Here’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
Recently 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”
“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…
“Scientific Advertising In The 21st Century” – Part 10 “Things Too Costly”
Chapter 10 of copywriting classic “Scientific Advertising” is titled “Things Too Costly”. By this, the great Claude Hopkins means…
“Many things are possible in advertising which are too costly to attempt. That is another reason why every project and method should be weighed and determined by a known scale of cost and result.”
Put another way, there are some projects that will never make money for you, no matter how good the copywriting and how worthy the project.
Here are some of the examples Hopkins mentions…
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The Importance Of The Offer In Copywriting
Your offer is one of the most important elements of any promotion. Here’s a video from copywriter John Carlton’s “Copywriting Checklist” video series spelling out some of the critical points to keep in mind…