Whenever I put this ad up on the screen in seminars or marketing events, the crowd howls with laughter. It’s a funny headline. But … it’s funny in a way that forces you to continue reading. It’s not funny just to be funny. It’s funny in an outrageous and intriguing way that pulls you in.
The best compliment I’ve ever received was from a colleague who was pissed off because he saw this ad … knew it was written by me … and he felt compelled to buy the video after reading it. He didn’t want to buy the product. But he HAD to. The copy bowled him over, even as he tried to read it impassionately.
Here are the keys to this ad’s success: First, the incongruent juxtaposition of a fat old guy humiliating professionals. (My dictionary defines “incongruent” as: Not harmonious; incompatible. In other words, the concept creates waves in your head, stirs things up, and forces you to pay attention. It challenges your world-view.)
A lot of marketers — especially those who do not study customers — forget that most of their audience is out-of-shape, growing old ungracefully, suffering arthritis (it’s among the most common diseases doctors treat) … and not at all happy about any of it. So the idea of “one of us” actually turning the tables on hot-shot, cocky young professionals is delicious.
It’s a Hollywood storyline.
But this is a true story.
The power in the word “humiliates” comes from the emotional baggage the word carries. Everyone has been humiliated in their life. Just seeing the word in print brings up unconscious feelings. It makes you squirm a little. Humiliation is not a casual event in anyone’s life. And when it happens to someone else, we all like to rubber-neck and stare at the scene. A single power word like this in a headline can carry the entire ad.
Next, in the subhead, you discover you can master this secret with just 3 swings.
Three swings! Or these guys will pay you $10 for your trouble. It’s MORE than risk-free — it’s an invitation to earn a ten spot, just for checking it out. (Note: My clients report that the $10 back offer does NOT dramatically increase returns. It merely removes another layer of doubt and suspicion in the reader’s mind, bringing him that much closer to buying. For every guy who wants his ten bucks, there are many more who ordered– and kept the product — only because that last doubt was removed by the strong guarantee.)
Pretty darned riveting story, too — about the “underground” betting world of pro golf, where it’s your own money at stake. It took some determined detective work to drag this story out ofDarrell– he isn’t nearly as impressed with his shadowy life as everyone else is. But this kind of reputation is like cat-nip to “nothing ever happens to me” readers dying for some excitement. This guy is an honest-to-God hustler hero, who must know his stuff, or he couldn’t have succeeded for this long.
Notice the little touches like the old MacGregor persimmon-head driver, and the idea that golf can befun again. I’m a golfer. I respond to details like this. That’s why I use them.
This was originally a direct mail letter, turned into a magazine ad (which frequently ran in Golf Magazine and other major golf publications for many years), then printed up in the magazine format and mailed as a tear-sheet. With a handwritten post-it note over the order form describing a better deal than the one on the printed page.
Three swings, or $10 back. What die-hard golfer wouldn ‘t be willing to give this outrageous offer a look-see?
Click here to see “The Humiliated PGA Pro” ad.
(It will open in a new window or tab, so you can toggle between the ad and Carlton’s commentary below.)
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