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The Power of Suggestion: David Abbott and The Economist
During the late 80s, 90s and early 00s, The Economist ran a long series of what would later become iconic advertising. They were smart, witty
Ad Breakdown: Absolut’s “X-ray”
Direct response advertising has its place, sure. But it isn’t the only form of advertising. Today’s ad breaks lots of the famous “direct response rules”:
7 sneaky psychological biases your website needs (and how to use them)
Your website needs to convert. That’s the whole point of it, right? You might use yours to capture sales or leads or simply move prospects
Ad Breakdown: Rolls-Royce’s “Electric Clock” (David Ogilvy)
David Ogilvy. The “Father of Advertising”. The man loved by both advertisers and direct-response copywriters. Gary Halbert referred to him as a “legend” and “one
Ad Breakdown: Jaffa’s “Read the Grapefruit”
I’m not really a grapefruit kinda guy. I don’t often buy them. So I don’t really eat them. But I don’t mind the taste, so
How to choose the right hero type for your website’s home page
Your hero section is the first thing your prospect sees on your website home page. It sits under the navigation bar and plays a vital
Ad Breakdown: Volvo’s 480 Turbo and Ferrari F40
A lot of advertising, especially the advertising I look at here, isn’t direct response. It’s ‘brandvertising’, which plants seeds for future decision-making. And to work,
Ad Breakdown: Stella Artois’ “Guitar” (Reassuringly Expensive #2)
Recently, I’ve been drawn to taglines. And, to be honest, most suck. Brands want them but don’t put in the time or thinking they deserve
Ad Breakdown: Purina’s “Postmen”
You only have a few seconds to get your message across and make it stick. It’s a competitive world out there. With stimuli everywhere. And
Ad Breakdown: Levington’s “Tested”
In longer pieces of copy, it’s normal to see claims grow in size as we progress through. They often start with something easily believable, like
Ad Breakdown: Comfort’s “Cacti”
Then vs now. With vs without. Dream vs reality. Comparison ads are the quick and lazy option for advertisers. They’re so simple it’s almost comical.
Ad Breakdown: Heinz’s “Four People”
Baked beans. The quintessential food in every British household. And rightly so, they’re frickin’ delicious. Most of us are familiar with Heinz’s or Maurice Drake’s
Ad Breakdown: Land Rover’s “Steve”
Some ads catch your eye. Some ads hold your eye. And some ads work their magic before your eye(s). This ad did all three to
Can you really make money from a landing page?
You could be a start-up, an established business, or simply someone looking to make a bit of money on the side, and you will probably
Ad Breakdown: Birds Eye’s “Corner”
Despite being canned over 15 years ago, I can still remember a lot of the episodes of Brainiac Science Abuse. In fact, as I come
[Correct POV] Ad Breakdown: The Guardian’s “Interview”
So, last month, I posted a breakdown for The Guardian. If you haven’t seen it, it’s here. But a week after posting, I received another
[Alternative POV] Ad Breakdown: The Guardian’s “Interview”
Last year, I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a big pile of D&AD annuals. And by big, I mean big. Because sitting at home
Ad Breakdown: Lurpak’s Note
How many times have you gone to the supermarket in desperate need of something – only to do the shop and forget the very thing
Why your lead magnet doesn’t work: a landing page copywriter’s master checklist
Your lead magnet is the attractive force that pulls in leads to your business (hence the name). It sits in the middle of your sales
Generate leads in your sleep: The essential guide to an enticing lead magnet
Your sales funnel is the process of turning nobodys into somebodys. From top to bottom, it takes an unengaged market and turns (some of) them
Ad breakdown: Health Education Council’s “If only”
For businesses, habits are profitable. They’re a long chain of repeat purchases, all on what’s essentially autopilot. So learning how to change consumer habits is
How to use landing page proof to build impenetrable trust and increase conversions
Trust is the foundation of all business transactions. For first-time buyers. Repeat buyers. Newsletter subscribers. Leads. And everything in between. If your other doesn’t trust
Ad Breakdown: Dunlop Tyres’ ‘Life Ring’
“Think visually. Ask someone to describe a spiral staircase and they’ll use their hands as well as words. Sometimes the best copy is no copy.”
Landing page copywriting: how to write an irresistible landing page from start to finish
Landing pages are how you turn a nobody into somebody. And they’re important in all sales funnels. But many don’t execute them well and miss
Ad Breakdown: Persil’s “and a hint of”
The ways of influencing behaviour supersede the advertising medium. You can be writing a 50+ page financial promo or a 1-page newspaper print ad, and
Sales page copywriting: The ultimate guide to writing a persuasive long-form sales page
Your invisible sales team. Working their magic, handling your prospect’s objections, building desire and selling your product. All through the written word: your sales page
The only 4 types of sales stories you need (and why)
Stories sell. Every highly persuasive long-form sales piece uses them. So you should too. But why are they so effective? Simply put, sales stories have
Sales leads: How to write the most engaging lead ever
Your sales lead is the most important aspect of persuasive long-form copywriting. If you don’t hook your readers, they won’t read your sales piece. Simple.
Ad Breakdown: Sony’s “Stamina”
Getting the balance between too easy and too difficult is something advertisers often struggle with. Make the ad too easy, you insult (and bore) your
The ultimate guide to copywriting research
Before you start any project, you need to complete your copywriting research. No matter whether you’re writing sales pages, landing pages, full-blown websites, emails or
Ad Breakdown: Lyons Coffee’s “Has beans?”
Substanceless ads are boring. They always have been, and they always will be. You need a little spark, a little something to get your reader’s
What skills do the best sales page copywriters have?
There are a lot of skills that copywriters should have. And many are requirements of all copywriting types. But because sales pages are the ultimate
Website copywriting: How to write a conversion-optimised home page
You only get one first impression. One (first) chance to grab your reader’s attention and compel them to keep reading. And on your website, the
Ad Breakdown: Langley House’s “Unbreakable”
As winter digs its heels in, what better time to think about keeping your soup (or drink) warm than with this lovely flask ad from
Sales funnels: the sales copywriter’s favourite guide
Copywriters sell. That’s their job. And in order to sell, copywriters need to understand the process by which people buy. The sales funnel models this.
Landing page copywriting: How to quick-start your lead generation
There’s a lot of confusion around landing pages – and landing page copywriting. What is it? What does it do? How much does it cost?
Ad Breakdown: London Underground’s “Starve a meter.”
Today, we’re looking at one of Mary Wear‘s great ads. She has an extensive portfolio of brilliant work, including the famous “Make Poverty History”. She
8 sinful sales page mistakes (and how to fix them)
So you’ve got a sales page… but it’s not working like you expected. You’ve got money on the line. You’ve invested – or your client
Ad Breakdown: London Transport’s ‘Simple’
“’Making London Simple‘ won the pitch, and several D&AD Pencils. And ran for many years.” says Ewan Paterson, one of the copywriters from today’s ad.
Why Your Business Needs a Freelance Copywriter: Unlocking Growth Through Words
It can often be tempting for business owners to take on the task of creating all of the copy their business requires. After all, they
Ad Breakdown: Weetabix’s “Withabix”
Welcome to the next part of an unintentional 2-part series of baby ads. You can catch “part one” here. Today’s ad isn’t about baby food,
Ace Your Freelance Copywriter Hire: 5 Top Tips
After reading my previous blog posts and case studies you’ve decided it’s time to hire a freelance copywriter? Fantastic. To make sure that you’re able
Ad Breakdown: Cow & Gate’s ‘&’
This one’s going to be fun. A copywriter breaking down an ad without any copy. Today’s ad is for Cow & Gate, and it was
Mastering the Art of Digital Copywriting: From Landing Pages to Sales Funnels
In the good old days of billboards and large magazine circulation numbers, copywriters had to produce hard-hitting headlines and snappy standfirsts. In the current age
Ad Breakdown: British Airways’ Yo-yo
Most of you have seen Uncommon’s British Airways campaign. Advertisers – including myself – thought it was pretty special. But, flicking through the 1998 D&AD
Sales Funnel Copywriting: An Inside Look at Turning Visitors into Customers
In a perfect world, the only copywriting that business owners would need to pay mind to would be a single sales page. This single landing
Ad Breakdown: Sony’s Fruit Bowl
Today I’m setting a new “blog rule”. It’s a bit of fun for me but it means you’ll get more for less. And that’s what
Dodge the Pitfalls: Top 5 Mistakes in Website Copywriting
The saying goes that everyone’s a critic, but it could easily be said that everyone’s a writer. It is, after all, something that we all
Ad Breakdown: Kiss FM’s “He’s listening to Kiss 100FM”
How many times have you heard “the medium is the message“? Probably a lot. It’s a well-known line from Canadian communication theorist Marshall McLuhan. And
Working with a Freelance Copywriter: What to Expect
The idea of working with a copywriter can often be a daunting one for business owners. It does, after all, require an enormous amount of
Ad Breakdown: Kellogg’s All-Bran
I found this Kellogg’s ad in the 1989 D&AD Annual, and it immediately drew me in. From what I can see, the photo opens a
11 psychological hacks that make sales page selling super simple
Friction stalls sales. In-person and on sales pages. So, as a sales page copywriter, you need to remove friction to maximise your conversions. The most
The 6 best ways to find a reliable UK sales page copywriter
So, you’ve spent months researching, creating and improving a product or service – and now you’re ready to sell it. It’s time to make you
Ad Breakdown: Pirelli & Carl Lewis
No matter how good you are, you can always be let down by poor equipment. That’s the crux of today’s ad from Pirelli. What I
How to write a sales page offer too good to refuse
Your offer is the lifeline of your sales page. You can have the hottest, hungriest prospects and the best sales page copy in the world,
Ad Breakdown: Polo’s “Show your tongue you love it.”
Did you know ‘the mint with the hole’ wasn’t actually the first mint with a hole? Allegedly, George Harris, the man behind the Polo, saw
Ad Breakdown: Sainsbury’s “Oil Change”
This is technically car ad breakdown number five. FIVE! That’s a significant portion when you consider this is only #15. Of course, it depends on
Ad Breakdown: Reebok’s “Postmen”
Did you know that 7 postmen and women are attacked by dogs every day in the UK (according to Royal Mail – and this article)?
Ad Breakdown: Altoids’ “Metal Box”
Breath mints. How many of those are out there? A damn lot, that’s for sure. Today’s ad is a great example of how you can
Website copywriting explained: What is it? And does it work?
Content writers. Copywriters. Freelance. In-house. Agency. They all write words for websites… just in different places. Let’s explore where. What is website copywriting? In its
Ad Breakdown: Stella Artois’ “Reassuringly expensive.”
Over the past 40 years, there have been some great ads for alcohol brands. Heineken. XXXX. John Smiths. Boddingtons. To name a few. And as
Freelance Copywriting: Is it better to be introverted or extroverted?
What an interesting topic. After seeing it circulate recently, I thought I’d share my 2 cents. Because even after ~4 years, it’s something I still
Ad Breakdown: Araldite’s “It also sticks handles to teapots.”
Ad breakdown number 11 already. Wow. And another really cool one this time – with a few different elements to consider. Here’s the ad: It
Is Learning to Become a Copywriter Hard?
Copywriting is a skill. And like any skill, requires practice. Some people have a natural talent and pick it up quickly… some have to work
Ad Breakdown: Linguaphone’s “You old trout”
Leagas Delaney have done their fair share of great work over the years. From Harrods to Patek Phillipe to Dom Perignon. And many, many more
Persuasion in Copywriting: The Long and Short of it
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” — Carl Jung We humans, we’re odd. We like
Ad Breakdown: Citroën’s 2CV Comparison
Today’s ad is from Citroën. I couldn’t find who wrote it, but I’m pretty sure it’s from the 80s. Here it is: Quite possibly one
Ad Breakdown: The Economist’s “Keyhole”
Taking it further this time. The last breakdown had a little bit of copy. This time we’ve got none. So, without any copy to break down, I’ve
Ad Breakdown: MLHSBC’s “Invisible”
So, I’m going to try a different style today. Usually, my ad breakdowns are quite copy-heavy. But this one is not. Not only does this
Ad Breakdown: Volvo’s “If the welding isn’t strong enough, the car will fall on the writer.”
A David Abbott classic today. His ad for Volvo in 1983 during his time at AMV. For those that have read D&AD’s “The Copy Book”,
Ad Breakdown: Chivas Regal’s “When.”
How do you build and advertise a premium brand? In today’s breakdown, I’ll show you. This ad was written by Tony Brignull in 1969, during
Ad Breakdown: Fisher-Price’s Anti-Slip Roller Skates
Plot twist, even in today’s society, ads like this have more respect for their reader than many ads from today. Why? Because they respect their
Ad Breakdown: Sainsbury’s Olives
If I had to pick an all-time favourite copywriter, Richard Foster would be near the top – if not at it. For those that haven’t
Ad Breakdown: Volvo’s “Drive it like you hate it.”
In 1962, Volvo’s sales were struggling. After entering the US market in the 50s, they’d not really got any traction. And competing with the likes
Ad Breakdown: The Man in the Hathaway Shirt
Here we are… ad breakdown number 1: David Ogilvy’s ‘The Man in the Hathaway Shirt’. The breakdown went live on LinkedIn some time ago, so