Part 3 of a 4 Part Series of the “100 Best Ever Headlines And Why They Were Successful”.
Here are the third 25 Best Ever Advertising Headlines and why they were so profitable.
51. LITTLE LEAKS THAT KEEP MEN POOR
A keyed “retrieving a loss” ad whose checked resultfulness justified frequent repetition.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackcustard/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
52. PIERCED BY 301 NAILS….RETAINS FULL AIR PRESSURE
Who wouldn’t be interested in reading more about a tire like this?
53. NO MORE BACKBREAKING GARDEN CHORES FOR ME — YET OURS IS NOW THE SHOW-PLACE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD!
A good example of a before-and-after headline which makes the turn from negative to positive. Also worth noting: it has an effective element of excitement in it — a feature of many good headlines, communicating the copywriter’s enthusiasm to the printed page.
Don’t Worry about a “Negative” Approach…This breather No. 4 is about negative headlines. “Accentuate the positive; eliminate the negative,” said a song of some years ago. For years that has also been the popular refrain on the advice often given to copywriters. Discussion about negative headlines has sometimes sparked more fire than enlightenment. Yet our 100 headlines then become positive. So the negative approach must have some good reason for existence. It has. What is it? One of the principal objectives of a headline is to strike as directly as possible right at a situation confronting the reader. Sometimes you can do this with greater accuracy if you use a negative headline which pinpoints the ailment rather than the alleviation of it. (For example, Is YOUR Home Picture-Poor? Have YOU a “Worry Stock” — Little Leaks That Keep Men Poor.) So when you face that kind of situation don’t be afraid to “accentuate the negative.” Let’s proceed to another great headline which captured a place in our everyday language.
54. OFTEN A BRIDESMAID, NEVER A BRIDE
So poignantly true, so pointed — and so common.
55. HOW MUCH IS “WORKER TENSION” COSTING YOUR COMPANY?
An ad which was successful in business magazines reaching executives. “I want to know which are the kinds of ‘worker tension’ specifically. What is ‘worker tension’ costing other companies in net profits? How much is it costing us? If it is, what can we do about it?”
56. TO MEN WHO WANT TO QUIT WORK SOMEDAY
Selects its readers without wasting a word. (And who can say that the Audience isn’t kind of large?)
57. HOW TO PLAN YOUR HOUSE TO SUIT YOURSELF
This pulled almost 20% better than How to Avoid These Mistakes in Planning Your Home. Apparently, people expect the architect to avoid the mistakes — but feel that they themselves know better than anyone else what will best suit their particular needs and preferences.
58. BUY NO DESK — UNTIL YOU’VE SEEN THIS SENSATION OF THE BUSINESS SHOW
Strong “stopper” type of “command” headline, adaptable for many uses. Copy quickly follows with “until you have checked as to whether it has this feature, and this one, and this…”
59. CALL BACK THESE GREAT MOMENTS AT THE OPERA
Sometimes it’s a good idea to “start where the reader was.” This nostalgic headline was used to sell phonograph records of great operas. The ideas can be used in a positive way: typing up with a desirable remembrance. Or it can be used negatively: contrasting a certain new product advantage with an undesirable remembrance.
60. “I LOST MY BULGES…AND SAVED MONEY, TOO”
World “bulges” is a stopper, not commonly used in advertising lexicon. Double-edged appeal: the promise to end an unwanted condition and to save you money, also.
61. WHY (BRAND NAME) BULBS GIVE MORE LIGHT THIS YEAR
This one illustrates an important point, one which many advertisers hate to swallow. It is usually not a good idea to tell the name of the company (or the brand name) in the headline — or to make it tell too much of the story. When this is done right in the headline itself, it often gives the whole thing away and does not tempt the reader into the copy. However, as is this case, when the advertiser is a nationally famous company (particularly when it is noted for its enterprise, innovations, improvements, and research), the use of the company, brand name can add news value to the headline — and help to substantiate the truth of the claim made in it.
62. RIGHT AND WRONG FARMING METHODS — AND LITTLE POINTERS THAT WILL INCREASE YOUR PROFITS
Exceedingly profitable in farm papers. A combination of negative and positive appeals, worth a lot of “come hither” for farmers.
63. NEW CAKE-IMPROVER GETS YOU COMPLIMENTS GALORE!
There are three things which advertising can tell its readers: (1) what the product is; (2) what it does; and…this headline utilizes the third (and often overlooked) one: (3) In terms of the advertisers, it is this: What other people will say of you, think of you, do for you — how they will admire you, envy you, imitate you — because of what my product can accomplish for you. In terms of the prospective customer it is this: Because of what your product can do for me, people may think more of me! This third factor (which is an extension of the No. 2 factor mentioned above) can be made so effective, and is so often neglected that it rates special attention here as Breather No. 5. The proper use of it can make advertising copy make more sales.
Therefore, it is worth a prominent niche in your memory. To keep it there, visualize a somewhat ridiculous picture. (Tying up an absurd pictorial association with a concept you want to remember is, of course, a well-known aid to memory.) The sketch is of a boy sitting on the prow of a PT boat. His mother is sitting in the stern. Between the two the initials “PT” are printed in big letters on the side of this type of small, but very fast, patrol boat used so extensively in World War II in the South Pacific. This mental picture will help you remember the initials “BOY PT MOM.” And these are the initials of the phrase, “Because Of You, People Think More Of Me.” Headline No. 63 utilizes that factor. It promises the reader that this new cake improver will win her compliments from others; that because of you (the advertiser) other people will think more of her (the reader). You are offering to show her how to make what she might later call her “reputation cake.” Sometimes this element in copy is called the “prestige factor,” and is considered only as an extension of the “what the product does” type of copy. (In discussing the advertising of ladies’ perfumes Hal Stebbins calls it persuasive, so compelling, that it rates at least a subcategory of its own.
64. IMAGINE ME…HOLDING AN AUDIENCE SPELLBOUND FOR 30 MINUTES
A profitable narrative-ad headline. Broad interest in this kind of ability. Narrator’s surprise and apparent humility lend credence and humanness to the statement.
65. THIS IS MARIE ANTOINETTE — RIDING TO HER DEATH
An often-repeated ad for a set of books. It pulled eight times as many responses in 1/4-page size as were ever received from a double-spread. This is the only straight “curiosity” headline included here. Its headline was relevant — not, as so commonly used, one of those trick devices to force attention when advertising a product not closely related to the headline.
66. DID YOU EVER SEE A “TELEGRAM” FROM YOUR HEART?
A real stopper of a headline, with a great deal of lure in the copy. Top picture shows a cardiogram report printed upon a Western Union telegram form.
67. NOW ANY AUTO REPAIR JOB CAN BE “DUCK SOUP” FOR YOU
What do you know — the words “duck soup” in an ad? But doesn’t it tell the story in a more unusual way than would “easy,” “simple,” or some such word — particularly to the type of market to which this ad is aimed?
68. NEW SHAMPOO LEAVES YOUR HAIR SMOOTHER — EASIER TO MANAGE
A result that all women want is clearly and persuasively stated. Word “leaves” makes it sound effortless.
69. IT’S A SHAME FOR YOU NOT TO MAKE GOOD MONEY — WHEN THESE MEN DO IT SO EASILY
The colloquial “it’s a shame.” Sympathetic understanding of the reader: “You are as capable as these other men.” (Headline, of course, is supported by photos and good testimonials.)
70. YOU NEVER SAW SUCH LETTERS AS HARRY AND I GOT ABOUT OUR PEARS
Friendly, human, disarmingly ingenuous, refreshingly non-”advertisy” in language. And, of course, the reference to “such letters.”
71. THOUSANDS NOW PLAY WHO NEVER THOUGHT THEY COULD
A headline perennially profitable for a large music school. Again, the copy is crammed with testimonials and references substantiating the claim.
72. GREAT NEW DISCOVERY KILLS KITCHEN ODORS QUICK! — MAKES INDOOR AIR “COUNTRY-FRESH”
The headline of an ad that launched a big business. Faces a common problem head-on; offers and easy and pleasant solution.
73. MAKE THIS 1-MINUTE TEST — OF AN AMAZING NEW KIND OF SHAVING CREAM
The “make this test” angle has been used in many good headlines. It is widely usable for others. Its purpose is to induce the reader to participate in a demonstration of the product’s merits. However, if credible and dramatic, the test can represent a persuasive demonstration whether or not the reader ever actually makes it.
74. ANNOUNCING…THE NEW EDITION OF THE ENCYCLOPEDIA THAT MAKES IT FUN TO LEARN THINGS
The “announcement” type of headline (when bring out a new product) wins attention because people are interested in new things.
Neophobia? — Americans Don’t Suffer From This Ailment! …Breather No. 6 is here to remind you that in a great many of these headlines you find the word new — or connotation of it, such as “new kind of,” “new discover,” “new way to,” etc. Americans are partial to the new or novel; they do not suffer from neophobia. To them the mere factor of newness seems to be prima facie evidence of “betterness.”
Undeviating affection for the old and tried may be strong in other countries; in ours the desire to try the new is stronger. The great achievements of our inventors and enterprising manufacturers have trained us to believe that if it’s new, it’s likely to be better. However, the word “new” in a headline should be backed up by copy pointing out the merits of something really new and advantageous, not some transparently trivial difference. And now we come to another familiar headline…
75. AGAIN SHE ORDERS… “A CHICKEN SALAD, PLEASE”
You still hear it quoted. It sold hundreds of thousands of copies of an etiquette book because it capsulated a common and embarrassing situation.
Add a Comment
This 3 parts series of best ever headlines is a must ready to generated some ideas for my next email promotion and improve my ads titles. Thanks
Custom Blog Design´s last blog ..Login To Your Blog Admin Panel