andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

Making Ads Pay: Timeless Tips for Successful Copywriting

making-ads-pay-john-caples


Making Ads Pay: Timeless Tips for Successful Copywriting
by John Caples (1900-1990)

John Caples was a pioneer of direct-response copywriting.  In Chapter 8 he presents as series of paired ads which were tested, followed by analysis of why the winning ads outperformed.  The winner often outperformed the other by a wide margin—up to five times as many responses.

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andreweverett360 Book Review, Writing

Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing

elmore-leonards-10-rules-of-writing


Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing

Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing offers good advice about writing fiction, although the implicit theme pertains to any writing. Essentially, don’t let your writing style distract from what you are trying to say.

My favorite tip is #10: “Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.”

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andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

Break From the Pack: How to Compete in a Copycat Economy

break-from-the-pack


Break From the Pack: How to Compete in a Copycat Economy
by Oren Harari

Break-from-the-pack companies are analogous to the small cluster of runners at the front of a marathon. The Copycat Economy is analogous to the majority of runners who lag behind. In the words of former IBM CEO Sam Palmisano, “Either you innovate or you’re in commodity hell. If you do what everybody else does, you have a low-margin business.”

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andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

Scientific Advertising

scientific-advertising


My Life in Advertising and Scientific Advertising
by Claude C. Hopkins (1866-1932)

Claude C. Hopkins was a pioneer in the advertising industry. This volume consists of his two books: Scientific Advertising, written in 1923, and My Life in Advertising, written in 1927. NBC and CBS were founded around the time of Hopkins’ retirement, so his work predated the broadcasting era. The media of his time were newspapers, magazines, and direct mail.

“Salesmanship-in-print is exactly the same as salesmanship-in-person.” If the purpose of advertising is to sell, then its effectiveness can be measured by resulting sales volume. Hopkins tested ads on a small scale before risking money on a large-scale campaign. He also compared results using different headlines in order to discover the best performing approach.

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