Direct Marketer & Direct Response Copywriter, Lawrence Bernstein » Financial Advertising

$12 Million Dollar Direct Mail Letter (Dan Rosenthal)

Lawrence Bernstein — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 20:08:42 +0000

This is Dan Rosenthal’s direct mail piece that brought in $12 million in orders in a few weeks.

The story goes that Dan went to the publisher with the idea, took two weeks to write and polish it and then walked away with 30% of the take.

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Millions of gold coins in circulation today are counterfeits

Lawrence Bernstein — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 19:14:06 +0000

Dan Rosenthal is not only one of the legends of financial copywriting but he’s one of my all time favorite print ad copywriters.

This space ad for the Silver & Gold Report had insertions 25 years ago. I could easily see this in print today with few modifications.

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Instant Money? Here’s Your Fix

Lawrence Bernstein — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:24:11 +0000

Like a nice soothing cup of instant money?

Bank of America has got your fix.

This portentous Bank of America spot from the pre-Starbucks 1960s accurately captures the dual American dependence on caffeine and debt.

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Why You Will Probably Lose Everything In The Coming Depression

Lawrence Bernstein — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 21:56:17 +0000

Coming depression around the corner?

Who knows?

But with the price of oil ratcheting up week after week and the U.S. fast approaching its debt ceiling, it’s starting to feel slightly reminiscent of 2008 again.

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Investment Ad #17: How To Prosper In The Coming GOOD Years

Lawrence Bernstein — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 20:11:31 +0000

Unlike traders, marketers have the luxury of choosing a Plan A and a Plan B.

What I mean is we don’t have to pretend we’re smart enough to time the market. And we don’t have to make any pronouncements about what will or won’t happen next week — though it pays to be just far enough ahead of the curve.

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The Way of The Hunter-Warrior: Julian M. Snyder (Investment Ad #44)

Lawrence Bernstein — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 17:28:10 +0000

The headline:

“Fortunately, most Investors think like losers. That’s how people like me get rich.”

The photo:

A smug, smiling Julian Snyder straddles his limo, across the street from the New York Stock Exchange.

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Financial Direct Mail That Sells

Lawrence Bernstein — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 01:14:56 +0000

If you had to sum up just one rule of successful financial direct mail marketing, this would be a candidate:

“[People] walk around with their umbilical cords in hand, looking for a place to plug them in.”

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The Magic Lantern: Financial Advertising That Sells

Lawrence Bernstein — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:35:32 +0000

Last year, I had the chance to talk to former Ogilvy & Mather CEO, Ken Roman, after the release of his outstanding biography on David Ogilvy.

One of the things we discussed was the extraordinary series of print ads that Ogilvy & Mather Direct published in the 1960s and 1970s.

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Bank Advertising: Too Big To Succeed?

Lawrence Bernstein — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:01:57 +0000

Imagine a world in which big banks actually had to create good advertising — a world where they didn’t sit high above Uncle Sam’s perpetual safety net.

Today, it’s accepted that certain banks are “too big to fail.”

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2 Money Disasters That Could Strike on Saturday

Lawrence Bernstein — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:51:45 +0000

Two Money Disasters That Could Strike on Saturday
(one of them could happen sooner!)

18 defensive investments and six complete investment plans that investment consultant, Harry Browne, believes will make money for you whether or not these disasters strike.

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