1. Welcome to the DMA‘s Creative Certification Course
Part Two
Great Print: Evaluate Creative for Mail,
Space Ads and More
Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013 ; 8:30am - 12:00pm
Presented by
Alan Rosenspan • Nancy Harhut • Carol Worthington-Levy

2. Want to reach any of us?
Alan Rosenspan: arosenspan@aol.com
Nancy Harhut:
nancy.harhut@wildeagency.com
Carol Worthington-Levy
CWL@Worthington-Levy.com
You‘ll also find us in LinkedIn!
2

3. In this session, we’ll…
• Reveal key elements of great copywriting that can
jumpstart your success for all print, mail and even
digital advertising.
• Share the drivers of both effective direct mail and
print advertising
• Show you how to create more effective advertising
and concepts that will get attention and sell your
products and services
3

4. But before we do that –
did anyone do the homework?
• Share your Big Idea: tell us what product or service
you need to promote, and then how you could
promote it using a Big Idea.
4

5. On to session 2…
How to evaluate print creative
… and how to make YOURS more
successful.
We’ll lead off with ‘our best efforts’ –
some challenges we faced, and bested!
5

6. Carol Worthington-Levy shares
a challenging print effort/campaign
6

7. Case History
Silverleaf:
When branding simply
isn’t enough.
7

8. Silverleaf is a luxury development by
DMB Realty
8

9. Silverleaf‘s branding agency built a story
of refinement and peace for the affluent
Their target market was well-defined:
• The penta-millionaire who wants a home for living and
entertaining
• A C-level business person or celebrity
• They demand the highest-end shopping and dining
• They crave privacy and security
• They love both a luxurious and a casual lifestyle
9

10. It‘s a world unto itself!
Silverleaf even has…
• Its own school, inside the property gates
• an air strip for Silverleaf homeowners and their
guests
• A world-class golf course designed by one of the
great course designers of this generation
10

11. Collateral they developed — and
intended to use in direct marketing
• 12 x 16
• Heavy coated papers
for interior pages —
doubled up!
• Embossed
• Extra ink layers
• Special papers
• Cost per brochure
about $10 apiece
11

12. Collateral looks sumptuous and rich,
but detached
• TIP: Crop with
care! When
connecting to any
audience, never
crop photos to cut
the eyes off
• Reader gravity:
people look at a
spread ‗right page
first‘ – and hardly
look at left side
12

13. Beautiful black and white images
of cacti, almost abstract
• Often brand agencies
get so deep into the
concept of the brand
that they forget that
people ‗from the
outside‘ are seeing it
13

14. Their plan…
• To take this piece and mail it to prospects
14

15. The branding agency didn‘t understand
the need for effective direct marketing
• Client then asked them to do a postcard but it failed.
• They were so tied to their brand elements and story that they
couldn’t develop an effort that was warm and inviting, rather
than all about exclusivity.
• They didn’t know how to build affordable mail that still said
‘luxury’ — limited production experience
15

16. Is it weak or bad to compromise ―brand
standards‖ to build responsive efforts?
• In the long run — as much as we all love beauty
and luxury — they have to sell the properties!
• Mail can be very effective to the affluent
audience — even if it‘s not ultra-expensive
• ROI is an essential component to any
successful marketing program — and mail
continues to pull the best ROI of any media in a
prospecting environment
16

17. What did we change to make their
efforts more effective?
• Used serif fonts, and no white type on black or gray
– only black type on light backgrounds
• Used more interesting, but less expensive paper
• Used more color photography, less BW
• Changed the copy, to be friendlier and less aloof
• Tried a number of different offers, including tickets to
weekend cultural events at Silverleaf, golf with a
Silverleaf representative at the Silverleaf golf course,
and more
17

18. Silverleaf direct mail:
OE has texture to
intrigue the fingertips
• Flat white envelopes often
don‘t get the attention that
a textured or color envelope
does
• Ready-made envelopes are
almost impossible to find in
anything interesting. We
manufactured it in Classic
Columns paper.
http://www.neenahpaper.com/FinePaper/CLASSICCOLUMNSPapers
18

19. Letter is written
with respectful
but is warm and
friendly
• Also printed on
Classic Columns to
match envelope
19

20. Brochure: used color to show the beauty
of the property
• The black and white
photos are only kept
as secondary accents
• Brand group kept
thinking we were
selling lifestyle – but
in the long run we‘re
selling property
20

21. Brochure: horizontal format plays up the
countryside and golf course
• Brand had indicated a vertical format — not
conducive to selling wide open spaces
21

22. Reply card and reply envelope
• Highly personalized
• Envelope provides privacy when they return it
• This is a good place to highlight an offer
22

23. Website and landing page
• We don‘t love the balance
of BW/Color, or the
reversed type… but they
had already assigned it to
the brand group
23

24. Results:
• DMB Realty has nearly sold out of their
$1million+ homesites during one of the worst
economic slumps of the century (note, homes
mandated to be 5 to 7 million to build!)
• They have gone on to develop semi custom and
other housing units on the property — such as $1
million townhomes — which also have been selling
extremely well. Regarded as a huge success!
Questions?
24

25. Nancy Harhut shares
a challenging print effort/campaign
(the 2012 Creative Slamdown World’s
Greatest Creative Award Winner!)
25

26. Creative Challenge: Sell life
insurance to dentists
26

27. Product:
Life insurance from ADA Insurance Plans of GreatWest Life
Target:
ADA dentists with coverage
Goal:
Sell more life insurance to them
27

28. Audience Barriers
• Don’t want to think about it
• Assume they’re “all set”
• Limited, frequently- mailed audience
28

29. Product Barriers
• Parity product category
• Less expensive options available
• Must remain an ADA member - $$$
29

30. Process Barriers
• No agents – only sold direct
• No one-stop shopping
• Daunting application
30

31. The Solution?
• “Slide in under the radar” package
• Smart use of personalization
• Strong DR techniques
• Strategic use of the Magnetic Middle
31

32. 32

33. 33

34. 34

35. 35

36. Did it work?
• “Slide in under the radar” package
• Smart use of personalization
• Strong DR techniques
• Strategic use of the Magnetic Middle
459% LIFT OVER THE CONTROL
36

37. Alan Rosenspan shares
a challenging print effort/campaign
(the 2012 Creative Slamdown World’s
Greatest Creative Award Winner!)
37

38. Affinity Marketing



Credit cards created for members of
organizations, unions, universities, sports teams
and other shared interest groups
This program was for VPI Pet Insurance owners
Largest pet insurance company in U.S.;
recommended by 9 out of 10 veterinarians

39. Credit card trends



Credit card ownership is declining
29% report they do not own
Credit card usage is still strong
500+ million VISA cards in force in the U.S.
Average American has 13 credit obligations
Including store cards, loans, etc.

40. What usually works




Leveraging the existing relationship – the
emotional value of the affinity
Affinity marketing adds credibility
Affinity members are much more likely to open
targeted direct mail, and are more receptive
There’s a reason you are receiving this…

41. Tactics

Direct marketing has to walk a balance
between leveraging the affinity and
showing all the benefits of the card

…but we’re talking about people’s pets!

Wonderful visual opportunities

42. The Existing
Control
Is that the best they could do?

44. 44

47. 4-7 Different
Approaches

48. ―Credit-Card
Centric‖

55. ―You‘ve Proven
Yourself‖

59. ―Another
VPI Benefit‖

63. ―Focus on
Rewards‖

66. 66

69. 69

71. ―Emotional
Approach‖

78. What did
they pick?

79. It should be about 10:00 …
Want to take a 10 minute break?

80. Nancy Harhut:
The Psychology Behind
Copywriting that Sells

81. 81

82. 82

83. 83

84. Decision-making
Shortcuts
84

85. Human Behavior
Triggers
85

86. Principle of Reciprocity
86

87. 87

88. 88

89. 89

90. Availability Bias
90

91. 91

92. 92

93. 93

94. Social Proof
94

95. 95

96. 96

97. 97

98. 98

99. Magnetic Middle
99

100. 100

101. 101

102. 102

103. Principle of Scarcity
103

104. 104

105. 105

106. 106

107. 107

108. 108

109. 109

110. 110

111. 111

112. Storytelling
112

113. 113

114. 114

115. 115

116. Visual Tricks
116

117. 117

118. 118

119. 119

120. 120

121. Concepts in action:
Space advertising
• An important driver to the web — because
you NEED more than SEO
• Can provide more qualified leads when
you’re prospecting
• Gives you a way to test markets for possible
mailing in the future
121

122. Space advertising is more challenging than
most realize
• Designers, in particular, like to create bold
visual statements in space ads
• But - If the customer has to think for more
than a moment, the message won’t get
through… no matter how flashy you are
• In a matter of seconds, you can lose them…
or you can reel them in!
122

123. 7 handy points for keeping
your space advertising creative on track
123

124. Point 1:
The best visuals are the things
your customer is
most interested in.
124

125. Don’t bother showing prospects something
that impresses you and your peers.
You’re not the customer.
Find out what your customer loves.
(Don’t assume you know – research!)
125

126. Does this make you want to buy
a big screen TV?
Question: What would inspire YOU to buy one?
126

127. Maybe this?
127

128. $500 savings Saturday
From 10 am to 1 pm
or this?
Super DUPER Bowl
Stop in Saturday morning and see the clearest most exciting
screen definition EVER—on the Sony 80-inch.
Plus we’re taking $500 off the price, for 3 hours ONLY.
Buy it Saturday by noon, we deliver it Saturday night.
Then, on Sunday, watch the game with
your lucky, envious friends.
It’s better than being on the field. And it’s sure as hell
better than freezing on the top row of the stands.
FREE DELIVERY
Saturday night
When you order by noon
on Saturday
Jack’s TV and Electronics
12345 James Lane
800-543-8765
128

129. Lands’ End promises
more than
just warmth…
They use photography that really
says ‘soft’ and use a phrase that
tells us that it’s exquisite without
saying that.
And we want this sweater.
129

130. For a traveler looking for beauty and solitude…
1. Negative statements quash
interest.
2. The great outdoors shouldn’t look
gray and barren
3. Monochromatic ads/subdued
color is more likely to be ignored
PS – who would struggle to read this
ad? Hint: Comprehension of a
written message is reduced to only
10% when the type is reversed-out
sans serif type
130

131. What if that same traveler sees this ad?
Why does this ad have more appeal?
• Eye-catching presentation
• The fire and tent look inviting
BUT… Some of their effort is wasted
How many of you see the big idea
they wanted to get across?
Subtlety is often wasted in space
advertising
131

132. Point 2:
Your customers are looking
for answers to their problems.
The more clever, convoluted or arty
you make it,
the less they’ll ‘get it’
132

133. Which Vacuum ad draws in more customers?
This one… or….
133

134. … or this one?
• Mr. Oreck is a
personification of their
BRAND
• What makes this guy so
appealing?
• Why would someone read
all this copy?
• What’s in it for the reader?
134

135. A big idea
can be very
straightforward
• What does someone
with pain crave?
• What kind of life do they
wish they had?
• Did this ad deliver on
what their customer is
hoping for?
• The little diagram helps
draw in the customer
with some ‘proof’
135

136. Does this pun draw
you to the hotel?
• Do we care who she is?
• Does this guarantee
you’ll love the hotel?
• Do you love being
disappointed in a hotel
once you get there?
Not.
• Ad does not alleviate
any sense of risk.
136

137. On the other hand…
• Hotels profit from family
vacations (multiple rooms,
meals, amenities etc.
• This appeals to the craving
of a working couple for a
fun vacation in a kid-friendly
environment
• It also appeals to the
fantasy that they can
enjoy their kids - capture
a fun moment – before it’s
too late!
137

138. Dell tells us some good news
• … PLUS you feel like
they’re just like you –
• “THANK GOODNESS
• It only looks expensive.”
• You like Dell a little more
because of this ad.
138

139. B2B/B2C: Lands’ End promises good news
The promise to a
road warrior that
they’ll always look
their best, with little
to no effort
139

140. B2B: A promise of more sales… in less space
This company makes “Beer Salt” –
which is popular with the Latino beer
enthusiasts.
With this product next to the cash
register, a 7-ll can triple their beer
sales. (The display is so small, it fits
there easily!)
No need to educate them about beer
salt – just show them the profits!
This B2B ad goes in food industry pubs
Offer!
140

141. Point 3:
Take them by surprise…
intrigue them!
But again, make sure it’s
interesting to the reader
141

142. Suspension of
disbelief and
generating fantasy
• Their target market:
• Someone who wants to
be admired.
• Does this eliminate too
many people?
• Would someone who
doesn’t want to be
admired be happy with
this ring?
142

143. Cheeky copy pushes all the right buttons!
Key words: genuine, passionate, discovered, supplies will not last
forever, nowhere else on earth (rare), don’t miss your chance, we
don’t play by the rules of [expensive] jewelry stores, endangered,
100% guaranteed, simple, full refund
143

144. Does this make you curious?
Insurance advertising is
rarely surprising or
engaging
But with a headline like
this, you can’t help but
be drawn in to find out
what Liberty Mutual has
to say
144

145. How to get someone to consider a
vacation in freezing cold Churchill, Canada
The more specific you are to
your audience, the less you
have to tell them, and the
more interested they’ll be
in your ad
Note – no explanation of
what a Tundra Buggy is.
None needed.
Let’s go see the Polar Bears!
145

146. Humor can be risky but …
The target audience is
someone who would use
Adobe Photoshop to make
changes in photos
This un-subtle approach
immediately shows the
benefit and fun of
Photoshop
146

147. B2B:
If you’re a media
buyer, this kooky
scenario would stop
you in your tracks
This ad’s point: Anyone —
even a bride heading down
the aisle — won’t be able
to resist looking at your
advertising on the ROVI TV
schedule!
147

148. Point 4:
“The Prospect as Hero”
Use an ad to show the reader
how they, too, can be the hero
in their workplace or home
… if they follow your advice!
148

149. Want to be a hero, like Sam?
• Who wouldn’t like to save
their company or client
$23,000 in postage?
• What would their boss
say?
• Would their client be
happy?
• When we get our prospect
thinking in those terms,
we have their attention
149

150. Dad will love it – and love you more!
This tiny space ad sells ice
cream for father’s day
Another ‘prospect as hero’
approach
150

151. B2B:
Copy and image
show our
prospect as
a hero
Visual tells the story:
‘The new Anritsu Site
Master lasts all day
without recharging...
Just like you.’
151

152. Point 5:
Take a service or other
‘hard to explain’ product
from obscure to something your
prospect can relate to –
and hear the phone ring
with new business!
152

153. Product that’s hard
to define?
Tell the story simply
When telling about a software
system that enables someone
to see dozens of other systems
simultaneously, it’s easy to find
examples…
Jugglers
Lion tamers
But why go there?
Show them the benefit.
153

154. Another story – and an ad that worked
•
•
•
This guy used B&B Electronics
wireless components and
consulting to reconnect
communications between two
buildings without digging out
the parking lot
Hats off to Otis Maxwell who
wrote that this wireless system
‘saved his asphalt.’
We all love a good story, with a
hero at the end
154

155. A story of how we almost lost our way…
• Xtime is the developer of a highly
comprehensive customer service system for
auto dealerships
• Unlike other services that have some customer service
pieces, Xtime has it all in one convenient package
• Xtime enables customer histories at their fingertips. No
more ‘robocalls’ to frustrate customers. No more wasted
money on mailers for service they don’t need. No more
question of whether the parts are in. No more customers
wondering when their service will be done.
• Xtime handles it all and more.
155

156. How could we tell operations managers
that this unique service is
exactly the solution they’ve been
looking for?
156

157. Brainstorm.
“Xtime is like…”
When you have Xtime,
it’s like you have hired
the world’s best
customer relationship
manager, on call 24/7
Xtime is like a finely tuned pit
crew in Nascar… where each
worker is expert in what they
do, fast and true. They help
you to win the competition for
more customers
Xtime’s multi-pronged
system of service is like
your own service bay,
where you have experts
for each need, all
working together
157

158. A concept was chosen and we forged ahead
• The pit crew concept
was chosen…
• Because it was
colorful and seemed
like a winning idea
• But this was not
really the most
intelligent solution.
• How do you stop a
moving train?
• Sometimes you just
have to step out of
the way…
158

159. But then, just in time, someone spoke up…
We put on the brakes and decided that the ad
really could wait another month or two so it
would be the right communication
We went to work again…
159

160. We got ourselves a winner: inspired by
walking around a car dealership!
• This final ad is inspired by the
life of the fixed operations
manager
• Everyone wants him to solve
all of their problems
• He is seeking a way to reduce
the post-it notes on his
computer monitor and make
everyone happy
• This ad has been running for
months now – it is doing its
job well
160

161. Point 6:
Size may not matter
as much as you think
161

162. Small space ads can pack a punch
• A $70 piece of jewelry with natural chakra stones
strung on black jeweler’s cord.
• A shoestring budget
• Choose the market who is likely to buy it — affluent,
open-minded individuals. Aim directly and fire.
• Small ads: 2.25 x 4.125 in. A 6-ad set in New Yorker,
run every other month
Sold out in 6 months. Profit was in six figures.
Website? It was there but most customers just bought
directly from this ad
Note – even in tiny ad, there’s an offer
See the website with the cool magnifying glass
function at http://chakranecklace.com/
162

163. Small space ads can pack a punch
• Mini ad for the Mini Cooper
• They ‘toot their horn’ for
winning a Consumers Digest
Best Buy Sporty Car award
• While horn-tooting is generally
not good, in this case Mini
buyers are interested in this
particular award
163

164. High contrast is essential
• Which ad designs do best in this small
space environment?
• Keep it simple, even black and white
• The worst performers: photos of art, lots
of color, reversed out type
164

165. How a few small space ads can dominate a spread
165

166. Two 1/3 page ads and two 1/8 page ads
166

167. Exploring new
print media?
• Put your toe in the water
with ads in a ‘marketplace’
or ‘directory’ in that
publication
• Watch to see who runs
again and again – they are
the ones for whom the ad
space is working
• Which ads attract our
attention first?
167

168. Point 7:
An offer is part of
every successful effort –
even space advertising
168

169. This ad is almost ALL offer
Rumored to be the
most successful
space ad Intuit ever
ran for Quickbooks
How do they know?
It has an offer.
169

170. Lead with the offer, blow the doors off
• Sweeps offers
generate excitement
• Attention-grabbers
• If media is well
targeted, you get
many more names of
interested prospects
• You get more ‘dead
wood’ too — but it
can pay off
170

171. Offers create a reason to
start a conversation
• The offer is a FREE solutions
kit that is useful for anyone in
this business
• The free consultation will get
less response, but it still
opens a door
171

172. The offer in this ad Avoid discounting your product
– instead add value as they have
with this triple bonus
172

173. Don’t hide your offer
• People miss
offers that are
hidden.
• Use a banner.
Use a burst. Do
anything to make
sure the offer is
clear
173

174. Tacky? Or effective?
• Beauty contest
winner, or great
ROI?
FREE
Benchmark
Study
$200 value
174

175. To this market, here’s the ultimate offer
This ad sells Praise and Worship
tapes in a continuity series, to
active Christians
The offer is a tape that is not
sold anywhere – it is only
available through this offer
175

176. Anyone here doing space ads?
At lunch, we can do some quick critiques…
‘7 points for space advertising ’ quick reminder list
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Relevant visuals
Solve a problem for your prospect
Surprise or intrigue them
The Prospect as hero
Take on a new way to explain a complex or abstract
product or service
6. Size tests and trial runs
7. Offer in the ad
176

177. Questions?
177

178. Time for
Alan Rosenspan
5 Key drivers for your creative efforts
178

179. Key Driver #1
IT MUST BE
OFFER-CENTRIC
179

180. Offer-Centric?
• In most cases, it is more effective to sell the
offer – not the product
• The direct mail package and the print ad should
be all about the offer
• “Wait, there’s more…”
No one will ever wait
180

181. 181

182. Prior mail “controls”
• None of these had an offer
182

183. New ‘control’
by CWL TEAM
A DM package
Team was not able to
talk them into an offer
183

184. Next ‘control’ by
CWL TEAM
A DM self-mailer
tested with and
without an offer.
But the offer sucked.
It beat the DM because
of the reduction in cost
184

185. “Offers don’t work for us”
Correction: Bad offers don’t work.
Or
Offers don’t work if the audience is wrong/
Mailing list is bad
How many here think a cheap electric BBQ fork
(that had been out on the market for a few years) is a
good offer?
NEXT slide: the offer that won (Thanks to Alan!)
185

186. 186

187. 187

188. 188

189. Key Driver #2
IT MUST BE
ALL ABOUT BENEFITS
189

190. “The customer or prospect doesn’t
give a damn about you, your company
or your product.
“All that matters is ‘What’s in it for me?’”
— Bob Hacker
190

191. Determine your main benefit
• Definition of feature and benefit
• A feature is what your product is or does
• A benefit is what it does for the user
• Advertisers sell features; people buy benefits
• All benefits are not created equal
191

192. Why does anyone buy these products?
Product:
Gasoline
Features:
Poisonous,
smelly,
expensive.
Benefit: Travel!
Product:
Washing Powder
Features:
Powdery, granular,
comes in a box,
poisonous.
Benefit: Clean clothing
(You‘ll feel clean and fresh)
192

194. You can turn almost
anything
into a benefit
(How about the high price of a Porsche?)

195. 195

196. 196

197. The Incredible Pencil Test
How many features and
benefits can you think of for
an ordinary #2 pencil?

198. Ranking your benefits

Is it unique?

Is it important to your market?

Is it believable?

Is it a personal benefit?
198

199. Key Driver #3
IT MUST
ADD VALUE
199

200. If the only time I ever hear from your company
is when you want to sell me something…
…then I’m not sure I want to hear
from your company

201. •
Add valuable information
•
Add tips or advice
•
Add something that helps them
•
Add something they didn’t expect
•
Add entertainment

206. 206

207. Turn your direct mail package into a
fortune cookie…
Something that people just
can‘t wait to open

213. Key Driver #4
IT MUST
HAVE URGENCY
213

214. And in this uncertain economy…

People are deferring purchase decisions
Why do I need it has become:
Why do I need it now?
214

215. Create urgency now!

Tell people what will happen if they don’t respond

Give them a deadline…

Use urgent language

Consider a fast 50… but never honor it
215

216. 216

217. Psychology studies show…
People are more motivated by fear of loss
than by the prospect of gain
217

218. 218

219. Key Driver #5
IT MUST
BE TARGETED
219

220. 220

222. 222

223. 223

224. 224

225. Copywriting and Concept Worksheet
Client or product __________________________________________
Product name/detail: _____________________________________________________
Write a vivid word-picture with the prospect in the leading role of enjoying the
benefits of the product or service. This will help you discover key words for concepts and copy!
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Feature:_________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Immediate Benefit
Word Picture
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Long Term Benefit
Word Picture
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
225

226. What’s next?
Part 3: Digital Creative that Engages Customers
October 17 (today), 1:00 - 2:45 pm
Or: if you have something you’d like critiqued, or questions
answered, we are available during lunch!
226

227. Lunch Time
See you at 1:00!
OR…
we’ll be doing critiques during lunch