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10 Copywriting Examples To Model
10 Copywriting Examples From History
Copywriters – Let’s have some fun today!
As I write this, it’s January 1, 2024
Happy New Year!
Remember though, we don’t need special dates or occassions to set resolutions and begin anew.
Now, right now, regardless of the day or date, is always the best time to start something new.
- To start a career in copywriting.
- To start a new ad campaign.
- To brainstorm new ideas.
One of the best, fastest, and easiest ways to change our mindset for the better is to look at things, examine things, that have already been successful in the past. To learn from the past.
To stand on the shoulders of giants!
Today, I’m keepin’ it light. Pointing you in a direction. Giving you a glimpse of insight, inspiration, and hopefully intrigue.
Here are
10 Interesting Stories About Famous Copywriters and Their Memorable Ad Campaigns
~ ~ ~
1. Claude Hopkins helped make toothbrushing a daily habit in the early 1900s with his campaign for Pepsodent toothpaste.
He invented the slogan, and a simple test anyone could do at home, “Film on teeth”. to educate people about dental plaque. He emphasized Pepsodent’s minty flavor, which also made brushing your teeth feel refreshing. Other dental pastes did not have that minty tingle at the time, but were quick to adopt it based on Pepsodent’s success.
At the time Pepsodent commissioned Hopkins, only 7% of the population regularly brushed their teeth. Claude quickly determined that to sell more toothpaste, more people would need to become brushers. Within a decade, toothbrushing jumped from 7% to 65% among the American public. Claude Hopkins’ add campaign changed the daily habits and the oral health of an entire nation. He made himself and Pepsodent very rich in the process by focusing not just on the selling of toothpaste, but by solving the REAL problem – getting people to brush!
Claude Hopkins is widely recognized as a marketing genius. Most of us are not blessed with his natural ability to spot the “Real Problem” to solve. Luckily, The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit does that for you! With a few quick entries into the templates, it shows you the core pain points to address. Shows the quickest path to gain audience attention and the hot buttons you need to press to make the sale.
2. David Ogilvy‘s ad for Rolls-Royce in the 1950s simply showed the car with the headline “At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.” It demonstrated the car’s quietness and luxury without overtly stating it. When the ad ran with that headline, readers couldn’t help but be curious to read the full ad copy.
3. Mary Wells Lawrence came up with the famous “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz” jingle for Alka-Seltzer in the 1960s. The catchy tune made the product memorable and sales increased by 300%. A catchy slogan, simple, repeatable and representative of the product is a great way for ads to go viral.
“Snap, Crackle, Pop” did this for Rice Crispies. “Where’s the beef?” did this for Wendy’s. The “Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A” jingle helped sell millions of dollars of cold cuts – and as a side benefit, taught kids the proper way to spell a word that most pronounce as baloney.
4. Bill Bernbach led the “Think Small” ad campaign for Volkswagen in the 1960s which openly addressed customers’ skepticism about the small VW Beetle. The honesty made the car appeal as an underdog against US gas-guzzling models. Bill Bernback produced a campaign of rebellion. His ads spoke to the needs and desires of all people who did not want or need the bloated sedans being put out by Detroit and others at the time. He spoke to the crowd that wanted less. Wanted simplicity. Wanted a car that would just go, even through the snow. To this crowd, he made the now iconic Volkswagen Beetle – the answer to their prayers.
5. Shirley Polykoff coined the slogan “Does she…or doesn’t she?” for Clairol hair dye in the 1950s. The provocative tagline about whether a woman dyed her hair or not removed the shame a woman might have of being “discovered” and boosted sales. The “does she… or doesn’t she” cleverly implanted the idea that, if you used Clairol dye, nobody would ever know you colored your hair.(or discover it and embarrass you).
6. Leo Burnett‘s charming animated characters like the Jolly Green Giant and Tony the Tiger became beloved brand mascots. His Marlboro Man pitched filtered cigarettes as masculine, which helped flip public perception after women initially popularized menthol cigarettes.
Not Leo Burnett’s creation, but Geico is the more recent example of the power of creating a character to sell your brand. The cute, accented, green lizard is responsible for sellling a whole lot of insurance. The Energizer Bunny is another big one, selling batteries for Eveready.
7. Ted Bates helped turn Toni home permanents into the #1 hair styling choice in the 1940s by addressing women’s insecurities about beauty salon experiences in ads. This increased at-home hair styling adoption Ted was partner in the American advertising agency Ted Bates & Co.. with the more well-known creative copywriter, Rosser Reeves.
8. Frances Gerety coined the slogan “A diamond is forever” in the 1940s for De Beers. By linking diamonds with romance and commitment, she cemented the stones as the definitive choice for engagement rings. Previous to this, colored stones such as rubies and emeralds were the prized possessions.
Contrary to popular belief, diamonds have never been in limited quantities, therefore more valuable by their scarcity. De Beers was created in order to restrict and artificially control the release of diamonds into the marketplace. Thus producing an artificial scarcity which continues to keep diamond prices high, even to this day.
9. Rosser Reeves promoted M&Ms by emphasizing they would not melt in one’s hands in 1954. This campaign targeted snackers and made the candy a handy, portable choice.The original milk chocolate M&M’s, the brainchild of Forrest Mars, were created in 1941 exclusively for U.S. service members deployed overseas during World War II. Chocolate bars were already part of military rations, but the M&M’s candy shell made them a standout.
At first they were sold in cardboard tubes and marketed to the military as a snack that could travel well in different climates. Many soldiers in World War II ate these candies. When the war ended, new markets for these candies became essential.
Rosser Reeves was creator of the much talked about USP (unique selling proposition). There’s a good article about Rosser Reeves’, his career, and his other famous ad campaigns here at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rosser-reeves-his-unique-selling-proposition-ahmed-el-mahdy/
Rosser Reeves, strangely enough, was the brother-in-law of another famous copywriter, David Ogilvy.
10. David Ogilvy‘s iconic ads for Hathaway shirts featured an eye-patch wearing aristocrat. This unique imagery lent an air of intrigue and prestige to the shirts, overcoming their previously boring reputation. This ad campiagn came to life more or less on a whim of David to find something different.
On his way to work, the day of shooting the model for the shirt ads, David stopped at a discount store and grabbed a bunch of 50 cent eye patches. While watching the photographer work, he told him, “Humor me and shoot a few frames with these. Then I’ll get out of your hair so you can do the serious work.” The eye patches created a sense of curiosity and style about the man in the Hathaway shirt. Everyone had to have one. Inventories of this otherwise ordinary dress shirt were quickly depleted.
Great Ads Contain Secrets About Copywriting
~ ~ ~
The study of great ads teaches us that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time we need to get somewhere. We can use the strategies, the tools, the techniques already invented, and proven to work, to create a version unique to our brand. Our thing. Our purpose.
People haven’t evolved that much in the last 100 years. The techniques to persuade and motivate in the past, still work today.
But technology has changed. Massively. We now have infinitely more ways to contact people, show ads to people, interact with people. And for far less cost; in many cases, even for free.
Geico didn’t invent “characters” as “brand ambassadors”. They just used (modeled, swiped) a technique already proven to work by Leo Burnett. And now they broadcast their message and gecko humor across dozens of media platforms reaching millions of prospective clients every year.
The Man in the Hathaway shirt idea has more recently been adopted by Dos Equis into “The Most Interesting Man in The World” for promotion in their beer commercials. Everyone wants to be interesting! Just like the men in those ads.
Imagine, if you buy their product, you will be interesting too!
It’s not logic that sells, it’s FEELINGS. And attention is captured by presenting someone the masses aspire to be. The Marlboro Man was another great example of presenting a character with traits men aspire to. To be strong, independent, free. A pioneer! A cowboy! Gotta get me some menthol smokes! Yikes!
In the spirit of keeping this light, fun, and inspirational for the New Year, I’ll wrap this up quickly by saying, you don’t have to be original, or particularly clever to market. You can simply stand on the shoulders of giants. Borrow their ideas. Adapt then to YOUR MARKET.
Arouse curiosity and intrigue.
Show them who they COULD BE if they would only buy your solution.
You could be a great copier. A great marketer.
And you could do it quickly and with only the slightest investment by standing on the shoulders of giants.
The Copywriter’ Persuasion Toolkit draws upon wisdom from the best master copywriters and sales psychologists of the past 100 years to put at your disposal, simple fill-in-the-blank cheat sheets, templates, and simple graphic illustrations to show you exactly what your prospects will respond to.
Work hard. Struggle. Be daringly original.
Or let the old proven masters guide you. And use a toolkit proven to work.
All the best to you.
May the New Year hold all the blessing you so richly deserve.
How else I can help you?
– Robert Schwarztrauber
Copywriting Tips You Must Know
Copywriting Tips : Powerfully Tapping Fears
Many struggling copywriters and business newbies rely solely on stating product or service positive benefits when making their pitch.
Tastes great. Lasts longer. 20% Lighter. Less Fat. Fat Free. Gluten Free. Faster. Cheaper. Easier. New. Improved.
Carrots are nice. But sticks get more done.
While benefits communicate logically what the offering provides, they often fail to compel action on an emotional, gut, motivational level. If your prospect can say, “Oh, that’s nice.” instead of whipping out their wallet because they have to have it, your ad or promotion has probably missed the mark.
That’s why savvy copywriters know they need to tap into negative emotions too – subtly and ethically (usually, but not always) – if they want to spur their target audience to take action, to purchase, subscribe, or donate now. Not later.
Remember, this may be the one and only time your prospect sees this ad or promotion. It has to compell them to act now. Or else.
In this article, we’ll cover:
- why negative emotions work,
- give examples of powerful negative emotions to harness,
- and tips for ethically integrating them into your copywriting.
Copywriting That Relies Too Heavily on Logic
~ ~ ~
Many novice copywriters focus intensely on the features and benefits of what they’re selling. They fall into the trap of over-explaining the ins and outs of the product logically, while failing to make any emotional connection with the reader or prospect..
While benefits are certainly important to put out there, left to stand alone they fail to provide the critical motivational spark that ignites action.
Copywriters must assume they have just one chance to capture a prospect or customer’s attention before they tune out. Today, studies show you’ve got about 6 seconds to capture their attention. Positive emotions alone won’t spur urgency and action in most cases.
That’s why crafting copy which solely states benefits, while avoids tapping negative emotions, is a rookie mistake with dire consequences
Why Negative Emotions Are More Powerful Motivators
~ ~ ~
Decades of research on influence, persuasion and psychology prove that negative emotions are often stronger motivators than positive ones. Dr, Robert Cialdini has written great books on this subject if you want to deep dive on the proof.
People are more driven to act when they want to avoid pain and anxiety – than when they simply want to feel good or better.
Marketers refer to this as “moving away from pain versus moving toward pleasure” – Moving away from or avoiding pain proves the greater incentive.
So what are some of the negative emotions professional copywriters tap into – ethically and subtly – to highlight problems and frame their offering as the solution?
Here are 25+ Powerful Negative Motivators, things that piss people off, or make them want to act now to put things right:
(every great movie or novel taps into one or more of these to make the audience FEEL something)
They Took Advantage of me!
They Overcharged me!
They Stole from me!
They Cheated me!
They Betrayed me!
They Embarrassed me!
They Rejected me!
They Abandoned me!
They Belittled me!
They Physically hurt me!
They Mentally abused me!
They Shamed me!
They Humiliated me!
They Excluded me!
They Lied to me!
They Broke their promise to me!
They Criticized me!
They Berated me!
They Attacked me!
They Sabotaged me!
They Took me for granted
They Misinformed me
They Disrespected me!
They Disappointed me!
They Bullied me!
They Laughed at me!
Everyone has a story they can tell about any or many of these. Pick any one. Everyone knows what this FEELS like. They want to avoid having that FEELING ever again.
Copy that inflames any of these negative emotional states in relation to the prospect’s problem can most effectively spark action.
So go ahead, poke the bear! Lean into their pain point, insecurity, injustice. Bring it up.
Dire consequences!
Yes, tease, promise the carrot. But you owe it to your prospect, and you owe it to your client, if you have one who has paid you to get results, and you also owe it to yourself to TELL THE WHOLE STORY!
The good, the bad, and the ugly.
“What happens if I do nothing?”
“What might I miss out on, loose on, if I choose a different path?”
John Caples masterfully crafted one of the most effective and most swiped headlines of all times using HUMAN FEELINGS as its base: “They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano – But When I Started To Play!”
Everyone can relate to the FEELING of, and the intense fear of being laughed at.
If you were going to buy a piano course, you would want one that would keep you from looking like a fool when you played. One that kept you from getting laughed at. And instead, pleasantly surprised everyone with your new found talents. You’d want the same one John Caples was selling!
That simple, short headline is packed full of FEELS. Emotions we can all relate to. Emotions we want to avoid (embarrassment) and emotions we want to strive toward (being pleasantly surprising, looked up to by our friends and family).
Another example…
I don’t have the actual ad, but master copywriter Ben Settle tells of famously selling products to the men’s prostate niche by calling up in grim, vivid details, the pain and suffering men could expect if they went the other, traditional route of treatment which involves physically scraping tissue from the urinary tract to relieve prostate simptoms. As it was told, grown men could viserally feel the pain he described in detail in his promotions. And then, who wouldn’t want to at least try his no-pain solution first!
Applying This Technique Thoughtfully and Ethically
~ ~ ~
Of course, blatantly provoking negative emotions solely to manipulate people into buying is unethical and in some cases could be illegal. But appropriately highlighting pain points that your audience is actually experiencing, or can expect if they don’t choose, or delay choosing your product, can be honest and effective. And serve their needs better than some sugar-coated version.
You are actual doing your prospect a great service by showing him all the negative or dire consequences he can expect if he does nothing, or buys an inferior product.
Imagine, if your prospect was your closest friend, or your child, you would want to make sure they knew all the good, and all the bad of the choice they are about to make, or should be making. You would not want to see them suffer. You would want them to know all the options to make the best choice. While avoiding any dire consequences in the process
The key is to first research and understand the product’s audience deeply. Real deep.
You must uncover their authentic frustrations, anxieties, fears. Any problems they have or perceive they have. Anything and everything your offering can genuinely help solve.
Then you’ll be able craft copy that taps into those negative emotions and positions your solution as just the fix they’ve been looking for.
For example, a dating app that helps singles find meaningful relationships could highlight the rejection and loneliness people feel when they struggle to find someone special.
Or a locksmith could tap into the violation and anxiety people feel when their home security has been. or could be compromised. You’d warn them of any nearby crimes that happened recently.
In both cases, honestly highlighting the negative emotions related to the customer’s problem is a powerful force for motivation and persuasion when combined with the positive solution your product or service provides.
So don’t shy away from negative emotions in your copywriting. Poke the bear. Just ensure you target their fears precisely toward emotional issues your customers truly face, that your thing can eliminate.
When employed strategically, this technique compels consumer action while forging an authentic brand connection. Buyers want to feel that the seller intimately understands their problem. When you call out their fears and deepest concerns you demonstate that you “get” them.
Conclusion
~ ~ ~
While some copywriters focus exclusively on logic and benefits, the smart marketers know that negative emotions are actually the stronger motivators. And smart copywriters use them!
By ethically tapping into pain points and anxieties people have, you can highlight problems and frame your brand, your product, your service as the only (or at least best) logical choice.
With this psychology and science backed copywriting technique, you motivate action and demonstrate a true understanding of what your audience cares about.
Just ensure you target actual frustrations your product or service can reasonably help alleviate. All claims must be backed by proof. Lest customer reviews or big government grind your scamming operation to a halt.
Used judiciously, negative emotions give copywriting the critical spark that turns a prospect into a paid customer. Negative emotions, delivered in intimate detail, compel action while conveying that you get what your audience is, or certainly will be going through.
What negative emotions resonate with your target market and their pain points?
The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit, with it’s simple graphics, fill-in-the-blank templates, and helpful guides quickly reveals what your prospect’s emotional hot buttons are, and how to best grab their attention in the first place.
Are you using it?
Your competition is or will be soon.
It’s on sale right now, for a limited time to get you started right in the year 2024
Download your copy now.
Or, pay more later.
To your Happy and Successful New Year,
– Robert Schwarztrauber
