A vast amount of space is wasted in displaying names and pictures which tell no selling story. The tendency of modern advertising is to eliminate waste.
When a product must be called by a common name, the best auxiliary (supporting) name an individual’s name. It is much better than a coined name, for it shows that a person is proud of their creation.
It has been found that fine stationery and pamphlets lessen the effect. They indicate an effort to sell on other methods than merit. That has the same effect in letters as in ads.
In a letter, as in ads, the point is to get immediate action. People are naturally slow to act. They postpone, and a postponed action is too often forgotten.
Show the bright side, the happy and attractive side, not the dark and uninviting side of things. Show beauty, not ugliness; health, not sickness. Don’t show the wrinkles you propose to remove, but the face as it will appear. Your customers know all about wrinkles.
Whenever possible we introduce a personality into our ads. By making a person famous we make their product famous. When we claim an improvement, naming the person who made it adds effect.
We take care not to change an individuality which has proved appealing. Before a man writes a new ad he gets into the spirit adopted by the advertiser. He plays a part as an actor plays it.
Start with local advertising, even though another medium is best adapted to the article (product). We get our distribution town by town, then change to national advertising.