Quote:
Originally Posted by GordonJ
Here tis:
The single greatest action response mechanism is an appeal to ....
wait for it...
insecurity.
Whether I was perusing old magazines from 1860 or books on psychology from 1910 or studying the secrets of remote direct marketing there runs a common thread.
We humans are a dang insecure bunch.
Now it took me a decade of Elmer Wheeler/Elmer Leterman and Maslow and Crane to SEE it, to understand it and then to later USE IT.
Only Psychopaths and some Sociopaths lack insecurity, in fact, it being a hallmark of their anti social behavior, they think they are superior.
The rest of us, we aren't.
Appeals can be blatant, like Charles Atlas sand in the face or Karate training in the comic books of yesteryear. And they can be very subtle, when selling prestige, how you will look (jewelry, makeup BILLIONS of dollars).
Well there is the secret, now feel free to ignore it.
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Hi Gordon,
Thanks!
I keep a list of a summary of some of the best techniques I've learned from various copywriters... You, Gordon, of course, are on the list!
You are great when it comes to talking to people's real (and often hidden) desires and fears... And another one who I've found is great at this is... the late Bud Weckesser.
I LOVE this Green Tree Press ad...
(Click on the image to see the larger version... I got it from
here...)
Thanks to Gordon, I actually met with "Webmaster Raymond Steinbacher" (who wrote the course the ad is for)... I remember us sitting around having a beverage, I think, Gordon, Raymond, and myself, in Erie many years ago...
Of course, this ad is about the feeling of insecurity - of using a computer! (Especially of older folks, back in the early days of the 'net...)
Apparently, it sold 1.5 million courses at $12.95 each (according to Mike Winicki's research)...
It is one of the greatest direct response ads, in my humble opinion...
Thank you, Gordon!
Best wishes,
Dien