| Making a character out of the advertiser
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| | set off with the headline: "Imagine Harry
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| brings the message alive. Maxwell
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| | and Me Advertising Our Pears in Fortune!"
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| Sackheim is most famous for inventing the
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| | Here's a snippet of Sumner's copy: "Out
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| Book-of-the-Month Club. But before that,
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| | here on the ranch we don't pretend to
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| he invented some dramatic, and
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| | know much about advertising, and maybe
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| dramatically successful, advertising.
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| | we're foolish spending the price of a
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| One of his patented techniques was to
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| | tractor for this space; but my brother
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| make a character out of the advertiser,
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| | and I got an idea the other night, and we
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| writing ads as if the clients themselves
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| | believe you folks who read Fortune are
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| were actually talking. One Sackheim
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| | the kind of folks who'd like to know
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| client was Frank E. Davis, "The
| |
| | about it. So here's our story..." Years
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| Gloucester Fisherman". This is how
| |
| | later again, in the '70s, Frank Schulz
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| Sackheim wrote for him: "There is no
| |
| | took a Joe Sugarman seminar. Joe
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| use trying. I've tried and tried to tell
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| | suggested the character formula. Frank
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| people about my fish, but I wasn't rigged
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| | wrote a headline: "A Fluke of Nature."
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| out to be an ad writer and I can't do it.
| |
| | He told of the accidental invention of
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| I can close-haul a sail with the best of
| |
| | the "ruby red" grapefruit, and about how
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| them. I know how to pick out the best
| |
| | picky they are in picking the fruit. The
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| fish of the catch... But I'll never learn
| |
| | rest is marketing history. One
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| the knack of writing an ad that will tell
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| | variation on the character gambit is the
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| people why my kind of fish-fresh caught,
| |
| | open letter. Norman Cousins resigned from
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| with the deep sea tang still in it-is
| |
| | The Saturday Review to launch his own
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| lots better than the ordinary store kind.
| |
| | World Review Magazine. Showing one heck
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| "At least you can taste the difference.
| |
| | of a lot of character, he put up $15,711
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| So you won't mind, will you, if I ship
| |
| | for three insertions in The New York
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| some of my fish direct to your home? It
| |
| | Times. They were headed, "An Open Letter
|
| won't cost you anything unless you feel
| |
| | to the Readers of The New York Times." He
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| like keeping it. All I ask is that you
| |
| | told them what was wrong with the
|
| try some of my fish at my expense and
| |
| | journalism of the day and what they'd get
|
| judge for yourself whether it isn't
| |
| | from the World Review. That first round
|
| exactly what you have always wanted."
| |
| | of advertising netted Cousins $54,923.00
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| This copy sold tens of thousands of tubs
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| | in subscriptions. Every viable enterprise
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| of fish right across the country. The
| |
| | has a character behind it somewhere. When
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| authentic character of the Gloucester
| |
| | you find it, then you know what's unique
|
| Fisherman brought life, and customers, to
| |
| | about the company-and that's at least
|
| the product. You're thinking, "Great
| |
| | halfway to great advertising!
|
| then, but now? Come on." Maybe you've
| |
| | Robert Greenshields is a marketing
|
| heard of a couple multi-millionaires
| |
| | success coach who helps business owners
|
| named Harry and David? Ever wonder how
| |
| | and professionals who are frustrated that
|
| they got started? Years after Sackheim, a
| |
| | they're working too many hours for too
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| copywriter called G. Lynn Sumner wrote an
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| | little reward.
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| ad for a pair of pear growers. The ad
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| |
|
