There’s been a lot written on Bruce Barton, so I figured I’d add a small piece to the pile.
Bruce Barton packed a lot into one lifetime. He was…
* Chairman and co-founder of one of the world’s largest advertising agencies, BBD&O
* Publicist, magazine editor and fiction writer
* United States Congressman and a prominent rival of FDR and the New Deal. (FDR singled out Barton and two other Republican foes in the fantasy firm of “Martin, Barton & Fish.”)
* A source of countless cling-to-the-memory quotes and catchy phrases (like: “If advertising has flaws, so has marriage.”)
* And…one heck of a copywriter.
A donation letter he penned to 24 wealthy men in 1925, requesting $1,000, received a 100% response rate.More on Bruce Barton: The Advertising Copywriter
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The year was 1919.
18-year-old copywriter, Lillian Eichler, was working for the New York Ad Agency of Ruthrauff & Ryan.
Her first problem:
To move 1,000 dusty copies of the pre-1900 Encyclopedia of Etiquette, written by Eleanor Holt, which were sitting on Doubleday’s shelves.
Her second problem:
Most of the 1,000 copies were returned after the 5-day-trial period. Respondents weren’t thrilled with the ludicrously archaic text and pictures.
Lillian’s ad copy had emptied the shelves in mere days.
Doubleday, being the smart publishers they were, realized if Lillian’s ad copy could move 19th-Century books, she was probably gifted enough to rewrite the book herself and have a second go at advertising it.
The result:
Lillian’s revamped effort, The Book of Etiquette, sold two million copies at $2 each, in the course of two years, resulting in $2.5 million in net profits.
Nearly $26 million in 2008 dollars.
All inspired by the wish to unload a roomful of dusty books…and the vision of a young copywriter.
Reading this copy in 2008, it’s stunning to realize it came from the pen of an 18-year-old girl, nearly 90 years ago.
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This ad was was written by Philip W. Lennen in 1924 and effectively launched the ad agency Lennen & Mitchell.
Lennen credited this ad in part with taking the agency from zero in billings in 1924 to $12,000,000 by 1948.
Lennen described the ad as follows:
“The effect of the advertisement was electric. It secured us leads on two very important accounts, which are still in our house today.”
Here’s an interesting comment on “conference copy.”
“Conference copy seldom holds a candle to the job done by the solitary worker who shuts himself up with his problem — and lives with it until he licks it.”
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If you’ve been writing ads for any period of time, you know there’s a world of difference between a good bullet and a great bullet.
Good bullets make you say: “hum, that’s kind of interesting.”
Great bullets freeze you in your tracks and get you excited. And if the ad writer can pull off a half dozen great bullets, then the sale is virtually cinched.
I once heard A-list writer, David Deutch, remark that the secret to writing great bullets is to “bait the hook.”
I understand this to mean wrapping a prospect’s existing belief or a proof element around a claim and therby strengthening it severalfold.
Here’s an example.
Version A
- Seven secrets for safe-guarding your home
Version B
- Ex-professional burglar’s seven secrets for safe-guarding your home
Version A is good, of course. It employs the tried-and-tested specificity of numbers. But Version B bursts off the page thanks to the proof mechanism of “ex-professional burglar.”
Investing the time in reading world class bullets is an activity that pays for itself many times over.
Here’s an ad in the self-help and personal development arenas that’s loaded with great bullets.
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He went from the Downtown comedy clubs to the hallowed halls of the J. Walter Thompson ad agency.
He started by writing ads and followed his mentor, James Patterson, into the world of writing mysteries, becoming an advertising creative director along the way.
Who is he?
He’s mystery writer, copywriter, screenplay writer, creative director, improvisational comedian and now children’s book author, Chris Grabenstein, that’s who.
And I was fortunate enough to be able to interview him last month.
How has Chris been able to achieve so much in so many different areas?
It’s really no mystery.
Chris shares over 30 years worth of strategies for succeeding in the world of advertising and fiction, attention getting communication and winning productivity habits.
Here’s some of the nuggets you’ll glean from this interview:
- How a cream pie in the face can earn you millions
- Why there are no losers in advertising…only unemployment
- How to “leave out the part that readers tend to skip”
- Why improvisational comedians outperform door-to-door salesman in advertising…sorry Claude Hopkins
- Why no one cares about your product (or if you spent a year on R&D)
- A foolproof system fiction writers can use to hold themselves accountable
- Why there’s always another winning idea…even after everyone else has given up
- Why you must EARN people’s attention in advertising (or any kind of writing)
- The copywriter-mystery writer connection
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How do you really know if you’re a copywriter and not just someone who dabbles writing ads?
It’s pretty easy to tell.
Little things like meals (and showers) cease to have the same importance when you’re in the heat of writing an ad.
David Ogilvy recounts spending ten days at home doing nothing else but writing this ad for Puerto Rican Economic Development in 1955.More on David Ogilvy and the 10 Day Home Confinement Ad
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Almost everyone is interested in making more money.
If you can legitimately show others how to make more money, you’ll never want for money yourself.
This is especially so in recessionary times.
George Haylings slept in his car while pyramiding his classified advertising profits during the Great Depression.
Joe Karbo and Ernest Weckesser wrote breakthrough biz-op ads which ran in the Wall Street Journal at the height of the 1970’s recession. Such ads never appeared in The Journal before. Boardroom launched its business development classic, I-Power,More on Recession Beater #7: The Coming Business Opportunity Explosion
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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.
WHILE MILLIONS of Americans were jazz-dancing their way into bankruptcy during the 20s, a smaller number were preparing for a rainy day. And rain it did — for 10 years.
But for the farsighted few who knew what they had to do early in 1929 (take their cash out of the banks before it was too late…sell short…provide for themselves while the going was good) – for these sensible people, the depression wasn’t all that bad. Indeed, some of them made fortunes!
Well, Harry Browne says the signs are here again. (The signs are nothing more than a shrewd assembly of today’s headlines). If you were shaken by the financial events of the past few months, this book will offer you little solace. Browne sees worse things on the horizon. But he tells you exactly how to preserve your assets and actually multiply them in the darkest hours.
Plain Language Advice Any Layman Can Understand – and Act On
Because an investor (or anyone with just a savings or a checking account) cannot survive a devaluation without a solid understanding of the nature of our money system and just what happens to it in devaluation, Harry Browne spells it out in clear, everyday language free of technical jargon. He calls on his vast knowledge of economics, history, crowd psychology, and the way a welfare state misbehaves in a time of crisis, to show you that we may expect several economic cataclysms before the devaluation that is bound to come.
And he shows you what the effect will be on you, your job, or business, your personal finances, your family… shows you what your plan should be in each crisis — but always in light of the devaluation that is now inevitable:
- Continued inflation. What will have to happen to the supply of paper money if the present spiral continues. What this means to you. What steps to take right now, while there is time. What drastic measures you should avoid.
- Short-term recession. Popular hedges. What will happen to prices. Effects upon business. What this means to you. Certain profit sources that may remain intact.
- Depression. Will the next depression be deeper and longer than the last one? What will happen to personal credit? What this means to you. The collapse of the welfare state. Little known protective measures.
- Run away inflation. Guidelines to use if paper money becomes totally worthless. The only way out. A precaution you must start to think about today.
The very thought of these crippling events can numb the most determined investor, but those who lose from devaluation will be those do nothing, or who accept conventional investment advice. Those who come out ahead will be those who are not afraid to stand apart from the crowd. Who have taken the trouble NOW to understand why devaluation makes investing and protecting your money a whole new ball game.
How To Achieve Your Financial Goals — in Spite of Devaluation…And Because of It!
While unwily investors around you are losing their shirts because of devaluation, there is absolutely no reason for you to share in their plight. That’s why we call How You Can Profit From the Coming Devaluation a “selfish” book.
Browne’s sure-footed plan of defense and offense consists of six investments designed to give you:
- Good growth, not necessarily maximum growth, in assets during the present cycle.
- Protection, liquidity, flexibility, and buying power in the next depression.
- Safety and rebuilding power if we have a runaway inflation.
- An excellent profit from the devaluation itself.
- Peace of mind no matter what happens.
This 6 investment investment program can work for you, whether you can write a check for $5,000 or $100,000. Indeed, Browne breaks down the investment opportunities according to your present assets, shows you exactly how much to put into each of these investments.
- Cash and dollars – how much you need on hand, where to keep it, what to do about your checking account. Where not to keep a savings account.
- Swiss Francs. Their special strengths. How to convert your dollars to Swiss Francs easily. How to open a Swiss Franc bank account. Addresses and procedures. Laws.
- Silver coins. Numismatic value. Spending money. How much to keep in silver coins. Melting. Where to store. Where to buy.
- Silver bullion. How to use leverage to buy. Who will sell your bullion.
- Gold stocks. How this will profit you through three economic crises.
- Retreats. Why you need one. How to acquire a safe one.
Risk Free Examination
Mail $5.95 with coupon below for How You Can Profit From the Coming Devaluation. Return it within 30 days if not pleased for full refund plus extra money to reimburse you for return postage. Mail to your bookseller or: Arlington House Publishers, 81 Centre Ave., New Rochelle, New York 10801. (or available on Amazon.com)
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How do you sell a high priced, around-the-world adventure, including the North and South Poles, on a shoestring budget?
Simple.
Lead with a great idea, then persuade the world’s best mailing list expert and copy talent to jump on board.
This seven-page sales letter was mailed in 1968 on a budget of $5,000 to owners of yachts, Arabian horse breeders and owners of private two-engine airplanes. The price for this round the world voyage was $10,000 or $61,000 in 2009 dollars.
The promo was a smashing success and pulled in 72 respondents who ponied up $10k each.
Dick Benson was the “grumpy genius” behind the marketing and Hank Burnett wrote the copy.More on The Admiral Byrd Socitey Sales Letter (Copywriter: Hank Burnett)
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Here’s a 1960’s space ad Leo Burnett wrote for Readers Digest.
It’s an effort typical of his style: simple, direct and free of affectation.
Interestingly, David Ogilvy penned a similar ad promoting the Digest. In both cases, the main objection these legendary writers countered in their copy was that the Digest was for low-brows. Besides the fact that these agency founders went out on a limb for the Digest, they make convincing arguments for its content.
Click here for a PDF version of “Magazine with a Mission.”
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