Writing advertising copy. My basics

Before television, before radio, in the days when advertising pretty much meant newspaper, someone posed a question to leading advertising practitioners of the day: "Define advertising." One of the old masters replied that advertising was "Salesmanship in print."

Years later, another advertising practitioner advised that "In advertising, salesmanship is king and creativity is its servant".

I agree with both of those experts, but many of today's advertising people do not. Too often today's advertising is rated by how entertaining - how funny - it is. Or, how clever. Or, how many new special effects are used. Or, the popularity of the celebrity spokeperson.

My wife (and long time business partner) has a saying about business: "Nothing happens until someone sells something." That is what advertising is all about. Let me explain.

Since the early 1950s I have spent a lot of time and effort in advertising for the Home Improvement industry. Since about 1970, a popular product of that industry has been the replacement window. When a salesman calls at a customer's home and sells them windows, it starts a lot of wheels in motion.

The contractor's finance department seeks and acquires financing for the customer's order. The "measure man" goes to the customer's house and makes precise and accurate measurements of every window to be replaced, and notes any other information necessary for accurate completion of the order. The ordering department computes the exact size and other specifications of each window and places the order with the factory. At the factory, details of the order are fed into a computer which instructs high-tech machinery to cut every part necessary to build the exact windows ordered. The windows are assembled and shipped.

When the shipment arrives at the window distributors warehouse, the installation manager contacts the customer and makes an appointment for the installation date. A crew of installers takes the windows to the customer's house, completes the installation, does the job site cleanup, and hauls off the old windows. They also have the customer sign a completion form.

The finance department takes the completion form to the financing institution, which, after confirming the completion and job satisfaction with the customer, issues the check.

The salesman is paid his commission, the factory is paid for the windows and shipping. the Finance Departments people are paid, the installers are paid, the advertising agency is paid, the advertising medium is paid and, hopefully the home improvement contractor realizes some profit.

None of that could happen until the salesman made the sale. And that could not have happened if effective advertising had not persuaded the customer to call the contractor and inquire about his windows.

If you produce an ad that is entertaining, you will make someone smile. If you produce an ad that sells, you will cause many, more important things to happen. Salesmanship is what really matters. If you can do it in a creative way, that is a plus, but only if the salesmanship is still effective.