – the pigeon, I mean – he took a leg of chicken and a bottle of wine, admirable chap. Here is a splendid picture.
The bottle of wine reminds me of an old film I saw of David Ogilvy talking about how to get ideas. He said a bottle – then corrected himself – half a bottle of good claret helped. Since I know a bottle was more about his mark, I suspect he edited the truth so as not to drive young writers and art directors to drink before their time.
I do not entirely recommend booze as the high road to inspiration, but it can be. I once drafted a mailing to get legacies for Save the Children when distinctly squiffy. It worked well for many years.
I was completely potted when I wrote perhaps my best mailing. Professor Derek Holder, founder of the Institute of Direct Marketing, had come to show me a letter inviting potential sponsors to the launch of his new venture at the Barbican.
With the refreshing candour a truckload of wine confers, I said it was lousy because it was too impersonal, but I would revise it. Gathering my addled wits, I dictated something which my then PA, Daphne, transcribed. I edited it, and off he went into the late afternoon sunshine. I didn’t hear from him until he asked if I was coming to the event. There was a full house. The letter got over 70% response. Derek never looked back.
I don’t know what happened to that letter – I wish I had kept it. But I always feel pleased to have contributed, despite my unsteady condition, to one of the most beneficial things direct marketing has seen.
One good source of ideas is called getting on with it. There is such a temptation to look at that accusing blank screen or sheet of paper and go and do something else. But the mere act of writing gets you going.
- Trollope used to get up every morning very early – I think at 5:30 – and write for 3 hours before going to his job at the Post Office.
- Richard Strauss used to be shown to his study by his domineering wife with the admonition. “Richard, go and compose.”
- Sheridan had not written the last act of “The Rivals” on the Friday before it was due to open. They locked him in a room with paper, ink and bottles of port until he did so.
But as I said, the demon drink is neither the ideal nor the only way to get ideas. Many people find exercise helps. I have had many of my better thoughts when riding my bike or walking my dog when I had one. Beethoven also enjoyed long walks. Mozart liked to play billiards.
Some years ago a French businessman lamented the growing practice in France of taking showers rather than baths, which he believed better for getting ideas. Victor Ross, former chairman of The Reader’s Digest, Europe, responsible for some of the most effective direct marketing innovations, has a theory about this.
He says these methods encourage the circulation of the blood to the brain. Another example he gives is shaving. Many people report having had good ideas when shaving.
In the film I mentioned, David Ogilvy, with one of his wonderfully frank and old-fashioned turns of phrase, said that things sometimes came to him when “at stool”. That’s a form of exercise, too. Come to think of it, it’s also where I was when I had the idea for this. I guess you could call it straining for ideas.
Best,
Drayton
P.S. This is number 42 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas. You can sign up on the link below for the rest.
—————————————–
Website: www.draytonbird.com / www.eadim.com
Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.
The Drayton Bird Blog – please do not visit if you are easily offended.
Filed under business, Chartered Institute Of Marketing, David Ogilvy, direct marketing, Drayton Bird by on Mar 16th, 2010. Comment.
Out of all the 101 helpful ideas I send out, one gets the biggest reaction – by far.
Yet it is the easiest to follow, and every single person who reads it has the same reaction. “I know that – but I’m not doing it”.
The idea says, in effect, “Don’t just sit there thinking about it, get on with it.”
When I gave introductory talks to my agency trainees I used to say the world is divided into two types of people. Those who make things happen, and those to whom things happen.
When David Ogilvy wanted to get the Shell account, he didn’t just sit there thinking. He got on a plane.
I know you want to do better because so many of you open my emails.
Why not start by giving yourself a 28-day free trial of one of my programmes?
Frankly, I’m a bit puzzled that you haven’t – because if you decide to go ahead at the end of the 28 days, the worse that can happen under the terms of my guarantee is that you will double your money.
But why am I criticising you when I can’t even count properly. That was pointed out to me by Al, who sends my emails out.
I told you I was stopping registration today – because I was counting 5 days from Monday – but all my emails this week went out a day late because Al had man-flu.
So you have over the weekend, till the next working day, to decide whether you prefer thinking about things to doing them.
The Gold group has only one place left, and the others are filling up.
Until then, if you missed it yesterday, here’s me taking apart a mailing that was hugely successful.
Best,
Drayton
—————————————–
Website: www.draytonbirdcommonsense.com / www.eadim.com
Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.
The Drayton Bird Blog – please do not visit if you are easily offended.
Yet it is the easiest to follow, and every single person who reads it has the same reaction. “I know that – but I’m not doing it”.
The idea says, in effect, “Don’t just sit there thinking about it, get on with it.”
When I gave introductory talks to my agency trainees I used to say the world is divided into two types of people. Those who make things happen, and those to whom things happen.
When David Ogilvy wanted to get the Shell account, he didn’t just sit there thinking. He got on a plane.
I know you want to do better because so many of you open my emails.
Why not start by giving yourself a 28-day free trial of one of my programmes?
Frankly, I’m a bit puzzled that you haven’t – because if you decide to go ahead at the end of the 28 days, the worse that can happen under the terms of my guarantee is that you will double your money.
But why am I criticising you when I can’t even count properly. That was pointed out to me by Al, who sends my emails out.
I told you I was stopping registration today – because I was counting 5 days from Monday – but all my emails this week went out a day late because Al had man-flu.
So you have over the weekend, till the next working day, to decide whether you prefer thinking about things to doing them.
The Gold group has only one place left, and the others are filling up.
Until then, if you missed it yesterday, here’s me taking apart a mailing that was hugely successfulOut of all the 101 helpful ideas I send out, one gets the biggest reaction – by far.
Yet it is the easiest to follow, and every single person who reads it has the same reaction. “I know that – but I’m not doing it”.
The idea says, in effect, “Don’t just sit there thinking about it, get on with it.”
When I gave introductory talks to my agency trainees I used to say the world is divided into two types of people. Those who make things happen, and those to whom things happen.
When David Ogilvy wanted to get the Shell account, he didn’t just sit there thinking. He got on a plane.
I know you want to do better because so many of you open my emails.
Why not start by giving yourself a 28-day free trial of one of my programmes?
Frankly, I’m a bit puzzled that you haven’t – because if you decide to go ahead at the end of the 28 days, the worse that can happen under the terms of my guarantee is that you will double your money.
But why am I criticising you when I can’t even count properly. That was pointed out to me by Al, who sends my emails out.
I told you I was stopping registration today – because I was counting 5 days from Monday – but all my emails this week went out a day late because Al had man-flu.
So you have over the weekend, till the next working day, to decide whether you prefer thinking about things to doing them.
The Gold group has only one place left, and the others are filling up.
Until then, if you missed it yesterday, here’s me taking apart a mailing that was hugely successful.
.
Filed under advertising, David Ogilvy, Drayton Bird, Emails, Free Trial, marketing, Money, Shell Account by on Mar 5th, 2010. Comment.
An interview with David Ogilvy.
Filed under advertising, business, David Ogilvy, marketing by on Feb 22nd, 2010. Comment.
Do you know of a more successful, admired entrepreneur than Richard Branson?
And did you know he started out in direct marketing, selling records?
Wouldn’t you like to know his secrets? What kind of mind he has? How he goes about things? Go here and see one of his former partners tell you. You’ll get an idea of what it takes to turn an idea into a big business… without spending a penny of your own money.
(And there’s a surprise bonus waiting for you if after watching it you’d like to know to know more).
The man in the clip is called Rowan Gormley, and I’m very pleased to say that I saw him last year. He helped Branson set up three successful businesses, and now has his own which is a huge success after less than a year.
When you watch the clip you’ll laugh – and realise that Branson’s key to success is a million miles away from business school theory. But hurry. The clip is only up for 4 days.
It’s a little foretaste of a unique new Commonsense Marketing programme, featuring some of the world’s most talented business people – created by one of the world’s most influential marketers.
I can say this with a straight face because I have all his books on my shelves, I’ve spent a fair amount of time (and money) with him and learned a lot. But I am not alone.
When the Chartered Institute of Marketing wanted to decide which 50 living individuals, worldwide, have shaped modern marketing his name was on the list.
Sir Martin Sorrell, whose WPP business turns over £7.5 billion, was once his boss. He said people all over the world were “lucky enough to learn from” this man.
Ken McCarthy, the “Godfather” of internet marketing (another man I’ve studied with) called him,
“a genius. Really”
and
“the most accomplished living direct marketer”
I actually saw Ken tell how his own success was sparked by this man.
And the legendary David Ogilvy said he,
“knows more about direct marketing than anyone in the world”
You can look at almost every leading marketer today and find they had something in common. Gary Bencivenga, Clayton Makepeace, Yanik Silver – even Joe Sugarman. They all learned from this man – as did David Magliano, the only man ever named Marketing Director of the Year twice – and Ad Age’s Global Marketing Director of the Year for his work on the London Olympics.
His name probably won’t come as any surprise to you: Drayton Bird. By a strange numerical coincidence he’s worked in 50 countries in 50 year career with some of the world’s most famous brands – and many tiny businesses you’ve never heard of.
Every time I see him I pick up business gems worth goodness knows how much. I sat through most of a week last year with him and his faculty of great marketers just taking notes. (Yes, I really do know him, personally. He happensto be my marketing teacher and I can prove it.)
Now he’s done it again. It’s taken him three solid years – and as I say, this little clip is just a taster. Check it out here, while it’s up.
It gives a unique insight into the minds of two entrepreneurs – Branson and Gormley. It’s also very funny … and if you register you’ll discover that the drinks are on Drayton.
And did you know he started out in direct marketing, selling records?
Wouldn’t you like to know his secrets? What kind of mind he has? How he goes about things? Go here and see one of his former partners tell you. You’ll get an idea of what it takes to turn an idea into a big business … without spending a penny of your own money
(And there’s a surprise bonus waiting for you if after watching it you’d like to know to know more).
The man in the clip is called Rowan Gormley, and I’m very pleased to say that I saw him last year. He helped Branson set up three successful businesses, and now has his own which is a huge success after less than a year.
When you watch the clip you’ll laugh – and realise that Branson’s key to success is a million miles away from business school theory. But hurry. The clip is only up for 4 days.
It’s a little foretaste of a unique new Commonsense Marketing programme, featuring some of the world’s most talented business people – created by one of the world’s most influential marketers.
I can say this with a straight face because I have all his books on my shelves, I’ve spent a fair amount of time (and money) with him and learned a lot. But I am not alone.
When the Chartered Institute of Marketing wanted to decide which 50 living individuals, worldwide, have shaped modern marketing his name was on the list.
Sir Martin Sorrell, whose WPP business turns over £7.5 billion, was once his boss. He said people all over the world were “lucky enough to learn from” this man.
Ken McCarthy, the “Godfather” of internet marketing (another man I’ve studied with) called him “a genius. Really” and “the most accomplished living direct marketer.” I actually saw Ken tell how his own success was sparked by this man.
And the legendary David Ogilvy said he “knows more about direct marketing than anyone in the world.”
You can look at almost every leading marketer today and find they had something in common. Gary Bencivenga, Clayton Makepeace, Yanik Silver – even Joe Sugarman. They all learned from this man – as did David Magliano, the only man ever named Marketing Director of the Year twice – and Ad Age’s Global Marketing Director of the Year for his work on the London Olympics.
His name probably won’t come as any surprise to you: Drayton Bird. By a strange numerical coincidence he’s worked in 50 countries in 50 year career with some of the world’s most famous brands – and many tiny businesses you’ve never heard of.
Every time I see him I pick up business gems worth goodness knows how much. I sat through most of a week last year with him and his faculty of great marketers just taking notes
Now he’s done it again. It’s taken him three solid years – and as I say, this little clip is just a taster. I’m furious to be honest. What I’ve paid tens of thousands for over the years you can get for peanuts.
Check the clip out here, while it’s up. It gives a unique insight into the minds of two entrepreneurs – Branson and Gormley. It’s also very funny … and if you register you’ll discover that the drinks are on Drayton.
You may have the impression that my great hero is David Ogilvy, which is largely true.
I am not alone, either. A survey some years back discovered that more people had been influenced to go into advertising by reading or hearing David than anyone else.
But I have other heroes.
One is Murray Raphel, a brilliant, inspiring speaker – and a most excellent marketer. Here he is.
If you see any of his books, buy them. They’re all good, practical, down-to-earth stuff bereft of meaningless jargon.
This is hardly surprising because his family ran (and for all I know still runs) a retail business in New Jersey. That’s a bit like dm. You know the next day if something’s worked.
Murray once said something I have never forgotten, and I offer it to you as Helpful Idea 31: “Search the world and steal the best”.
I do this all the time. And I advocate it for two reasons.
1. I can never have enough ideas, but they are hard to come by. So I belong to the W.A. Mozart School of creativity. Mozart said, “I never tried to be the slightest bit original”.
2. Contrary to what many, maybe most imagine, what works in one country very often works in another.
So wherever I go I look out for ideas I can steal and transfer – particularly America, where customers have the most money and the most highly-paid people trying to take it off them.
I see many examples in all sorts of places. Some have been transferred; some haven’t. And I am just amazed at how poorly multi-nationals exploit this potential synergy.
One instructive case was a few years ago when I was running (or at least failing to screw up) the O & M direct Amex account. One of my main objectives was to move good ideas around the world.
We were selling an accident insurance policy with a pack that was doing O. K. in the U.K. (sounds like a song title, doesn’t it?) and they had another doing as well in the U.S. Both were typical long-copy sells.
Then I saw some copy in our Singapore agency. A client had the idea of just letting people have the policy for a month at no charge, then they could decide to keep it or stop it.
The mailing looked like crap – and pulled like crazy. (Moral: good ideas matter more than fancy execution).
We tried it in Hong Kong. It worked there. Then in Spain. It worked there too. Then in London – and so on.
 |
It was always hard work getting local markets to accept ideas from elsewhere because of the not-invented-here syndrome, but it made a lot more sense than starting from scratch. |
|
The golden rule to bear in mind was laid down by Confucius: “Men’s natures are alike; it is their habits that divide them.” |
|
If there is no cultural reason why something won’t work, try it. Don’t change it except where absolutely necessary. |
In fact we’re working right now on something from Germany that is working well. I won’t try to change a winner, believe me. Only of it doesn’t work will I try something else.
One idea I loved was in Peru, where I have run seminars several times. Useful things you might like to know about Peru are that one national dish is roast guinea-pig, and that they are probably the world’s greatest consumers of chicken.
Last time I was there, the most popular home delivery chicken firm had scooters with the back where they carried the delivery, adapted to have giant, colourful chicken heads on them. Brilliant!
Best,
Drayton
P.S. This is number 31 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas. You can sign up on the link below for the rest.
—————————————–
Website: http://www.draytonbird.com / www.eadim.com
Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.
The Drayton Bird Blog – please do not visit if you are easily offended.
Filed under copywriting, Creativity, David Ogilvy, Marketer, marketing, Mozart School, Murray Raphel, Retail Business by on Jan 15th, 2010. Comment.
