"Invoice Enclosed"
cost PM a renewal
Those of
us who write direct mail do damn near anything to make sure our letters get
opened. And usually we'll add "teaser" headlines that reveal the offer, a
benefit, a promise or all three on the front side of the envelope. When the
teaser hits the self-interest of the prospect or customer, the letters usually
get opened. So when I picked up my mail the other day and saw a teaser that
read, "Invoice Enclosed," I frowned. Then I noticed the piece came from "The
Hearst Corporation Invoicing Bureau," and I frowned again. Maybe "scowled"
would be a better word. Since I hadn't ordered anything from anyone, I opened
the letter. Sure enough, an invoice--with a letter that read,, "Thank you
for choosing to be part of our Continuous Service Program. As we recently
notified you, your renewal to Popular Mechanics has been processed. Payment
is now due. Please enclose your check with the invoice below." I've seen
some misleading tricks to get a subscriber to renew, and this one is right
in there. I didn't "choose" to be part of their "Continuous Service Program,"
a phony name if I ever heard one. They didn't "notify" me of anything. I
never asked them to "process my renewal." Those are come-ons to make the
subscriber feel guilty, and they'll probably work. But they're low class.
And PM just lost me as a subscriber. |
Writing a brochure?
Here's my best advice
I must have
written a dozen hotel and Sales brochures in my 18-year stay as marketing
director of the former Del Webb's Sahara, Las Vegas. Maybe you're writing
one as we speak. If so, my condolences. In case you're having trouble with
the copy, here's my best advice. Before you start, imagine you're making
a first trip to your own hotel. You'd have plenty of questions, right? Then
answer them in the copy you prepare. And don't embellish your answers with
fancy adjectives. Just stick to the facts. I'd also suggest some visual
surprises--photos that back up the benefits and promises you make If you
have a golf course, for example, maybe a photo that shows a golf ball at
the moment it's crushed against the face of a driver. And when you choose
models, make sure they relate to your target audience. |
Ogilvy's
masterful
trifecta
"I never
tell one client that I cannot attend his sales convention because I have
a previous engagement with another client; successful polygamy depends upon
pretending to each spouse that she is the only pebble on your beach."
"You have only 30 seconds in a TV commercial.
If you grab attention in the first frame with a visual surprise, you stand
a better chance of holding the viewer. People screen out a lot of commercials
because they open with something dull... When you advertise fire-extinguishers,
open with the fire."
"Experience has taught me that advertisers
get the best results when they pay their agency a flat fee. It is unrealistic
to expect your agency to be impartial when its vested interest lies wholly
in the direction of increasing your commissionable advertising."
--A selection
of quotes from the late American advertising master David Ogilvy, who died
nine years ago this month. |