The Juicy Bits of ‘Scientific Advertising’

I try to read a lot. Below is what I took from this short book for my own future use. Hope this is helpful!

Ch 1: Advertising is the safest of business ventures. There are principles to it, and it is repeatable, and recordable. Final conclusions from this book are always based on cost per customer or cost per sale.

Ch 2: Advertising is salesmanship, multiplied. Fine writing is a distinct disadvantage, so is literary style. One must instead be able to be brief, clear, and convincing. Salesmanship is not oration, success is often found in men who know their customers and lines. Give advertisements enough to get action. 8 point type works because people are accustomed to it. Think of who you are trying to sell to when crafting an ad, not everyone. You must learn how to strike effective chords to the specific customer profile. Non-success comes from selling people things they don’t want- write to please the buyer not the seller.

Ch 3: People you address are selfish, and care for their own interests. Best ads don’t ask for buying or quoting prices. They tell users the advantages, and let them see for themselves. Giving people free trials helps, and showing customers you care about their interests.

Ch 4: Mail order advertising is in small type, smaller than ordinary print. Use every line, borders are rarely used. Mail order advertising usually has a coupon, to cut out. Insert reminder to be cut out. Pictures should be to the point. Pictures in mail order advertising form half the cost of selling. Mail order advertising is the last resort, but they sell goods profitably in a difficult way.

Ch 5: Headlines are to pick out people you can interest. Headlines either conceal or reveal an interest. Spend hours on headlines, because entire return on ad is from attracting correct sort of people.

Ch 6: Curiosity is one of the strongest human incentives. Americans want bargains but not cheapness. Many articles are sold on guarantees. “Pay in a week if you like them “works more than “Try it for a week. If you don’t like it we’ll return your money”. Most people are honest, and losses are small. Names in gilt make a difference. When a man knows something belongs to them – with their name on it- he will make an effort to gain something even if it doesn’t matter. Offering to a certain class of people rather than everyone makes a difference. Inviting comparisons suggests value. Don’t cheapen what you have, “I paid 15 cents to let you try this” is nicer than it’s free. Handing people things they don’t want doesn’t help. Point out qualities to notice, and people will. Offering long-time credit seems like a reflection. An identical offer made in different ways can bring multiplied returns.

Ch 7: Making specific claims is either a truth or a lie. Specific facts, when stated, have full weight and effect. Giving specific info helps because it suggests comparisons.

Ch 8: Tell your entire story in one ad. Bring all your arguments at once. Some facts appeal to some but not others, so omitting reduces your chances of success. A man interested in buying a car will read a volume about it if the volume is interesting.

Ch 9: Anything expensive must be effective, otherwise it involves waste. Use pictures only to attract those who will buy. Picturing men in high positions taking upward steps is a convincing argument. Picturing beautiful women works, but showing a fascinated man helps. People do not patronize a clown, do not have eccentric advertising pictures. Be normal in everything you do when seeking confidence and conviction. Feel free to use the same picture between ads. Colored pictures are generally about the same as black and white.

Ch 10: What cannot be done on a large scale profitably cannot be done on a small scale. Not one line should be devoted towards changing habits. It can be shrewd to watch the development of a new trend, and plan to satisfy the trend. Yet, creating the trend is generally not worthwhile. People will do much to cure trouble, but do little to prevent it. For example, toothpaste preventing decay versus beautifying teeth will favor teeth looking snazzy.

Ch 11: Ad-writers should know a ton about the subject. Genius is the art of taking pains. Every comment that comes from consumers or dealers should go to the man’s desk. Also, good to know expenditure per year, or total consumption. Experiments to get to actual figures help.

Ch 12: Name is usually conspicuously displayed. Names are often biggest factor to articles success. A significant name which helps to impress a dominant claim is a great advantage. High prices create resistance and limit one’s field. Greatest profits are made on great volumes at small profit. On some lines, high price may be an inducement. One must have foresight to avoid substitution, and the wisdom to build defenses against it. Coined names which typify a product are good.

Ch 13: Product should be its own best salesman, along with mental impression and atmosphere. Samplig clothing, phonographs. Sometimes small samples are ineffective- if it costs 15 cents to make interest valuable, do it. Samples may also refer to customers where they can be supplied. Putting a price on samples generally decreases replies, and prohibits you from using the word free. Before a prospect is converted, it is about as hard to get half price as full price. You are the one courting interest. Don’t make it difficult to exhibit that interest. Don’t stint your efforts with those who are half-sold. Asking people to mail coupon brings minimum returns. Four times as many will present a coupon for a sample in the store. Inquiries by mail cost 70 cents, where inquiries presented to store cost 18-22 cents. Most people write few letters or don’t have stamps. People will pay carfare rather than postage. Telephone is more common and convenient than stamps. Sometimes you can’t supply all dealers with samples. This refers people to central stores. Asking one sample per house will have some cheaters, but not many. Be careful about publishing coupons good for a full-size package, some people may buy up many papers. Do not give out samples without care… leaving them on the doorstep is a mistake.

Ch 14: Start with local advertising, get distribution town by town before changing to national ads. Sometimes name the dealers who are stocked. You can get most out of people by offering to name them in first few ads. If samples are distributed locally, coupon should name the store. Dealers don’t like to have their customers go to competitors for even a sample. Sending stock on consignment is not favored. Collections are difficult and non-businesslike methods do not win dealer respect.

Ch 15: Almost any question can be answered through a test campaign. Good to let thousands decide what millions will do. Watch cost and result- established averages on small scale tend to be consistent. Sometimes costs come back before bills are due, which is ideal. When that isn’t the case, but there is profit, one must finance around this.

Ch 16: On most lines, making a sale without a convert doesn’t account for much. Bringing permanent customers is better. Giving free goods to dealers isn’t that helpful since they still need to be sold, and will cost your bottom line. Most attempts to help dealers can be cannibalistic (where your prospects buy, rather than them buying more).

Ch 17: Being eccentric or abnormal is not a good thing. Doing admirable things in a different way is good though. Distinctive, and individual enough. Signed ads sometimes help to give personal authority, rather than a soulless corporation. Good to introduce personality. Do not change what has proven appealing. Do not change tone, because that which has won will continue to do so. There are winning personalities in ads as well as people.

Ch 18: Do not attack rivals- it looks unfair and not sportsmanlike. Show the bright side rather than the uninviting. Tell people what to do, not what to avoid. Breathe cheer into things.

Ch 19: A general letter is never used until it proves itself best among many actual returns. Wherever possible, test letters. Appeal lies in the subject- more expensive paperwork or finer stationary makes little difference. Do something to get immediate action, offer inducement or a cost for delay.

Ch 20: Name describing the product makes it valuable. Other names are meaningless, but can be protected, and advertisement can give them meaning, allowing them to become valuable. Coined names signify ingredients which may be used. These products may dominate if reasonably priced, but they face competition and substitution. Patented products have their name expire with the patent, making the patent aan undesirable protection. Names have often been chief factors in success.

Ch 21: There are lots of opportunities to make value with advertising. A lot of money is spent blindly. Similarly, old advertisers may not have a way of knowing results. Most national advertising is done without justification. It is presumed to pay.