NOT Direct Response Copywriting

Another wonderful cartoon from Tom Fishburne that sums up the difference between direct response copywriting and much of mainstream advertising…

Now, I confess to being a fan of “Mad Men”…

…and I think this is a little unfair to Don Draper and company.

Sure, Don is very focused on being “creative” but…

…he and his colleagues are almost always concerned about results too.

Peggy Olson, in particular, seems to me to be a classic emotional direct response copywriter.

I suspect the mainstream advertising ethos was different back in the 60s.  Look at David Ogilvy, for example.  Sure he was a doyen of Madison Avenue but in his books (“Ogilvy On Advertising” for example – a “must read” for any serious copywriter or marketer) there is a strong emphasis on results and direct response principles.

Somewhere along the way, however, mainstream advertising lost sight of what’s important…

…and Tom’s cartoon sums it up nicely.

The original post is at “fad men”.