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A Theory of Value
After a few Belgian beers at The Cheeky Monk, my friend Chad and I began to talk about economics. As we discussed the source and nature of money, we began to zero in on the idea of value. What is value? How is it created? Where does it come from? Initially, I argued that value […]
Continue readingHas Netflix Gotten Bored of Its Own Advertising?
Unlike my copywriting colleague, Ben Settle, I actually did respond to a Netflix ad. That was a few years ago now. At the time, they were doing a bunch of print advertising. Mostly blow-ins included with the grocery store flyers delivered by mail once a week. Those little ads were brilliant. They demonstrated — in […]
Continue readingHow to Use a Swipe File
A well-organized swipe file is as good as gold in the hands of a skilled copywriter. But while many copywriters and entrepreneurs know how to spot winning ads, very few know how to go about building, organizing, and using a swipe file to write stronger copy faster. This is the subject of a recent interview […]
Continue readingStuck on a Sales Letter? Then Do This…
Have you ever been trying to write an ad or sales letter and just gotten stuck? Have you ever written headline after headline after headline… and still come up empty? Or have you ever completed a sales letter only to discover that it lacks that gut-level punch you know it needs to have? If you […]
Continue readingDrayton Bird: “The Best TV Ad Ever”
While I was in Chicago for Ken McCarthy’s System Seminar, I had the opportunity to meet Drayton Bird. He’s incredibly bright. And he’s got a wicked sense of humor. Anyway, he says the best TV ad ever is this one advertising the Volkswagen Beetle. It’s from 1964. A few things stand out to me: 1. […]
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