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August 08, 2006

Everything We Need to Know For Successful Direct Response Radio Advertising...

...He Had Already Learned Before 1930

In the 1920's a man named Claude Hopkins wrote a pair of books, one called Scientific Advertising, and the other called My Life In Advertising.

David Ogilvy said "Nobody should be allowed to have anything to do with advertising until he has read this book (Scientific Advertising) seven times. It changed the course of my life."

I've only read his books 5 times, so I've broken Mr. Ogilvy's rule.

Anyone who has made direct response advertising their focus will find many familiar pearls of wisdom in Claude's books.

For example, here's Claude on selling prevention, something we all know doesn't work well. At the time he was developing his strategy for his new Pepsodent account.

"The natural idea in respect to a tooth paste is to make it a preventative. But my long experience had taught me that preventative measures were not popular. People will do anything to cure a trouble, but little to prevent it. Countless advertising ideas have been wrecked by not understanding that phase of human nature. Prevention offers slight appeal to humanity in general."

And here's Claude on another now familiar stance about negative selling:

"...I was urged to present the results of neglect, the negative side of the subject. But I had learned that repulsive ideas seldom won readers or converts. People do not want to hear of the penalties. They want to be told of the rewards... People want to be told the ways to happiness and cheer."

Now would be an appropriate time to remind you that these words were written in the 1920's! And we thought we were so smart.

One last quote from Claude Hopkins, which I feel exemplifies the basis for his success and for how we all should approach the creative development process for direct response radio advertising.

"This point is important. Every advertising campaign depends on its psychology. Success or failure is determined by the right or wrong appeal."

Do you want to understand how to be successful in direct response radio advertising? I highly recommend you read Claude Hopkins' books.

Posted by Brett Astor at 07:04 PM | Permalink