Archive for September, 2008
Fascinating Take On Current Events For Copywriters…
Posted by: | Comments…and marketers at Lawrence Bernstein’s “Info Marketing Blog”.
I’ve sung the praises of Lawrence’s blog before.
What he’s been doing lately is link in some classic direct response ads to the dramatic events unfolding in the financial and political arenas.
Review – Ben Settle’s “The Copywriting Grab Bag”
Posted by: | CommentsHere’s my somewhat belated review of Ben Settle’s “The Copywriting Grab Bag” (I’ve been busy over the last week, what can I say?).
More of a monster special report rather than a simple book, what you get for your money is…
The Marketing Genius Of Damien Hirst
Posted by: | CommentsRecently came across a couple of items about the contemporary British artist Damien Hirst. If you’re not familiar with Hirst, he is something of an “enfant terrible” of the modern art scene and is best known for works featuring dead animals in formaldehyde.
The first is from the current issue of “The Economist” (“The shark’s last move”). It’s an interesting look at the business side of the modern art world and how Damien Hirst has turned himself and his work into a fantastically profitable brand.
“Scientific Advertising In The 21st Century” – Part 11 “Information”
Posted by: | Comments“Information” is the subject of Chapter 11 of the copywriting classic “Scientific Advertising” by Claude Hopkins.
In today’s language, what Hopkins is talking about is better understood as research.
Hopkins was firmly of the view that…
“An ad-writer, to have a chance at success, must gain full information on his subject…A painstaking advertising man will often read for weeks on some problem which comes up.”
And he very much practiced what he preached. Hopkins was renown for his work ethic.
Here are some of the areas Hopkins insisted needed to be covered…
Father’s Day In Australia
Posted by: | CommentsToday (Sunday Sep 7) is Father’s Day down here in Australia.
Have a great day Fathers everywhere and a big “Thank You” (to Mums as well)!
How To Flush $300m Down The Toilet…
Posted by: | CommentsEvery now and again a major corporation really raises the bar in ludicrous advertising.
And Microsoft has just stepped up and probably just flushed $300m down the toilet with it’s new advertising campaign (“Bill Gates And Seinfeld In Bizarre $300m Ad Campaign For Microsoft”).
Briefly, the ad shows Jerry Seinfeld running into Bill Gates in a discount show store and helping him out buying a pair of shoes.
On the way out of the store Jerry asks Bill if Microsoft might be working on something that makes computers “moist and chewy like cake so we can just eat them while we’re working”. Bill seems to suggest the answer is “Yes” and the tagline at the end is “The Future – Delicious” (over the Windows logo).
Brilliant, huh?
Of course, there’s a stunning concept behind all this…
“However, Microsoft said that the advert – created by Crispin, Porter and Bogusky – was designed to provoke a debate.
The company said ‘These initial ads are the first in a creative campaign to spark a conversation about the Windows brand – a conversation that will evolve as the campaign progresses, but will always be marked by humour and humanity.’”
Gee, and there I was thinking it was all about making sales.
Got to hand it to Crispin, Porter and Bogusky. There’s a certain genius in getting the suckers at Microsoft to hand over $300m for this kind of thing.
You can watch see the bizarreness for yourself and marvel right here…
Classic Tip For Power Copywriting
Posted by: | CommentsLatest post from copywriting genius John Carlton is titled “Your Tip For The Week” and contains some great pointers to make your copywriting more punchy and effective.
It’s timeless advice that anyone familiar with John’s teaching will recognise but it bears repeating.
In a nutshell…
What A Master of The “Voiceover” Can Teach Copywriters
Posted by: | CommentsThere are many copywriting and marketing lessons available from a study of movies and movie trailers.
I’ve commented before about the the power of stories in copywriting and how movies can be good illustrations and examples of storylines and themes.
Movie trailers can also contain useful lessons, particularly now that video is becoming increasingly important in online marketing.
Fantastic Example Of Concise Copywriting
Posted by: | CommentsA few weeks back Frank Kern was causing a bit of a storm with his marketing for his “Mass Control” program. One of the tips he shared was what he referred to as John Carlton’s 3-step copywriting formula. To recap, it’s…
1. Here’s what I’ve got.
2. Here’s what it will do for you.
3. Here’s what I want you to do next.
(Let’s leave aside for the moment the fact that John Carlton himself talks about 4 steps.)
With this fresh in my mind, I came across a wonderful example of a concise, tighly written lead generation ad on Lawrence Bernstein’s “Info Marketing Blog” (a real treasure trove of direct response marketing information).
It’s from legendary copywriter Bruce Barton and it’s in the post titled “Bruce Barton: The Advertising Copywriter”. It’s a letter promoting The Alexander Hamilton Institute, which was a highly regarded executive development organization.
What struck me about the letter was it’s simplicity and elegance. The headline was “To Men Who Want To Work Less And Earn More” and from that opening thought the letter just flows so smoothly.
To illustrate what I mean, here are the subheads…”How To Work Less”…”How To Earn More”…”Here’s Proof The Institute’s Training Pays Financially”…”Send For The Facts”.
You could use this letter as a template for almost any lead generation project.
Well worth your time to read the whole post.
P.S. Just got Ben Settle’s “The Copywriting Grab Bag” today. Once I’ve had a chance to go through it, I’ll let you know what I think.
