Winning Direct Response Advertising : title: From Print Through Interactive Media 2Nd Ed. author: Throckmorton, Joan. publisher: NTC Contemporary isbn10 | asin: 0844234281 print isbn13: 9780844234281 ebook isbn13: 9780071398206 language: English subject Advertising, Direct-mail, Direct marketing. publication date: 1997 lcc: HF5861.T47 1997eb ddc: 659.13/3 subject: Advertising, Direct-mail, Direct marketing. Page i Winning Direct Response Advertising From Print Through Interactive Media S E ECOND DITION Joan Throckmorton Foreward by Thomas L. Collins Printed on recyclable paper NTC Business Books a division of NTC Publishing Group Lincolnwood, Illinois USA Page ii Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Throckmorton, Joan. Winning Direct Response Advertising: from print through interactive media /Joan Throckmorton. 2nd ed. p. cm. Originally published: Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, c1986 Includes index. ISBN 0-8442-3428-1 (alk. paper) 1. Advertising, Direct-mail. 2. Direct marketing. I. Title HF5861.T47 1997 659.13'3dc21 96-40856 CIP Published by NTC Business Books, a division of NTC Publishing Group 4255 West Touhy Avenue Lincolnwood (Chicago), Illinois 60646-1975, U.S.A. © 1997 by NTC Publishing Group. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of NTC Publishing Group. Manufactured in the United States of America. 7 8 9 0 BC 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Page iii This book is dedicated to all those who believe in the interactive selling process and the marketing it embraces Direct Marketing. Page v Contents About the Author ix Acknowledgments x Foreword xi Introduction 1 Chapter 1 3 A New World of Opportunities for You More Than Ever: The Need for Creative Leaders 4 Successful Direct Response Advertising: Discovering the 7 Secrets, Learning the Rules Your Requirements 8 Three Important Personal Qualities: Curiosity, 10 Imagination, and Discipline You'll Be Tested! 12 Some Basic Terms and Ideas 13 Exercises for Chapter 1 23 Chapter 2 29 Indispensable Tools Are You Getting the Big Picture? Are "They" Sending 30 It? The Basic Law of Creativity and Its Premises 30 Making Sense to the Customer 34 Laying the Groundwork for Success: Research and 40 Testing The Market 46 Your Early PayoffMaking It All Worthwhile 51 Testing Your Selling Proposition 53 Exercises for Chapter 2 56 Chapter 3 59 Direct Response Technique: Proven Formulas and Key Sales Guidelines Technique Is Essential 60 The Formulas 61 Four Key Sales Guidelines 63 The Offer Composition 77 Chapter 4 89 Direct Mail: How the Pros Do It Why Start with Direct Mail? 89 Guideline 1: Get the Envelope Opened 90 Page vi Guideline 2: Use the Voice of the Logical Spokesperson101 Guideline 3: The Elements of a Successful Letter 103 Guideline 4: When and How to Use a Lift Letter 107 Guideline 5: When and How to Use a Brochure 112 Guideline 6: How to Win on Cost-per-Order 120 Guideline 7: The Basic Law and Direct Mail 123 Guidelines for the 21st Century 125 Exercises for Chapter 4 127 Chapter 5 129 Nurturing Creative Concepts: How to Sharpen Your Creative Judgment and Grow a Concept The Creative TeamSome Friends You Can Count On 130 The Selling Proposition 131 How to Extract Your Benefits from Your Product 131 Features Growing and Pruning Benefits 134 Determining Your Hypothesis 136 Applying What You've Learned 142 Constructing Your Copy Platform 145 Some Things to Settle before the Final Strategy 147 Statement The Creative Strategy 159 The Creative Strategy for Business-to-Business 161 Marketing Exercises for Chapter 5 163 Chapter 6 175 Creating the Direct Mail Package What Will Be Expected of You, the Writer 175 Terms You Must Know 176 How to Work with the Artist 178 How to Budget Your Time 179 Getting off on the "Write" Foot 182 Some Pointers to Get You Started 183 What Do You Write First? 184 Choosing an Approach 185 Twelve Approaches to Direct Response Copy 187 Exercises for Chapter 6 214 Chapter 7 217 Deathless Prose Stage One: Get It Down 217 Stage Two: Start Over 221 Page vii Stage Three: Polish It Up and Lay It Out 225 Judging Comps 228 Preparing Your Copy for Presentation 230 Preparing for the Presentation 237 Revisions: Getting Your Creation Ready for Its Next 240 Big Public Appearance How Long Should You Hang around with Your 243 Creation Evaluating Your Work 244 A Creative Checklist for Your Components 245 Some Tips from a Pro 246 Exercises for Chapter 7 249 Chapter 8 251 A Gallery of the Good Stuff Learn from the Best 252 The Joy Factor 316 Chapter 9 317 How to Create Winning Print Ads Choosing Prim for Direct Response Advertising 318 Print as a Test Medium 320 Why Use Print When You Have Direct Mail? 320 Applying What You've Already Learned 323 How to Create a Print Ad 327 Some Rule-Breakers 333 Creative Reasoning Makes the Difference 336 Body Copy: Features and Benefits 336 Winning Ads and What You Can Learn from Them 338 Exercises for Chapter 9 341 Chapter 10 349 At Last Creating for Broadcast and Digital Interactive Media New Horizons in Broadcast and Interactive Media 350 What You Should Know about Interactive Media Today351 for Tomorrow Broadcast Basics 353 How to Determine If You Have the Right Stuff 357 How Others Figure in with You 365 Bet You Thought I Forgot Radio 366 Your Media Mix 367 Wisdom from the Pros 367 An Inside Look at Infomercials 379 Something to Come Away With 385 Some Basic TV Terms 385 Exercises for Chapter 10 387