February 1, 2010:

February 11, 2010:

February 22, 2010:

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January 1, 2010:

January 11, 2010:

January 22, 2010:

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December 1, 2009:

December 11, 2009:

December 22, 2009:

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November 1, 2009:

November 11, 2009:

November 22, 2009:

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October 1, 2009:

    In 1986, Dartnell published The Greatest Direct Mail Letters of All Time. Harold King, one of the writers praised in the book, wrote a piece the Dartnell editor thinks may have been the most successful direct mail letter of the last century. King wasn't a professional copywriter. He was the London City Engineer, had no sales background and probably was upset when asked to sell...The London Bridge. Yeah, that bridge--and no joke. King began by asking a small graphic design studio to produce 2,000 brochures of 24 pages each--the history of London's famous bridges, ending with pictures and specs of The London Bridge. In his letter accompanying the brochures, King promised that the Corporation of London would take down the bridge, number each piece, and ship them to the buyer with plans and photos revealing how to reassemble it. Days later, King was awakened in the middle of the night by a call from the McCulloch Corporation. They wanted to buy the bridge and make it the cornerstone of Lake Havasu City. Sale! The mailing cost $1,200 and pulled a response of 0.05 percent. The price McCulloch paid was $2,600,000. The percentage--terrible. The bottom line--unbelievable.

October 11, 2009:

    Here's another unusual piece from the 1986 Dartnell book named The Greatest Direct Mail Sales Letters of All Time, edited by Richard Hodgson. (I took my first direct marketing class from Dick in the 60s.) If you missed last week's story, it told how an engineer who had never written a word of direct mail sold the London Bridge for $2,600,000. Today's piece deals with letter "leads," the first sentence or paragraph that opens the pitch. Here we go with "You" leads: (1) "If you are worried about the future...about increasing inflation...and the factors that make for such a nervous economy, I have some ideas you should seriously consider." (2) "I'm in an interesting position. In this letter I'm going to ask you to pay for something that I gave your boss for nothing." (3) "If you're like every other parent I know, you worry about the effect television is having on your children." (4) 'Did you ever see a mother give her baby warm beer in his bottle?" Most writers think leads are the most important part of the letter. And that's why we sometimes write lead after lead until we're satisfied.

October 22, 2009:

    In Casino Marketing, my first book, I introduced the "Standard Curve of Forgetfulness," developed by Ebbinghaus in 1885, and still in use by modern researchers. The curve shows 75 percent of the information you learn on any given day has been forgotten within two weeks. By the fourth week, said Ebbinghaus, you've forgotten 95 percent of it. As a consequence, I've advised clients who give themselves a long lead time to just mail their original piece a second time. The response usually is about half of the first mailing's response. So I'm always surprised when casino marketers tell me they never mail the same letter twice. How about a test right now to prove my point? Here's the question: do you remember what you got in the mail last week? Case closed. My good friend, the late Ray Jutkins, told his clients the population is exposed to 750 marketing messages a day, they "hear" and "see" only 80 of them, and remember about 12--including at least three they hated. Ray wrote that in 1993, so you can triple the number heard and seen now. As for those hated, I'd guess a bunch.

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September 1, 2009:

    Up to around 1935, all ad headlines were pretty much the same. In those days ad agencies agreed headlines should alert readers to the benefits of the product the client produced. I remember a headline for Ivory Soap that claimed it was 99 and 44/100 percent pure--so pure it floated. So we remembered Ivory Soap floated because it was pure and we could see that for ourselves with every bath. Nice. Then came a new way to measure ads for effectiveness. The research people simply counted the number of people who remembered them. "Recall" scores became the only thing that mattered. Agencies soon caught on when ads with wise cracks or ridiculous comments in their headlines became the best remembered. Thus began the "indirect" headline that continues to this day and is hailed as "creative." Direct marketers brought back the "direct" headline (the kind you see over newspaper stories) but general ad agencies far outnumber them. Now, if you want to see "direct" headlines that sell, look at catalogues. They're direct's last stand.

September 11, 2009:

    Casinos still pour out a lot of postal mail, much of it in the form of letters from the general manager or other casino executives. But most of the writing talks about the casino, not about the customer and the benefits he or she receives. Okay, so it's tough to find a writer. But you can change the format here and there to make the letter look presentable. Here are five ways to sharpen your letter: (1) Don't allow a paragraph to take up more than three to four lines of type. The shorter the paragraph, the easier it is to scan, which is what most "readers" do. (2) Be sure to make a 5-space indent in the first line of a paragraph. That's the way most of the newspapers, books and magazines we read do it, so stay with what's familiar. (3) If you have the luxury of a full 8 1/2 x 11 page, keep your copy width to six inches. The wider the copy, the harder it is to comprehend. (4) Always write with contractions. It's friendlier to say "We'll" instead of "We will." Just remember--you're writing to friends, not to the database. (5) If the letter is written in black, put the general manager's signature in blue.

September 22, 2009:

    My friend Jeffrey Dobkin, in his little masterpiece of a book named Uncommon Marketing Techniques, answers a question all of us get sooner or later. The question is, "What is marketing?" Jeffrey's seven-word answer is "Marketing is selling to a defined audience." He goes on to elaborate as follows: "When you offer your products to anyone, that's selling. When you place your customers in groups you can define, and separate them from everyone else in the world, and target your sales efforts specifically to them, that's marketing." He also cleans up another problem that starts with the question, "What is a good response to a mailing?" Percentages, he points out, are no indication of success. And adds, "A successful single mailing is any mailing that breaks even or better the first time out. If you are offering a free brochure about your $82 million dollar printing press, response can be .002%--but if one press is sold, the mailing is a success." Jeffrey is one of a kind. His book was published in 1998, and may still be in print. Check the Web for Danielle Adams Publishing, or try a fax to them at 610-642-6832.

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August 1, 2009:

    I told a story about "Romancing the customer" in my speech about Direct Mail at the Casino Marketing Conference in Las Vegas a few days ago. The term in this case related to copy in a casino letter so packed with benefits and promises that the customer could see herself taking part, and about to win, a Blackjack tournament. The point was this: instead of sending an ad in letter format to customers, as many casinos now do, send a letter that talks about the customer. Place her right in the middle of an event. Let her mind see and feel the action. Make her a part of it. It took me almost four pages to complete the letter, but the casino sold out the tournament. I closed the speech with the following summation of Direct Mail: Its promises can transport players across the country in mere seconds and seat them at a dinner so magnificent they can taste the Cabernet or hear the sizzle of a filet mignon. Or place them in the main showroom in a reserved seat close enough to shake hands with the star. Or make them feel the luxury of triple sheeting. Or make their insides quiver at the thought of pushing in a $500 bet and drawing Ace-King. Or snatch them from a mundane existence and let them dream of action days and glorious nights in Las Vegas, or Atlantic City or anywhere else there's a casino.

August 11, 2009:

    Did you read about Germans rushing to the stores to buy every light bulb in sight. Size? Not a problem. They snap up anything on the shelf. Bulb makers are working their factories overtime and they still can't keep up. Some consumers have hundreds of bulbs stashed in their basements. One boasted of a 20-year supply. I know it sounds crazy, but you and I may be doing the same thing in a few years. The new Compact Florescent Light bulb (CFL) is upon us and the Germans don't like it one damn bit. Too bad. The government says "You vill use it." The standard incandescent bulb they've used for decades is kaput. And we'll face the same fate, because our own government has issued a similar edict. Yeah, yeah, I know the CFL will save a little energy. But I don't like the thing. It's weak, its colder and its high frequency flickering can cause headaches. If it drops and breaks in your home it spills Mercury. The Germans say it's another example of EU bureaucracy gone wild. Some have named it "light bulb socialism." It's a sad day for Germany and America when governments can force us to buy a product we don't like, for a higher price, and one that's loaded with Mercury. But it's coming.

August 22, 2009:

    Advertising money is flowing into the Internet. Buys are cheaper, even if you're not always sure what they do for your product--if anything. The press raves about Twitter and the rest of the members of the Social Media but companies still don't know how to make any money from them. Meanwhile, traditional paid political advertising is becoming obsolete because the Pols have discovered their Social "followers" will do it for them--free. Newspapers rushed to open their own Web sites, drove their readers to them by the thousands, and are collapsing as advertising money dries up. The US Marines have banned Twitter, Facebook and MySpace because they've found troops have mentioned too many classified projects as they write to friends and followers. Now here's the kicker: Yankelovich Research did a study of the Internet and found that consumers in ever every demographic group go out of their way to ignore sales messages, and that 7 out of 10 Americans would pay money to block advertising and marketing ads. Pay money! How does the New Media look to you now, Herman?

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July 1, 2009:

    Response to your direct mail seems to drop off each month. What's the fastest, easiest thing you can do to turn it around? When the big retailers face such a problem, one of the first things they do is test their carrier--usually an envelope or a self-mailer. The world's best offer is useless unless your targets open your mail. Are you using a teaser on your envelope? If you are, does it pull out a benefit or promise from the letter? Some casinos think a teaser (a headline on the front side of the envelope) should actually tease. So you find lines such as "Cash in on your next stay with us," which is dull, lifeless, and promises nothing. But if your teaser said, "Inside: $25 in free slot play," your prospects would open it in seconds. And don't be afraid to write a teaser with 30 words or more. I have one in my files that ran 35 words, just loaded with benefits. In a print ad, the headline is the most important single element. The teaser occupies a similar position in direct mail.

July 11, 2009:

    Today, my friends, we take up the cliché--and how to hate it. One of my journalism instructors in college used to say, "Avoid clichés like the plague." Hah, hah. Very funny. But really, the next time I hear someone say, "Going forward, we plan some changes," I'm going to throw something. Probably up. "Going forward?" When the hell did that slither into the language? What's wrong with "In the future?" Sounds like British influence to me. You remember the Brits don't you? They've been behind some of the worst language ever spoken. Their newspaper writers, for example, don't say a prominent executive disappeared. They say the guy "Went missing." But hey, we coin a lot of clichés, too. The word, "Cool," for example, has become everyman's cliché. When our young people talk, it actually takes just one person. The other person simply says "Cool" all through the conversation. Then there's the lie all politicians use. "Let me make this perfectly clear," they shout, which is the last thing they'd ever do. You can't just shake your head when you hear such drivel. You have to hate it. Try it. You'll feel good.

July 22, 2009:

    You may not be old enough to remember the famous Hathaway Shirts print ad produced by David Ogilvy in the 60s. The model in the ad wore an eye patch, and advertising executives were practically unanimous in their praise. The New York Times wrote, "Mr. Ogilvy could find the character or symbol that turned a product into a brand, and a brand into a byword." But the late Andrew Byrne, one of my closest friends (and a friend of Ogilvy) had a different view. "The Hathaway ads were successful," wrote Andy, "because they had the best damn shirt copy that's ever been written." Then Andy went on to point out fifteen benefits of Hathaway shirts including the following: "Make you look younger and more distinguished because of the way the collars are cut...longer tails so they stay in your trousers...made by dedicated small-town craftsmen...tailored in impeccable taste to give the wearer quiet satisfaction...more comfortable because they're tailored more generously." So from now on when you hear me begging you to point out benefits instead of features, you'll have this to refer to.

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June 1, 2009:

    This month's discussion is about Web sites, and the people who build them--art directors excepted. Yes, some are skilled and can put together a site that's professional and easy to read. But with most art directors everything on the site must be reversed out. That's a term that refers to (for example) pink words emerging from a blue background, or white letters trying to peek out of a black page. Hard to read, you say? Art directors know little if anything about reading comprehension. And in the last decade, sans serif type--the hardest of all type to read and understand--has become the standard type of advertising pitches everywhere, from newspapers and magazines to Web sites. But give me ease of reading and comprehension over all the standard gimmicks we see, no matter where we journey on the Web. Reverse-outs don't sell anyone. Words do. And it only follows that the easier your site is to read and understand, the easier it is to buy from it or read from it. But no. Art directors laugh at such heresy and go about their business, spoiling site after site in the name of creativity.

June 11, 2009:

    Casino Web sites remain a mystery. You'd think, after the proven pulling power of direct mail, casinos would use the same kind of personal content on their sites, and with a few sallies into creativity turn them into destinations. The best direct mail talks about the customer or prospect. But casino Web sites do nothing of the kind. Instead, copy that explores rooms, restaurants, showrooms and lounges is pedestrian. You could move it to a different property and no one would know the difference. On many casino sites you find only claims and features. It's as if the writers have no idea what benefits and promises can accomplish, and they may not. I can come up with dozens of ways to make a casino Web site come alive, and one of the first things I'd do would be to make it a source for damn near anything you wanted to know about a casino. Then, as many sites outside our business already do, I'd invite the customers to join the party by sending us comments and suggestions. Okay--you take it from here. Can you come up with ideas to make your casino's site a destination? I'll bet you can.

June 22, 2009:

    Final add Web sites. Friend of mine who knows I think sans serif type is an abomination forwarded me a defense of this loathsome style last week. Trying to comprehend anything more than a short paragraph or two set in a sans serif face is maddening. You know at once why virtually everything we read (books, magazines and newspapers being the prime examples) is set in classic Roman serif faces. There's no question that computer users prefer sans serif to serif type. And while I don't argue with the conclusions in the piece my friend sent, it could be because they have been forced to look at it for so long that serif faces on a screen seem weird and out of place to them. In the last 20 years or so, sans serif has become the type of advertising. You seldom see an ad set in a Roman face. You can look through any newspaper for verification. But a long-copy ad--that's different. If you try to read 600-800 words in a sans serif face you'll throw up your hands. The mind rebels.

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May 1, 2009:

    Casinos have different names for all those players who used to be regular customers until, one day, they vanished. I call them "inactives" because it sounds like a temporary condition that can be turned around. Some casinos call it "the dormancy file," which sounds kind of hopeless, like these people passed away but don't know it. Name it anything you like but remember this--it's the best "new business" you can find and it's right there in your own files, waiting. But mining the inactive file often becomes an endless cycle of start and stop. Programs to bring back former players get up and running, last a few months and then quietly go away. Nobody knows what happened. Then a year later in the marketing meeting some troublemaker says, "Whatever happened to...?" and the thing struggles back to life. Too bad. The responsibility to entice former players deserves a full time leader. That's the first step in a successful inactive program. I'll cover the rest of the steps in future "Tips."

May 11, 2009:

    Back on the subject of Inactives again. Some casinos are positive they've done something terribly wrong in the distant past and scared away a bunch of good players. So they start their Inactive renewal campaign by apologizing. For what? Of course, they don't have a clue. So they just throw out some insincere apology and hope it works. I say, never apologize to Inactives. The only thing that will bring them back to your store is a good offer. An apology for an unknown mistake simply alerts your entire list that you screwed up. Who needs that? But listen up: the offer has to be a good one, keyed to their former theo, of course. And for gosh sakes, do a little romancing in the copy. Tell them how much you missed them. Ask them to "come home" to the one casino that knows how to take care of them. Offering a free room? Describe the benefits of the room. Offering dinner in the gourmet restaurant? Make them taste the steak dinner. Check in at the preferred player lounge? Describe the soft chairs, the big TV and the beauty who brings you a comp cocktail. Romance, not an apology, brings back Inactives.

May 22, 2009:

    Not getting the response you hoped for from inactive players? If your offer is a good one, and your "come home" letter is filled with benefits and promises, take a close look at the envelope or self-mailer you're using to reach them. Are the names and addresses dressed up by the beautiful thicks and thins of the Times New Roman type face? If you misspell a name, get the middle initial wrong, or paste a label on crooked it might not seem like a big deal. But you don't make any friends by screwing up their names. Did you use the handsome American eagle "Presorted First Class" stamp, or metered mail? The Eagle stamp says, "This letter is important." Metered mail says, "This is business communication, not personal mail." Did you place a teaser on the front of the envelope revealing some or all of the offer? Just teasing is worthless. The teaser must reveal a benefit or a promise or else you've thrown away a key selling space. Want some tips on the inside? Catch my next posting, June 1.

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April 1, 2009:

    Why hasn't E-mail wiped out direct mail? Computer jockeys say they prefer it over postal mail. It's easier to write because it's half the size of a letter. Send it, take a sip of your coffee, and it's there. It costs so little it's ridiculous, while first class postage stamps are homing in on 50 cents a pop. So what's keeping direct mail alive? Couple of things. A letter speaks person to person; E-mail speaks computer to computer. The letters I get from the NRA, for example, are so well written you can't put them down. You just keep nodding and muttering, "Yeah, that's right." Sometimes they go on for three or four pages and you read every one. A lot of the E-mail I see looks like it was written by a guy in a burning building who pounded out the last paragraph, clicked send, then ran for his life. It's short and to the point, just like a lot of consumers say they like. But they lie. If telling a salesmen to skip the romancing and stick to the facts really worked you'd see everyone doing it. And finally, E-mail lives or dies with its subject line. Postal mail often has four or five such weapons--the size of the package, embossing or foiling to create importance, handsome typography, a teaser on the front side, a headline on the letter inside. Rest my case.

April 11, 2009:

    Alec Benn's interesting little book, The 27 Most Common Mistakes in Advertising, hit the bookstores in 1978 and is long gone. But the advice is still invaluable. You'd think most freelancers and ad agencies would have memorized the damn thing. Nope. They never heard of it. But this week your faithful reporter resurrects another of Alec's deadly 27. This one is mistake No. 12--Being over-creative with type. Pay attention, writers and agencies: "This common mistake springs from a psychological attribute that paradoxically makes many art directors good at their jobs. Most art directors hate words. It isn't that they are not much interested in words. They have an active aversion to words. For many ADs, words are simply a part of the design they are assigned to create, and some will do just about anything to make words hard to read. They put body copy in reverse (white on black). Or put the type over a tint. Some even put body copy over an illustration. As anyone with Freudian psychology knows, this is antagonism toward words." P.S. This "mistake" is, and always has been (chuckle) my favorite.

April 22, 2009:

    Unfortunately, most of the casino direct mail that comes across my desk doesn't talk to me personally. The word "exciting" is used in almost every paragraph, sentences run up to 35 words, paragraphs run to 10 lines. And there's a determined effort to sell everything in the casino, from valet parking to the buffet. Let's take this one sentence at a time. If a letter doesn't talk to me personally it means the writer fired features at me instead of benefits. Do you know the difference? A "feature" is the houseguest line at the coffee shop. The benefit is they go right to their tables, with no waiting, while everyone else stand sin line. The word "exciting" is so hackneyed it should be banned from all casino copy. A sentence with more than 17 words stands an excellent chance of being misunderstood. A paragraph with more than three lines is too long to scan, which renders it worthless. And when you try to sell everything, you sell nothing. End of story.

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March 1, 2009:

    About seven months into 2008, just as the economy developed a nasty cough, I had the pleasure of arguing my case on the superiority of direct marketing over general advertising. It really wasn't an argument, though. More of a discussion. Fun from start to finish because my "opponent" was my brother-in-law, Scott. After a long career in the advertising end of the newspaper business, he wanted to start his own ad agency. Good move. You want clients, I asked him? Secretly I knew the answer. He'd kill for clients. So I told him while direct marketing was well known in the ad community, it was unknown to the the ordinary small business owner. Tell your prospects, I said, they'll no longer wonder what, if anything, their advertising accomplished. They'll no longer wonder if they paid too much for advertising because they'll know, to the penny, what their ad brought in. And for the first time, they'll be introduced to testing before committing large sums of money. Scott phoned a couple of days later--thrilled. The first two prospects he saw, he signed.

March 11, 2009:

    I asked Dennis Conrad to give the Tip of the Week. Okay, I didn't really ask him. I just took a piece out of Conrad on Casino Marketing. When Dennis writes about casino marketing he never fools around. He just tells it straight. He's a longtime pal and that's one of the things I like about him. Here's a sample: "I am your customer. Most of your employees are pretty friendly, and I've gotten to know many of them over the years. I can tell you've invested in customer service training, and it helps, but now I wish you'd do some simple stuff like having enough cage lines open on weekends and putting a few of the big bosses on the casino floor, and changing some of the silly rules that only lessen my enjoyment of your casino. Do you really have to take my players club card to security when I forget and leave it in the machine?"

March 22, 2009:

    Several books stand close by my computer. They've bailed me out of many dead ends. And the one I seem to use the most is named "Carnival of Wit." This 538 page gem by Leo Rosten lists more than 230 categories from "Actors/Acting" to "Youth." Timeless wit, mostly from well known writers and statesmen, flows from each category. Here, for example, is one of several from the "Gambling" section. "The urge to gamble is so universal and its practice so pleasurable that I assume it must be evil." was turned by the famous humorist Heywood Broun. Another of my favorites is by Paul Brians, who calls his book "Common Errors in English Usage." In it we find "as if" is preferred in formal writing over "like." But in expressions such as "He spends money like it's going out of style," Brians admits it would be artificial to use "as if." Next we find "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White, a book all writers revere. The authors bemoan the loss of the once-useful adverb "hopefully,'" which means "with hope." It's now been distorted to mean "I hope, " or "It is to be hoped." Strunk and White leave us with this: "To say 'Hopefully I'll leave on the noon plane' is to talk nonsense." Case closed.

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February 1, 2009:

    In The Creative Mystique, author John M. Keil devotes a chapter to the way advertising creative work is viewed by those who must make a "yes" or "no" decision to run it. See if you recognize any of these all-too-familiar comments (in Keil's book) from those who struggle to justify their judgment: "When it's right, I can feel it in my gut...I don't make the decision. I let the people who are doing the work sell me...If my wife understands it, I know the general public will, too...I'd like to think about it overnight...For some reason, I don't feel comfortable with it...Tell me, is this really what you want to do?...I think we should test the idea against two others and let the public tell us which one is right." The Creative Mystique is well written and makes some good points, but I disagree with Keil on his last example. Testing is the only proven way to justify "creativity." If it sells the product, it's creative. End of story.

February 11, 2009:

    Brian Klems, who writes for Writer's Digest magazine, can teach casino marketers a few things, even though he probably thinks "theo" is short for Theodore. But one thing Brian does well is write loglines. Any of you casino marketers out there know what a logline is? Let Brian enlighten you. In a recent issue he writes, "A logline is a one sentence summary of your manuscript that consists of three major elements: the character, the character's goal, and the antagonistic force." Sound hard to do? Read this logline and see if you remember the name of the book and the movie. "After a twister transports a lonely Kansas farm girl to a magical land, she sets out on a dangerous journey to find a wizard with the power to send her home." See how easy it is? Now here's the tip. When you can describe a casino floor promotion with a logline instead of a full page of copy, you're going to have a hit on your hands. Customers won't struggle to understand a complicated event--but if you can sell it to them in one sentence, you're home free.

February 22, 2009:

    How many customers come into your casino, run into a problem, and leave without telling anyone on your staff about it? An outfit named the Technical Assistance Research Program did a study and came up with the answer--half. How about the 50 percent of customers who do complain about something that went wrong? The study said about 45 percent complain to a frontline employee, who may or may not handle the complaint in a way that satisfies the customer. That means only 5 percent, or one in twenty offended customers, complain to anyone in management. Too bad. No wonder a study published in the Harvard Business Review found the average business loses 20 percent of its customers a year. Just think how much more you could bring to the bottom line if you could cut that to 10 percent. To sum up, customers who complain usually tell their friends about it. Customers who are satisfied give you free word-of-mouth advertising. In a down year like this one, making nice is more important than ever. (Thanks to my pals Murray Raphel and Neil Raphel and their book, Up The Loyalty Ladder.)

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January 1, 2009:

    Talk to most direct marketing pros and they'll tell you to stay away from humor when you're trying to sell something. And they're correct if your definition of humor is a stale joke. But humor can work if you apply it with small, smile-producing brushstrokes. Casinos always promise "fun" in their ads but there's little of it in their copy. So I usually try to sprinkle in a few offbeat references in my letters. I described a comp room at the boutique Siena Hotel & Casino in Reno as "stark, raving free," because it's a word picture you just don't expect to see in a casino letter. I called the Indiana Live! Casino's player card, "The Dom Perignon of Indiana gaming cards." After describing a Harrah's Las Vegas event, I wrote, "Don't even think of staying home." After describing new rooms at the former Aztar corporation's AC Tropicana, I wrote, " I'd like you to be the first to romp around in one of these decorator beauties." None of these lines make you laugh out loud, but they all speak to customers as if they were friends. In contrast, most casino direct mail is loaded with ads in letter format. Too bad.

January 11, 2009:

    Some of the late David Ogilvy's funniest advertising copy appeared when he wrote about advertisers addicted to recall. "There is common agreement among researchers that testing ads for recall is for the birds.," he wrote. "Nobody has been able to demonstrate a relationship between recall and sales, yet for reasons that escape me, most advertisers insist on using it. Celebrity commercials usually score above average in recall, and below average on changing brand preference. Also, it's too easy for a copywriter to cheat. My partner David Scott once told me that when he wanted a high recall score he simply showed a gorilla in a jock strap. And finally, it's open to question whether recall tests even measure recall. I believe they measure the viewer's ability to articulate what he recalls, which is a very different thing." Ogilvy died in 1999, at age 88--which may be proof that a good sense of humor creates longevity.

January 22, 2009:

    Suppose you're an advertising writer and you're looking for an opening statement or a provocative question that will make your readers leap up, dash to the store and buy your client's product. What you need is a "Grabber," according to Richard Bayan, who wrote an unusual book named "Words That Sell." Here are some Grabber openings to which you must add a word or two: Some straight talk about...Not just another...The best-kept secret in...America's leading...Your partner in...Finally there's a better way to...Now, more than ever, you need...Now suppose you're appealing for contributions, so you try these: The future of___is in your hands...Your gift can help___survive. Next, you want to flatter your readers. Your___says a lot about you...This ___is being sent only to those who...You're the kind of person who...Now your final job is to knock the competition. "No other ___comes close...Nobody beats___...Don't waste your hard-earned money on___. And now congratulations. You're an advertising writer. Call when you get work.

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December 1, 2008:

    The No. 1 mistake made by newspaper and magazine advertisers can be summarized in three words--not enough information. Sounds kind of crazy, doesn't it, as if it should be a simple problem to remedy? But that depends on who's writing the ad. Many (but not all) writers in general advertising believe no one will read an ad if the copy is longer than 25 or 30 words. That's why you see so many ads that feature large photos or illustrations and small blocks of copy. The myth that no one reads anymore still prevails in many shops. But ask yourself--if you're in the market for a new camera will you be sold by 25 words or by a hundred words that point out every feature and benefit? The bottom line is--people read ads to get information. Give them enough to make the sale.

December 11, 2008:

    Thinking of starting a casino newsletter? Better read the downside from my first book, Casino Marketing. Here's how the chapter opens: "The GM smiles. In his head, numbers are churning. Cheaper than advertising, he reasons. Only have to do it a few times a year. No commission to the ad agency because my own people write it". A good spot to save money. Thus begins the casino newsletter. What springs to life is a publication with no mission and no accountability. The staff grows to hate it. I don't care if you publish it twice a year--the deadline is always staring you in the face. It's like the Chinese water torture. It starts innocently, just four pages and two colors. But take your eye off it for one second and it's eight pages. Then some guy suggests a 4-color cover. Downhill from there. Bullets can't stop it. Before you know it the thing becomes a monster, gobbling every budget in sight. You make the local printer rich. Everyone on the staff needs a secretary. The thing just keeps growing and there's no end in sight. P.S. In my next tip, on Dec. 22, I come to the rescue.

December 22, 2008:

    Most casino newsletters need help. They're all features and no benefits. But they can be changed, and here are points to consider: (1) I can think of a dozen reasons to start a newsletter, but the only one that makes sense is to increase casino revenue. That objective should guide the editorial philosophy. The piece should become a selling tool instead of useless comment. And like good advertising, it should pay its way (2) Send it to your best customers, the ones who can't walk past a machine without jabbing the spin button. You can't persuade anyone with a newsletter because you can't send it often enough. But your best customers are sold. Give them an offer. The rest don't count (3) Narrow your focus. You might claim yours is "The one casino newsletter that reveals the secrets of the big jackpot winners." Surround this promise with offers and and aim the thing at your best slot players (4) Keep the stories short. Make sure they uncover the secrets you promised (5) Every newsletter needs a response device with an incentive (read, cash) that customers can't resist. Make your store part of their lives.

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November 1, 2008:

    I've never met Sharon Goldman, the executive editor of DM News, but her October 13th column includes some advice that will help any company, in any business, anywhere. It happens to agree with the selling philosophy I embraced more than 40 years ago, and I've never gone wrong using it. It's simple, really, and Sharon puts it succinctly. Following an interview with Travelocity and its obvious success in the travel business, she wrote, "What struck me was the importance of staying connected to customers in a relevant, personalized way. It can have a powerful impact on a brand over time--especially during difficult times." Well said, and true. It's never failed me, or any of the clients I've convinced to use it.

November 11, 2008:

    This is a bit of a carryover from my opinion piece on your left. And it's not good news if you're hooked on the easy to buy, easy to write, easy to send charm of E-mail. I'm now seeing stories and columns in the direct marketing publications and newsletters that claim E-mail rental lists are in so much trouble they could become extinct in nothing flat. Like everything else in our society that's overdone, they've antagonized the receivers and could be ruining the reputations of the senders. In early October, according to DM News, the E-mail list industry had it largest decline in 20 years. Business-to-business and business-to-consumer list rentals dropped a combined $23/M. Of course, the economy hasn't exactly cooperated, but E-mail's armor has been breached. Marketing directors take note.

November 22, 2008:

    "Sell off the page" is a term you hear only from direct marketers like your faithful reporter. The creatives in general advertising never are judged by the sales generated from one single-page ad in a magazine. Nobody in general advertising tracks a single ad. Instead, they run the thing twenty or thirty times and hope for the best. But some direct marketers use a lone, one-page ad as a challenge to show how good they are--and to reassure the client that his advertising actually is accomplishing some (such as sales). How do you make one ad, run one time, sell anything? You need a writer who can turn out persuasive sales copy, and who can write a headline that picks out prospects from suspects in the magazine's readership. And how do writer and client know if the ad worked? Easy. The sales and leads come directly to the client. Do you wonder why all print ads are not set up this way? So do I.

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October 1, 2008:

    This one is for writers, especially freelancers. If you come to the inevitable point where you show the client (or boss) some copy and he says he doesn't like it, then what? Stay calm. As the writer, you're personally involved with the client or company--but you have a different perspective on what sells and what doesn't. The client or boss always will be emotionally attached to the company, and some think what they like will sell. Wrong. So if you can't change the mind of a person who doesn't like what you write, challenge that person to a test--his/her version against yours. If it's an ad, make it a direct response ad so the answers come directly to the client, If you lose, don't charge a dime. Sometimes, the objector will back down. If not, you'd better write a damn good ad.

October 11, 2008:

    Some art directors, your faithful reporter is told, believe that sensitivity to and interest in typography is no longer a factor in the design of ads. Instead, the creative freedom brought on by technical advances has taken over, leaving the artist in charge. In a recent contest I judged, much of the typography was impossible to read. Some of was as small as 8 point. Some of it was, for example, gray on black, or tan on tan. And 90 percent of the type was sans serif. For those not schooled in reading comprehension, practically all newspapers and books are printed in serif (also called Roman) type faces. Their tiny ascenders and descenders help the eye pick up the shape and make comprehension easier. Sans serif (without serifs) repels the reader. So you have to ask yourself, why would you purposely make an ad hard to read because of creative freedom?Do ad agencies know the difference? Again, you'd think so, but look through the ads in the average newspaper and you'll begin to wonder. The grotesque sans serif dominates everywhere. If you get an opportunity, ask your art director why he/she uses it, then write me. I'd really like to know.

October 22, 2008:

    One of the books in my personal business library is "The Creative Mystique," by John Keil, the executive creative director for a big New York general ad agency. It's a good book, with interesting views into the habits and working of the creative mind and how to channel the creative flow. Trouble is, it was published in 1985, just as direct marketing had risen from the dead and was about to cause a shift in agency thinking. Now the generalists face companies that demand tracking and accountability, cost per sale and cost per lead. The old joke about the client who said, "I know half my advertising is wasted--I just don't know which half," is no longer funny. Now, because of direct marketing, there's a way to tell which half. There's also a way to define creativity, and it takes just three words. They are, "Did it sell?" Simple as that.

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September 1, 2008:

    Did you ever read a fund-raising letter from one of the major political parties and wonder why most of the paragraphs were just two or three lines long? The reason is that people don't really "read" the three or four page letters the parties send. They scan them. If the paragraphs are short, a scanner's brain can pick out the salient lines. But if the paragraphs are several lines long, not a chance. The brain says, "This is just too hard," and promptly quits. The same thing happens to long casino letters--or even to one-page casino letters if paragraphs are more than four lines long. So save those political fund-raising letters. Use them as a reference when you write your own letter. Sure, some people still read every word, but it's a scanner's world out there and you'd better remember it.

September 11, 2008:

    What's the easiest way to lift response to your direct mail? The big corporate mailers look first at their envelopes. It's an eternal truth that you can offer a super deal, but if your envelopes don't get opened then your chances are not too good. So what to change? Envelope size is a candidate. Larger ones look more important than the standard number 10. Changing your teaser headline on the front side of the envelope is a good test, too. Make sure it's a benefit, not a feature. Are you using labels? In today's high tech marketplace they look old fashioned. Laser on your address instead. Now look at your postage. A postage stamp beats anything else you're using. What about your return address? Some of them look cold and official. Why not put a person's name under it? If response is still slow, better change your offer.

September 22, 2008:

    I love Webster Kuswa's advice to copywriters and artists in his book, Sell Copy. Says Webster, "Talented as commercial artists are, many regard copy blocks only as parts of a general design. Frequently, they gloss over word arrangement. They're satisfied if they just include all the words." Sound familiar? Your faithful reporter has been after art directors for years because so many think consumers read ads because they're beautifully designed. Bold colors and reverse outs have ruined more ads than they've helped. Kuswa goes on to talk about the "sense break," which is a complete and meaningful thought in each line of a headline. If (ahem) you will check any of our two-line headlines, you'll see that each line stands alone. It's the only way I know how to write the damn things. I used to work with a guy who would sometimes end the top line of a headline with "Las" and start the next line with "Vegas." He cured me. I've written "sense breaks:" ever since--and so should you.

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August 1, 2008:

    I've probably used this tip before, but I'm amazed how often I hear marketers say, "I never mail the same letter twice. Our customers would spot it right away." Oh, yeah? So how come "Repetition, repetition, repetition" is what makes advertising work? And why does the Wall Street Journal keep mailing its famous subscription letter that was written when Nixon was president? Oh, they've tried to replace it, but it still wins all the tests. Truth is, most people can't remember what they saw on TV or read in the mail yesterday, much less what they got a week earlier. Because we're bombarded with a thousand or more advertising messages every day, it becomes a matter of self-defense. We tune ads out because most of them are junk. Few offer us a promise or a benefit that sticks. Advertisers run the same ad dozens of times. So never be afraid to mail the same letter twice--especially if it pulled well the first time.

August 11, 2008:

    I saw a story on the financial pages the other day that reminded me of the "corporate lead" you see so often from large companies. In the corporate lead, the main idea is to lead off with the CEO's name, then get in as many plugs as possible for the company before you reveal what the hell the press release is about. Here's an example that's uncomfortably close to the real thing: "John J. Johnson, president and chief executive officer of the Hot Damn Casino Company, Inc., speaking to a group of investors to answer questions about the company's new casinos in Ponca City, OK, and Brimstone, ID, revealed at the company's offices in New York, with video feeds to other company casinos in Las Vegas, Reno and Tonopah, NV, that the world will end Wednesday night." When I was in the newspaper business, this kind of thing used to drive me wild. But if your job depends on corporate leads, forget everything I just said.

August 22, 2008:

    In most casino direct mail, everything from valet parking to the buffet is called "exciting." I've seen that word used as many as four times in a one-page letter. It's become a crutch for writers who have no vocabulary, no imagination, or both. And really, there are much better words to describe the sensations that a casino creates. They include "breathless," "thrilled," "captivated" and "inspiring." And perhaps the one word that best describes the feelings of a first time casino visitor is "serendipity," coined by British writer Horace Walpole in 1774. The word comes from a story named, "The Three Princes of Serendip." They were fortunate fellows who made a series of wonderful discoveries by accident. Hence, "serendipity" is a delightful but unexpected discovery. I remember the night I walked into my first casino, the Las Vegas Sahara. I found serendipity all over the place. Wouldn't you know it? Years later they hired me.

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July 1, 2008:

    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.

July 11, 2008:

    I'm sometimes asked about "Writer's block," and some of the people who ask are writers themselves. To tell you the truth, I've never had it--and I don't enjoy talking about it. But I brought it up and I suppose I should keep going. To start, I'm a professional writer, which means I get paid for what I write. And when you're paid to write you simply don't get Writer's Block because you can't afford it. I came up through the newspaper business, and you can't afford Writer's Block there, either. You can't sit down at 9:45 p.m. to write a news story for a 10 p.m. deadline and just stare at blank paper. Your fingers hit the keys the moment you slide into your seat and you always--and I mean always--beat the deadline. Either that or you find a new job. So now I've told you all I know (or care to know) about Writer's Block. Don't ask me again.

July 22, 2008:

    Here's a tip about a single word that can change the impact of an important sentence in a piece of direct mail or in almost anything else you write. The word is well known and it's part of everyone's vocabulary, but its power to motivate and please is largely overlooked. The word is "really." I use this magic amplifier in virtually every piece of direct mail I write. But there's a drawback. It can be used only once per piece. To show you how it adds a punch, which is stronger in the following examples? "I loved the necklace you sent," or "I really loved the necklace you sent." "I appreciate your interest in our company,' or "I really appreciate your interest in our company." Of course, the word can amplify everything from doubt to weather. "Do you really expect me to believe that?" "It's really a hot day." Use it to make an impression right up front, or to close your letter. It really works.In most casino direct mail, everything from valet parking to the buffet is called "exciting." I've seen that word used as many as four times in a one-page letter. It's become a crutch for writers who have no vocabulary, no imagination, or both. And really, there are much better words to describe the sensations that a casino creates. They include "breathless," "thrilled," "captivated" and "inspiring." And perhaps the one word that best describes the feelings of a first time casino visitor is "serendipity," coined by British writer Horace Walpole in 1774. The word comes from a story named, "The Three Princes of Serendip." They were fortunate fellows who made a series of wonderful discoveries by accident. Hence, "serendipity" is a delightful but unexpected discovery. I remember the night I walked into my first casino, the Las Vegas Sahara. I found serendipity all over the place. Wouldn't you know it? Years later they hired me.

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June 1, 2008:

    Look at the headlines I've written on the News & Opinions piece, and on the Tip of the Week story you're reading. Note that each line stands alone, a thought in itself. And note that the headline tells you exactly what you'll find in the story. This is because the headline is the most important part of any story or ad. Good headlines reach out and snare a reader because they hit the reader's self interest. Cute and clever "indirect" headlines hide an ad's offer. In tests, the :direct" headline such as you'll find at the top of every story in a newspaper, beats the "indirect" headline 4 to 1. When both lines are balanced and each conveys a thought, the meaning is easier to comprehend. Sure, you can go with the first one you write, But the discipline of balance always produces the superior headline.

June 11, 2008:

    "Headlines on ads," wrote Claude Hopkins, "are like headlines on news items. Nobody reads a whole newspaper. One is interested in financial news, one in political, one in society, one in cookery, one in sports. There are whole pages in every newspaper that we never scan at all. Yet other people will turn directly to those pages. We pick out what we wish to read by headlines." Is this some radical new theory, previously hidden from the creative people in advertising? ). Not exactly. Hopkins wrote the paragraph I just quoted in his first book, Scientific Advertising, published in 1923. I've read that book three times and I've yet to find any of his conclusions outdated. So you can imagine my consternation when I see casino ad headlines that are the direct opposite of the basic truth Hopkins laid down 85 years ago. Of all businesses, casinos should understand the odds of success lie with the newspaper-style headline. But no. Silly, goofy, indirect headlines abound. Creativity--it's wonderful. (From my first book, Casino Marketing.)

June 22, 2008:

    I've written a ton of advice about the first paragraph of your sales letter (only amateurs call them "cover letters"). Now here are a few gems about the last paragraph. To start, keep in mind it's the last thing prospects read, so tell them exactly what you want them to do (the "call for action"). Generally you'll tell them to phone the 800 number right away, or send back the coupon, or call their host. And it doesn't hurt to throw a little "fear" in there. "We have only a few rooms left, and when they're gone, they're gone...My phones are already ringing off the hook and space is limited...If I don't hear from you by (date) I'm afraid all our rooms will be gone, and I'd hate to see you kiss this one." Finally, you can throw in a little exclusivity ("And don't bother going to the front desk when you arrive. Your key will be ready and waiting at the VIP Lounge.")

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May 1, 2008:

    The millions of pieces of direct mail sent by hundreds of casino in the US can be divided into a five loose segments--bad, struggling, not too bad, shows promise and excellent. If you think you're in the last two groups, check these points that can increase response and move you into the top three.: (1) Your objective is not just to inform or to communicate. It's to make your customers see and feel the action, it's to arouse their emotions, get them off the couch and impel them to accept or buy what you're offering (2) The fewer adjectives and adverbs the better. They make your letter sound like an ad and they weigh down the copy (3) Appeal to what Herschell Lewis calls the four motivators--greed, guilt, fear and exclusivity (4) Make the tone of your letter personal, as if you're writing to a friend. (5) make it easy for your targets to respond.

May 11, 2008:

    Pick up any newspaper and you see scores of small space ads, all trying to break through and catch a moment of your time. But few succeed. Why? Because readers don't really "read" a newspaper--they scan it. They look only for headlines that hit their own self-interest. If your headline doesn't do that, you don't have a chance in hell to get your message across. Yet some budgets are so slim that to get any kind of consistency you have to go small. What to do? First, remember that you're not trying to get the "readers" of the newspaper to read your ad. You care only for those who may have a need or yearning for your product--whether it's a casino or a used car dealership. Aim your headline at their need. Advertise a benefit or a make a promise. Make the headline large. Make the copy pay off the headline. Get it as high on the page as you can. Track your results and test headlines.

May 22, 2008:

    Nobody will read a long letter, Is that true or false? I've had clients tell me that their customers prefer short letters--just the facts. But, I ask, what if you received two letters from stock brokers pitching annuities? One was short and to the point. The other went into detail that explained just how they would invest your money and protect your privacy. It's obvious here that the longer letter would be more effective. But some casinos are hard to convince. If they offer a free room for two nights, that's it. But what if I make the same offer and add something like this: "You'll sleep on soft Egyptian cotton sheets, down-filled pillows and Sealy's top of the line mattress. If you need to hit the Internet just plug in--it's free. And for television viewing, click on your 34-inch Sharp high definition Acquos that delivers an image so sharp you can see the brush marks on the anchor woman's lipstick." Which "free room" becomes more appealing? The length of a letter should be determined by the benefits you can find in the offer--and there are plenty of them if you dig.

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April 1, 2008:

    Here's a portion of a letter I wrote last December to Popular Mechanics magazine. The Tip is pretty obvious: "I've been a PM subscriber for several years and can testify that your magazine is filled with interesting and worthwhile articles. But when my subscription expires I won't renew it. The reason is not content. It is typography--page after page of sans serif type that makes reading and comprehension a worsening chore. Your magazine leans more heavily on sans serif each month. In the Jan., 2008, issue, only three features and a few captions were in Roman serif faces. The other 110 pages were all in sans serif type. The purpose of typography is to make reading easier. Any type that makes the message hard to read and hard to comprehend, is wrong."

April 11, 2008:

    Into every marketer's life comes an occasional brochure. It's never a happy time. You think it's going to be a simple project, but the convention sales people scour every word and phrase. You go through two or three proofs and they're still not satisfied. When it's finally complete, a rival casino could put its own name on the cover and no one would know the difference. But here are some rules I follow (mostly because I made them up). If it's a Las Vegas brochure I always put "Las Vegas" at the top of the cover. I follow that with a benefit or a promise--like the headline on an ad. If I haven't included the hotel name in the promise, I put it at the bottom. This infuriates the Sales people because they maintain that when brochures go in a rack you see only the top half. I explain this is why I want a headline at the top--a headline that will hit a propect's self-interest and she'll take the brochure and read it. Most brochures are filled with happy people eating, playing slots or craps--fake shots, every one of them. I hold out for pictures of the actual casino employees and executives a guest might meet. Then I fill the rest of the brochure with benefits. Once I wrote a thousand words of copy in a brochure. Now stop that giggling. The HSMA gave it a gold medal.

April 22, 2008:

    Casinos are starting to look like old science fiction movies--the kind where robots and weird machines do everything and the humans walk around in out-of-style white coats and trousers trying to find out what their jobs are. Some joints never send cash vouchers. They just let the player know his money is in one of their cash machines--waiting for him to come in and draw it out. At other places you get your comps and drawing tickets from a kiosk. And ticket in-ticket out games are everywhere. The human side is gone. You can spend a hour on the slot floors of some places and never see a soul from the house. So when Dennis Conrad and Steve Browne of Raving Consulting Company in Reno, came up with a program named "Slot Ambassadors," I told them they should have named it "Rage Against the Machine." When I got a good look at it I stopped kidding. It's personal service all over again. "Slot Ambassadors" on the floor are like money in the bank. Raving has a 4-step program and a tactical manual so big you could hurt your back trying to lift it. I mean, these guys are thorough. They expect to get the program going in several casinos this summer--which means the human side is back. Get lost, Gort.

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March 1, 2008:

    I seldom write about politics, but political tactics interest me and Barack Obama's people have one that's a real beauty. After Super Tuesday, he was reported to have raised more then seven million bucks in a week--all from the Internet. Whoa, I said. Seven million from nickel and dime donors, and so fast? Must have a monster list, I thought. Then I read Brian Quinton's piece in the February issue of Direct magazine. When a December rally at Columbia, SC, drew 30,000, the crowd was asked to text their cell phone numbers to Obama headquarters and sign up for mobile messages. Then they were invited to look at tickets they were handed as they entered. Each had a name and phone number of four registered South Carolina Democrats. "Would they take 10 minutes right now to call these four people and urge them to vote for Obama in the South Carolina primary in January?"writes Quinton. Then, probably as astonished as I was when I read it, Quinton points out that Obama's campaign found a way to data-mine a live event and then got people to make up to 120,000 campaign calls--and charge the calls to their own bills. Because Obama makes a speech a day somewhere, you now have an idea how he's collected his list--and his money. If, like me, you thought mobile marketing was still a few years away, better take a closer look. Thank you, Direct magazine.

March 11, 2008:

    One of the differences between general agency "branding" ads and direct response ads is the number of times the ad must be run. In branding, a general agency can't count on any real results until the ad, or series of ads, has been run again and again to hammer home the brand name. A single branding ad accomplishes little or nothing. But in most cases, a single large direct response ad can pay for itself immediately--provided it takes advantage of three key elements. They are (1) the headline, which should reveal a benefit or promise to hit the self interests of the readers (2) powerful copy, usually long, to reveal even more benefits and promises, and (3) a response device such as a coupon or a toll-free number so the readers can reply directly to the sponsor.

March 22, 2008:

    Can you write one piece of copy that works in a print ad, a radio commercial, a speech and a piece of collateral? Not possible. One of the first ads I wrote when I was marketing director at the old Del Webb's Sahara Las Vegas, did very well. I turned it into a radio spot without changing a single word. The second I heard the announcer read it I thought, "Oh oh." It just didn't work. For one thing, I didn't mention the Sahara name enough. When I started to give seminars and workshops I got another surprise. Some words look okay on paper but are just hard to pronounce, and some constructions I used in print sounded ridiculous when I spoke them. Writing for brochures is all short copy, and that requires the art of condensation. But most writers will tell you that playing around with words is fun--and it is.

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February 1, 2008:

    In many of the casino letters I see, the first paragraph wanders all over the place. Sometimes it's five or six lines long--and in some cases up to ten lines. How, I wonder, did such letters ever leave the property? The first paragraph is the most important one in the letter. Based on what it says and how it says it, the prospect keeps reading or immediately throws your letter away. That's why the safest opening paragraph hits the customer or prospect with a super benefit. My close friend, the late Andy Byrne, used to say, "Fire your big guns first." If you've established a rapport with your customers based on personal letters, it's okay to be informal, even tease a little or use a bit of humor in the opening paragraph--as long as it sets up the benefit in the following paragraph. You can even start with a question, or a shocking statement you'd never expect to hear from a casino. Work on that lead. It's the key.

February 11, 2008:

    The Super Bowl ads astonished me. Some actually focused on the product or service. A few actually tried to sell something. I liked the lone ad for GoDaddy.com. They kept the company name in the lower left corner through the entire spot, With the barrage of "branding" nonsense that surrounded them it was a smart move. Grade for the entire batch of commercials was C minus. Now here are five spots whose agencies should be called in and asked what in the hell they were thinking. If you can remember even one sponsor, congratulations. (1) A fancy new car speeds through the French countryside. It halts when it reaches the French army, circa 1814, and Napoleon steps out. (2) A gorgeous girl and a bunch of lizards hoof it to the original choreography of Michael Jackson's "Thriller." One of the lizards looks like Jackson. (3) An inept car salesman is forced to jump into a ring of fire to confront an tattooed brute wearing a bad haircut. (4) In a series of animated B/W drawings, a guy tries to push a rock up a hill while an off-camera voice drones boring copy. (5) A guy with jumper cables attached to his nipples shucks and jives until he starts a car. Now this is truly silly stuff, done to make people laugh and say they loved the commercial. The agencies get an F. The answers (1) Garmin (2) Life Water (3) Cars.com (4) Yukon Hybrid (5) Amp Energy. Goodbye until 2009, students.

February 22, 2008:

    Read the farewell in the News & Opinions section.

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January 1, 2008:

    I'm always griping about art directors who make pretty, but unreadable designs. So I asked my friends, Reg and Kathe Avey (who did most of my art direction in Las Vegas) to write a tip for you. They've always believed that art should enhance copy. not obliterate it. Smart people,these Aveys. Here's their tip: Never use black letters on a red background in your printing or internet art. It just doesn't read. To check for readability, "squint" your eyes and then look at the art. Never use yellow on a light background, red on orange, or colors with similar tonal values (such as dark on dark, light on light etc.) You'll lose the type into the background and the message will not read. Color is very important, but if in doubt use black letters on a white background. That's safe.

January 11, 2008:

    What happens if you send the same letter with the same offer to the non-responders from your first mailing--just two weeks later? Will they immediately see it was the same letter and toss it into the nearest trashcan? Will they be insulted and never come to your store again? Will they write the direct marketing manager and call him an idiot? The answer is--none of those. And the response to your second "same" mailing will be half of what the first mailing drew. I learned this from the late Andrew Byrne, one of my closest friends for years. I never challenged it because Andy was almost never wrong when it came to direct marketing. But I finally tested it several years ago. My second identical mailing drew 47% of the response to the first mailing. And to my knowledge, no one became angry, no one felt insulted. and no one called the direct marketing manager an idiot. Never overestimate retention.

January 22, 2008:

    I've heard the question a hundred times. Is there something you always say, in every letter you write, to high end and low end customers alike? Sure there is. And it's not at all complicated. I thank them for choosing my client. Look around. There are casinos in almost every state now, all fighting for business--and it come cases it's YOUR business they're after. Then ask yourself what makes your casino any more attractive than your competition? Is it the building, the shows, the buffet, the odds or the rooms? Who knows? But the casinos who actually thank their customers, in writing, usually set themselves apart--and it doesn't cost a cent. That's why I do it.

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December 1, 2007:

    Near the end of summer I gave a clinic to casino marketing writers. Dennis Conrad's Raving Consulting sponsored the Las Vegas show. The writers who attended ranged from pros to beginners, but all were eager to learn more selling secrets of direct mail. I fired a lot of stuff at them. but the subject is so vast that I could have gone on for weeks. Checking, back, I found I left out salutations--so here's a quick list of the dogs that can spoil a letter: "Dear Valued Guest" is about as convoluted, clumsy and self-serving as you can get. The words come out as insincere. Same for that old direct mail standard, "Dear Friend." And I've seen casinos use "Dear Neighbor" to lead off their letters to the local market. Weak. Assumes too much. Fortunately, we don't see that many of these three barnacles. Most casinos now personalize. In my Jan. 11 posting, I'll tell you a few I like.

December 11, 2007:

    Following up last week's letter salutations I hated, here are some I like. "Dear John," or "Dear Mr. Smith" are clearly the best. But if you don't personalize, try some of these: I sometimes use "Dear Slot Genius," when addressing the slot list (it never fails to get comments), and "Esteemed Member" when writing to the players card list. I also like "Dear Preferred Player" when aiming at the high end, and occasional offbeat intros including "Dear All-Knowing, All-Seeing Three-Card Poker Player." Don't be afraid to have fun with the salutation but under no circumstances try anything that could be construed as an insult. In this age of the indignant, bruised feelings can get you in more trouble than you ever thought possible.

December 22, 2007:

    I'm still seeing casino direct mail with final paragraphs that read, "Have a nice day," or something equally meaningless. When I see such criminal acts I begin to wonder why I've written hundreds of columns, two best-selling casino marketing books and seven years of archived Tips and Opinions like the one you're reading. now. But on each occasion I struggle over to my machine and say it one more time. Goes like this: The last paragraph should tell the reader exactly what you want him to do. "Phone the 800 number today and confirm your free room...Send back your tournament entry form and fee today...Confirm your reservations now with a free call to...Let us know right away, today, by phoning VIP Services at..." And there's one more two-word sentence that I always tag on the end of the paragraph. That sentence is "Thank you."

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November 1, 2007:

    When you open up your machine in the morning, how do you treat the new e-mail messages that you find? Do you rip through them as I used to do, killing off everything with a spam subject line or with an unfamiliar address? If so, maybe you'd better change your tactics a bit. All of us can spot spam by now. What we can't always spot is an honest letter with a subject line that reads like a con job. E-mail like this can come from someone seeking your help, offering you a job, inviting you to a gaming conference or just sending along a nice comment on your work. I missed a few with my original killer tactic. I still toss out many unopened, but then I go back to the rest and put my instincts to work. I've opened a few and been pleasantly surprised. If you have a better way, let me know.

November 11, 2007:

    Is current print advertising the ad industry's best ever? I doubt it. Listen to what Claude Hopkins wrote in his book, 'Scientific Advertising." in 1923. "Some insist on dressy ads. That is all right to a certain degree., but it is quite unimportant. Some poorly-dressed ads, like poorly-dressed men, prove to be excellent salesmen. So with countless questions. Measure them by salesmen's standards, not by amusement standards. Ads are not written to entertain. That is one of the greatest advertising faults. Ad-writers abandon their parts. They forget they are salesman and try to be performers. Instead of sales, they seek applause." Well put, Mr. Hopkins.

November 22, 2007:

    After I wrote the column on your left, I went to my bookshelf and pulled out my second book, Secrets of Casino Marketing--in which I devote a chapter to casino floor promotions. The chapter is a short one--seven pages long. But it lays out 16 key points for promotions that I evolved after 18 years at the old Del Webb's Sahara Las Vegas. Here's the first one: "Keep it simple. If you can explain the promotion in 17 words or less you start on firm footing. If it takes three or four paragraphs, you're in trouble. When it's that complicated the advertising struggles because the prospects are too impatient to decipher it. Even the people on the floor get confused. The best promotions are based on one specific, powerful, easily-grasped, overriding promise." To this day it's still true.

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October 1, 2007:

    Give me an art director who has a background in direct marketing and in direct response advertising. The edge they have over art directors in general agencies is simply this: they know that their job is to enhance copy, not use it as a design element. And most of them understand reading comprehension--which is hopeless for most generalists. Lately I've seen the work of general ad ADs that places orange type on a green background, black on red and yellow on brown. I've seen reverse outs that can't be read, and for a while I thought that the only type in the generalist portfolio was sans serif. Do you want your customers to read and understand every word? Put your print ad message in black on white with a Roman (serif) type face.

October 11, 2007:

    The late David Ogilvy always hated testimonials by celebrities. He claimed they were "Below average" in their ability to change a brand preference. Then he summed up his feelings with the following: "Viewers have a way of remembering the celebrity while forgetting the product. I didn't know this until I paid Eleanor Roosevelt $35,000 to make a commercial for margarine. She reported that her mail was equally divided. 'One half was sad because I had damaged my reputation. The other half was happy because I had damaged my reputation." Not one of my proud memories."

October 22, 2007:

    Successful advertising has been defined as "Repetition, repetition, repetition," which is super if you have a lot of money to spend. But what if you don't? My good friend Roddy Rogers, who was the agency executive on the Las Vegas Del Webb's Sahara account in the 70s, groaned when I told him we just didn't have the budget to hit the southern California radio market all year. So we sat down and agreed to run our spots in flights--in for a couple of months, out for a couple of months. We decided to dominate when we advertised and hoped the carryover would sustain us until we could get back on the air. Alan Barzman wrote the spots, which won best of the year in Los Angeles. The offer (A Sahara Safari vacation package) accounted for 16% of our occupancy the first year."

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September 1, 2007:

    Would you believe that a single word can make the difference between a sale and a turndown? In the world of advertising writers it happens all the time. Herschell Gordon Lewis tells of writing an ad for antique pistol replicas in which he used the intellectual word firearms instead of the emotional word guns because he thought the word better justified the price. When selling expensive cars he substituted motorcar for automobile. In my casino sales letters I'll use luxury accommodations instead of luxury rooms and cuisine instead of food when writing to the high end. In the English language there are two (or more) ways to say almost everything--and smart writers usually take advantage of that.

September 11, 2007:

    My friend Murray Raphel takes on complainers and whiners in his marvelous little book named "Selling Rules." Here's how he handles them: "When someone complains, the first rule is to listen. He's rehearsed what he's going to say and he expects negative feedback from you. He's ready to fight. So don't interrupt him. Listen. Don't comment. Don't look around. Don't look exasperated--and look at him while he's talking. When the conversation stops, wait a second and carefully, slowly say these ten words: Tell me what you want and the answer is yes." Any questions?

September 22, 2007:

    Joe Karbo published his "Lazy Man;'s Way to Riches:" in 1973. It became an immediate hit, Here's some if his Direct Response Marketing advice that launched thousands of businesses: "First, make a list of what you enjoy doing, and do better than most people. Are you a great cook? Are you a genius at fixing things around the house? Are you a sharp poker player? Is there something special you know about attracting people of the opposite sex? When you're on a fishing trip are you the one who usually ends up with the largest catch? Are the parties you give the ones that people talk about? Do you get a kick out of meeting new people? Are you the guy people call for advice? Do people admire your garden? Do you have a good memory? A million-dollar Direct Response Business has been built on every one of these."

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August 1, 2007:

    In the Casino Marketing Conference in Las Vegas, a panel debated this question: "Can you ever really know if your casino advertising is driving revenue?"They put forth several reasons why it was hard to come up with definite numbers when casinos concentrated on branding. But branding or any other objective can be accomplished with direct response advertising. When the replies, coupons, reservations or entries come directly to the casino, it's fairly easy to compute how much response your ad drew--and how much it cost you per response. Player tracking takes over from there, and you could wind up knowing exactly how much gambling revenue the ad (or ads) brought in. Why doesn't everyone use direct response advertising? Beats the hell out of me.

August 11, 2007:

    In "Writing Gaming Marketing,: Aug. 21-22 at the Tuscany Suites & Casino in Las Vegas, I'll elaborate on "The 12 best lines in casino marketing," and follow that with "The 12 worst lines in casino marketing." Under the "Best" heading is a line I've used for years in the direct mail packages I write. It's "Skip the lines at the front desk and check in at the VIP lounge." This is a VIP privilege that's underrated because human beings just don't like to stand in lines. And it's not a casual complaint. They HATE lines. In the "Worst" category is "Subject to availability." Don't get me started on this one. But fortunately, there's a way to turn that negative into a positive. Do you want to know what it is? Attend the show. Phone Raving Consulting for details at 775-329-7864. Maybe I'll see you there.

August 22, 2007:

    Hey, I'm at the gaming writing conference today in Las Vegas, and one of the areas I'll cover is the teaser line you see on the front of so many envelopes. The teaser's job is to get the envelope opened, but some companies just throw away that opportunity and write something silly. The teaser should contain a benefit or a promise--and sometimes I'll work on a teaser for hours until I think I've got just the right line. If you're having trouble writing one, start with "You" or "Your." These are personal words that draw prospects in. For example, "Your room is ready at the ABC Casino, with my compliments" And put the general manager's name under it. Or you could say, "You must come see us in Las Vegas (airline tickets enclosed)." Don't ever take the first idea that appeals to you. Keep trying until you get one that's perfect. A good teaser can make the mailing.

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July 1, 2007:

    I'm giving a couple of writing classes in gaming marketing, Aug. 21-22, in Las Vegas, and this month's tips offer previews. First up, a question. Should a gaming writer keep his letter short, stick to the facts and convey only pure information. Well, no. Would you ask your best salesperson to do such a thing? Of course not. Selling is romancing, selling is persuasion, selling is personal. Here, for example, is a fairly common line found in casino gaming letters: "The Big Time Casino is pleased to offer you complimentary room, food and beverage." But here's another way to say that: "I'll make sure you get one of our best rooms, plus meals and drinks, free of charge." The second, written in first person, is warm, friendly and contains a strong personal promise. It uses "meals and drinks" instead of "food and beverage." The latter sounds stiff and formal.

    NOTE: For details on "Writing Gaming Marketing Copy That Sells," Aug. 21 & 22, at the Tuscany Suites & Casino, Las Vegas, call Raving Consulting, 1-775-329-7864. Confirm by the Early Bird deadline of July 21, and save $50.

July 11, 2007:

    I'm giving a couple of writing classes in gaming marketing, Aug. 21-22, in Las Vegas. Therefore, this month's tips Are about writing. Here we go again. In the casino business it's normal write to five or ten thousand players in a single mailing. Do you know how to approach every one of them? Impossible. So the next best thing is to think of them all as friends--and write as you would to that friend. You also have to consider the general; manager who signs your letter. What's his or her personality? Are they warm or shy? Can you name their likes and dislikes? How would they handle a problem? How do they present themselves to customers? Once you get a handle on the answers you can write your piece. Go over your letter line by line. Did you write, "Subject to availability?" You certainly wouldn't say that to a friend, so maybe it should be, "Please make your reservation today. We sell out often at this time of the year." Bottom line: write to friends, not to "the database." NOTE: For details on "Writing Gaming Marketing Copy That Sells," Aug. 21 & 22, at the Tuscany Suites & Casino, Las Vegas, call Raving Consulting, 1-775-329-7864. Confirm by the Early Bird deadline of July 21, and save $50.

July 22, 2007:

   I'm giving a couple of writing classes in gaming marketing, Aug. 21-22, in Las Vegas. Here's our final tip on gaming letter writing: Most direct marketing books will advise you to stay away from humor in your letters--but they don't mean you have to cut off humor entirely. If tastefully done and slipped in at just the right place, it works very well. I started a letter recently with "You've chosen wisely." That's not LOL humor but I know it draws smiles because the recipients have told me. I once started a letter for a St. Patrick's Day slot tournament by having the general manager telephone the saint. The letter opened, "Hello, St. Patrick? Oh, you answer your own phone. That's very impressive, sir." The entire letter was a give and take conversation with St. Patrick. It's not what you'd expect from a casino--and that's important.

    NOTE: For details on "Writing Gaming Marketing Copy That Sells," Aug. 21 & 22, at the Tuscany Suites & Casino, Las Vegas, call Raving Consulting, 1-775-329-7864.

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June 1, 2007:

    Late last year we moved in to a new home we'd just completed. I changed our address with all our utilities, banks, subscriptions--that sort of thing. But even my good intentions couldn't catch everything. But in weeks we began to receive catalogs, magazines and other types of mail with our correct address from companies I hadn't notified. That was the NCOALink (National Change of Address Linkage System) at work. Sharon Neuenfeldt, VP of a Minnesota database services company, tells DM News that quarterly matching with NCOALink is a must if your list is your life. DM News says that 20 percent of Americans move each year, and that 10 to 20 percent of this group fail to notify the USPS of the new address. Can you imagine how much money that could cost you? Bottom line: since it's easy to keep your casino player list updated every three months, just do it.

June 11, 2007:

    I prefer to write ad copy that sells something, even thought I know that the client can track cost-per-sale and hold me accountable. I just like the pressure (it won me two gold Echo Awards and one silver in the annual DMA competition). The late David Ogilvy was one of several writers who inspired me. Remember the old Hathaway Shirt print ads that featured a guy with an eye patch? Ogilvy wrote them. The first one listed 15 benefits, from "longer tails that stay in your trousers" to "makes you look younger and more distinguished." He sold the value and quality of the shirts by stating exactly where the fabrics originated (Scotland, England and the West Indies). He also sold Hathaway's 120 years of fine shirtmaking tradition and the "small town craftsmen" who made them. The ads were a near perfect blend of copy and art (the eye patch). Oh, yeah, the tip. Copy is still king. Makes sure yours is first rate.

Last 2 items for Romero's June Web site / 6-8-07

June 22, 2007:

    I opened a letter from my brokerage company the other day and read, "We have been requested to forward the enclosed information." Why the hell this kind of tortured verbiage hangs around I don't know. So listen well, students, while I translate. "Requested" is the intellectual way to say it. "Asked" is the emotional way. "Forward" is an antique. The word in this situation is "send." As to "the enclosed information, " how much more personal to say "the information I've enclosed." Now rewrite the sentence, and remember this stuff the next time you send a letter to a good customer.

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May 1, 2007:

    All those sales letters you get at home--what could have been going through the minds of the copywriters who wrote them and the editors who approved them? For example, what was the writer thinking who wrote, "Now you have a chance to buy this famous artifact..." Chance means "a possibility of something happening, " or "something without design, an accident." Now replace "chance" with "opportunity" and your impact is far greater. Opportunity is, "a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something." Small point? Maybe, but words are the only weapons a writer has, and every shot must count. (More examples coming.)

May 11, 2007:

    Continuing our assault on flabby words that weigh down the meaning in an ad or in a sales letter, we see a line that reads, "We take care of all your travel needs." Using "needs" in place of a specific sales benefit is unbearably amateurish. If you're paying for letter or ad copy and the writer throws a "needs" at you, get another writer. There is no definition in the newest Oxford American College Dictionary for "needs." It's an empty, made-up advertising word to allow the writer a lazy way out of a sales argument he doesn't know how to complete.

May 20, 2007:

    We've been unkind to "chance" and "needs" this month, so let's get to a word that can enliven your copy, not weigh it down. That word is "really." Which is more appealing: "Please send your confirmation by the 20th," or "I'd really appreciate your confirmation by the 20th?" "Really" heightens the plea the writer makes. It enhances the word "appreciate" and it cements the person-to-person appeal that's vital in every sales letter. Caution: Just one "really" to a letter.

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April 1, 2007:

    What's the most important single element in any print ad? If you miss this one it's only because you got tired of reading about it. The answer is, "the headline." The headline should reach out to the prospect and tell that person that you are offering something that will be of great benefit to him. For example, I often quote a headline that said, "With these binoculars you can look a sparrow in the eye from a hundred yards--and see him blink." That's a 19-word headline but do you have any trouble figuring out how powerful those glasses are? Of course not. Then there's David Ogilvy's famous, "At 60 miles per hour the loudest sound you hear in the new Rolls Royce is the ticking of the electric clock." That one has 22 words but the message is clear. The Rolls is one super-quiet car. So here's the lesson: spell out the benefit no matter how many words it takes.

April 12, 2007:

    Back in 2000, my friend Murray Raphel wrote a neat little book named "Selling Rules--52 Ways You Can Achieve Sales Success." Although Murray is a clothing retailer, practically everything in the book can apply to casinos. For example, No. 37 is "Don't use percentages when selling." He tells of a test given to Florida high schoolers that presented the question: "A store advertises Blue Jeans, regularly $15, for one-third off. How much do you save?" Half the students couldn't figure it out. He also advises you to use such terms such as "Half price" instead of "50 percent off." His bottom line is--people understand numbers but not percentages. Now take a look at your games, slots and food ads. Can you clarify the offers?

April 21, 2007:

    Lee Iacocca said, "If you wish to be the best, you have to separate yourself from all the talk about quality. And put it in writing." The gentleman was talking about a guarantee, which in the normal world can become a strong boost to sales. Guarantees make people comfortable. In the mail order business, for example, guarantees of satisfaction are common. Benjamin Franklin had one for his store in Philadelphia. Franklin guaranteed to fill the orders of settlers striking out for the plains and parts west, even to "those persons who live remote." But what can the casino business guarantee? Not much, you say? Well, keep at it and you'll surprise yourself. You'll soon come up with many possible guarantees and when you get the best one, you'll know it.

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March 1, 2007:

    We're all wiser now. So it's fairly easy to spot an e-mail spammer or a boring pitch that you'd never read even if you opened it. One look at the subject line tells you all you want to know. Christen Gruebel of Target Marketing magazine picks "free," "discount" and "special offer" as three "utterly obvious" words that are sure to send your fingers to the delete key. Well, maybe. But if "free" or "special offer" is followed by a casino name, the curse is lifted. Nick Usborne, who publishes the ExcessVoice.com newsletter, says that the most important thing your subject line can do is "trigger recognition" of your company name and newsletter. Usborne believes that if you have "a proven track record for sending quality information and offers, including your brand name is a smart way to get your message opened." Good advice, Mr. Usborne. You're on my A list.

March 12, 2007:

    This one is for writers. My favorite baseball scribe is Tracy Ringolsby of the Denver Rocky Mountain News. But occasionally Tracy makes me grit my teeth by misplacing the word "only." On one recent morning he wrote, "Finley only hit .246 with San Francisco." Aghrrr! This means Finley was the lone San Francisco player to hit .246, which is not what Tracy meant. The misplaced "only" may be the most common mistake in writing--and it's so easy to correct. Just put it immediately before the word or phrase it modifies. Thus, it becomes "Finley hit only .246 with San Francisco," which clears up the ambiguity. Tracy is the best in baseball --and once he learns the "only" rule, you can make that "the undisputed best."

March 24, 2007:

    You've just finished writing copy for an ad or for a letter. Now the real work starts. Seldom do first drafts go untouched because the best writers almost always find words or phrases they can cut--and cutting makes your work stronger. So look for those words and phrases that slow down the copy and get rid of them. Writing is rewriting. I rewrite until the little voice inside me says "Okay, you can send it now." Even then it sometimes turns out to be a false alarm--ao I rewrite some more until I'm satisfied. Of course, writers aren't EVER completely satisfied. I look at copy I wrote a couple of years ago and say, "Oh, no." But that's the writing business.

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February 1, 2007:

    Would you like to run print ads that draw an immediate response from prospects who want to stay in your hotel or enter your casino promotion.? Or do you believe in ads that never draw a measurable response but may increase "awareness" of your property if run long enough? The first sentence describes direct response advertising; the second describes general advertising. Direct response ads usually are quite specific in describing the benefits of the offer. They're always long on copy because their purpose is to get an order right now (it's called "selling off the page.") Their advantage lies in the science of measuring, or "metrics" as the new hip are wont to say. The client knows what his ad cost, knows the response because it came directly to him, and can quickly determine if the ad was a winner or a loser. As for the general ad--see my next tip on Feb. 10.

February 10, 2007:

    Continuing our discussion of direct response advertising versus general advertising (scroll down to check the archives for my tip of Feb. 1). General advertising, rather than seek a measurable response, often relies on creatives to break a client out of the "clutter" of newspapers or magazines by teasing readers with clever indirect headlines. But the problem is that readers scan a page in about three seconds, searching for something that hits their own self-interest--and indirect headlines hide the offer. For example, what does "Run these guys out of town" mean to you? That was an actual indirect headline in a major Los Angeles newspaper for...a slot tournament in Las Vegas. For contrast, here's a direct response headline. "Las Vegas casino introduces a radical new slot; if it doesn't pay off, it gives back your money." When the client budget is in the tens of millions, general has some successes--but almost always from TV. Print advertising, largely because so much of it is useless, is now the hardest job of all.

February 20, 2007:

    When I directed casino promotions for the Sahara Las Vegas in the 60s and 70s, I had a pre-promotion plan to guarantee that the events ran smoothly. Maybe you can pick up something useful from it. .I started with private visits to every department head (each was involved in every promotion we did). I explained the upcoming event, asked for their suggestions, and told them how important they would be to the success of the promotion. The two of us, sitting together, solved all small problems before they became big problems., Of course, I thanked them sincerely for their help.. The next phase was a large meeting in which I asked each department head to speak for a couple of minutes on their preparations. In half an hour all questions were answered and all preparations approved. They came as individuals and left as a team, marveling at all they had accomplished in just thirty minutes. Management marveled at my thirty minute meetings, too, but never caught on.

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January 1, 2007:

    Most casinos have an "Inactive" list of former players, but nobody has a clue why they stopped coming. Maybe this advice from my friend, the late Ray Jutkins, will give you a clue. It's from Ray's book, Power Direct Marketing. Says Ray, "People stop buying from people for five primary reasons. 4% aren't there anymore. They move, get promoted, quit, transfer or die. 5% change to another company on the recommendation of a friend or business associate. 9% change to the competition because there is a true competitive advantage. 14% change because they are unhappy with the service or product you provide. 68% change because of the lack of caring by some one person inside your company. Little or no contact, indifference, missed dates, a lack of caring by sales, service, accounting, management--someone or anyone."

January 11, 2007:

    Putting together a brochure or a new ad? Here are a few tips that will please your targets. They're gleaned from the research of typofile Colin Wheildon. (1) Reading comprehension drops dramatically when sans serif type faces (such as Helvetica) are used for body copy--from 67% to 12% (2) Of a group of 112 readers who read an article of direct interest set in Helvetica, 53% complained strongly about the difficulty in reading the type. The same group had no difficulty in reading another article of direct interest set in a Roman (serif) type face (3) Layouts with black headlines showed 67% comprehension, while layouts with colored headlines rated only 17% comprehension.

January 22, 2007:

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