Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples

Notes from the book Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples

Caples 3 step approach to creativity

1. Capture the prospects attention
2. Maintain the prospects interest
3. Move the prospect to favorable action

Caples three step approach to testing

1. Accept nothing as true about what works best in advertising until it has been objectively tested
2. Build upon everything you learn from testing to create an ever stronger system that you return to with each new project
3. Test every ad as an ongoing test of what has been learned before

Key points expressed by David Ogilvy in the Foreward:

• The key to success (max sales per dollar) lies in perpetual testing of all the variables
• What you say is more important than how you say it
• the headline is the most important element in most advertisements
• The most effective headlines appeal to the readers self-interest or give news
• Long headlines that say something are more effective than short headlines that say nothing
• Specifics are more belieavable than generalities
• Long copy sells more than short copy

Caples writes:
[This content is protected under Free membership.]

Three W’s advertising policies:
[This content is protected under Free membership.]

4 important qualities that a good headline may possess:
[This content is protected under Free membership.]
Self-interest is by far the most important of these headline qualities

Never show management decision makers your proposed ads in ‘rough’, that is, in a doodle-appearing version. Advertising professionals can visualise what this will turn into. Others can’t!

Put [This content is protected under Free membership.] into copy.

I found out that the founder of a biomed company had talked to groups of young stockbrokers for hours, telling them what wonderful possibilities the new research had and how they were doing their clients a favor by selling them stock in the startup. This process of selling the sales stuff was kept up until all the young men and women there were armed with an enthusiasm more compelling than years of training in the techniques of salesmanship.

He didn’t give his enthusiasm a chance to cool off. That is one secret of enthusiastic writing. If you are excited about something, grab a pencil or sit at your keyboard and get your excitement down on paper immediately.

Always carry with you a [This content is protected under Free membership.]

Here are some of the things you should notice about the various Readers Digest openings:
[This content is protected under Free membership.]
”The advertising profession is an integral part of the life of a free nation. It has helped create markets where markets did not previously exist. It has not merely sold products which the public wanted. It has sold products which the public did not know it wanted. More important still, it has made possible the only free method of the large scale manufacture of goods on a mass basis“ Thomas E Dewey

”The prosperity of every country in the world is directly in relation to the amount of advertising“ Col. Robert R McCormick

Popularity: 2% [?]

• Introducing TOC-Marketing to clients (adapted from this thread on Linked-in) Defining the problem: Undesirable Effects Here's a few UDEs: * Despite the logic of TOC,...
• Long Copy is King - Short Copy Kills Sales Imagine trying to sell a product through pictures alone. Snazzy billboard adverts. Flashy TV adverts. Creative attention grabbing magazine adverts....
• Purple Cow by Seth Godin Notes from the book Purple Cow by Seth Godin The old rule was this Create safe, ordinary products and combine...
• The Art of Writing Advertising | Bernback, Gribbin, Reeves, Ogilvy, Burnett Notes from the book The Art of Writing Advertising William Bernback I wouldn’t go for too routinized men in my...
• Business equals Values plus Marketing plus Numbers - see here Unfortunately... ...many people's view of business is that of a necessary evil for selling stuff to make money... ...whilst being...

• DVD- U.S. Coast Guard License Boating Course Instructional Training Video - Get Your Captains License! This 55 minute DVD video is a concise review of everything that you could ever need to know about getting...
• Importance Of Maintaing Your SEO Campaigns There are people who think that they can throw up a web page and that people will find them, and...
• Who’s Spying on (and Profiting from) Your Browsing Habits? This post is from GRS staff writer April Dykman. One of the fastest-growing businesses on the Web is tracking data...
• 10 SEO Tips To Improve Your Website Search engines deliver heaps of free highly targeted traffic each second. If you'd like to urge the foremost traffic you'll...
• Using Clickbank To Earn Real Cash Online! pays cash money start making money Clickbank has become synonymous with affiliate marketing in the past couple of years. This...

Tagged as: Advertising, Copywriting, how to write an advert, writing ads