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Book Review

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Bandana Handique
F.M.S. Delhi

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MBA(FT) || F-147

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S cientific Advertising by Claude C. Hopkins is a timeless classic in advertising world
written more than 6 decades ago. This highly recommended book was one of the pioneers in
bringing advertising art to scientific accuracy. The results and the rules that this book proposes
had been evolved using mail order advertising as the basis. Though at first look, the proposals in
the book might look outdated, deeper analysis of the same will prove that they are not. They only
thing that looks not in sync with the modern times is the prices, may be.

The book comprises of 21 odd chapters, each dealing with a particular issue. These rules had
been fine tuned using the author’s long experiences with mail orders. A lot of emphasis is laid
on measuring the outcomes of each advertisement and each change there in. The ruling motto
seems to be “Donot fix which is not broken”. Though that might be profitable sometimes (or
most of the times), the book seems to discount the power of disruptive advertisement and
innovation in the advertising space.

The language seems to sound a tad preachy and at times superfluous. But keeping in mind the
times it was written, it should not be surprising. Advertising had just come on its own and there
were no set rules yet. For the sheer greatness of building something out of nothing , a little bit
of preaching can be tolerated.

Following is a list of the 21 odd chapters in the book spanning 61 pages.

Chapter 1 How Advertising Laws Are Established

Chapter 2 Just Salesmanship

Chapter 3 Offer Service

Chapter 4 Mail Order Advertising · What It Teaches

Chapter 5 Headlines

Chapter 6 Psychology

Chapter 7 Being Specific

Chapter 8 Tell Your Full Story

Chapter 9 Art In Advertising

Chapter 10 Things Too Costly

Chapter 11 Information

Chapter 12 Strategy

Chapter 13 Use Of Samples

Chapter 14 Getting Distribution

Chapter 15 Test Campaigns

Chapter 16 Leaning On Dealers

Chapter 17 Individuality

Chapter 18 Negative Advertising

Chapter 19 Letter Writing

Chapter 20 A Name That Helps

Chapter 21 Good Business

Brief description of the first few chapters of the book and critiques where ever applied. Some of
the chapters which I found to be especially interesting have been described in more details than
others.

1. How advertising laws are established:

This chapter talks about advertising as a science where nothing is left to chance. These laws
are evolved after testing hundreds of ads by different agencies to the levels of exact
accuracies.

2. Just Salesmanship:
The author compares an advertisement to salesmanship. He says that the purpose of
advertisement is to sell… Just like a sales person’s effectiveness is measured by his sales
volumes, an ad should also be measured on a similar scale. More so, because an
advertisement is a multiplied salesmanship, not only in terms of money that goes into a
single advertisement, but also the multiplied number of audience that it addresses at the
same time. Get one ad wrong and you lose a greater number of customer!

Critique: The chapter is a proponent of detailing in an advertisement. The author says that
the ad will be read only by people who are interested in the product or the service. Though
this might work very well with mail orders, doing the same in a print advertisement or a TV
commercial might not make sense. Sometimes information overload also leads the customer
to tune out the advertisement completely. Also using smaller fonts like the author advocates
might not work outside the realm of mail orders or say, information rich goods/services.

3. Offer Service:
This chapter focuses on offering a service to the customer and not ask him to buy. The
advertisement should picture the customer side of the service until the natural result is to
buy.

4. Mail Order Advertising: What it teaches:

Selling products through mails are the hardest , but also the most scientifically measurable.
Economy of space must be utilized by using small fonts. It says that people tend to forget
advertisements they see in magazines. But if the cut a mail order coupon, they will be more
likely to buy the product as well.
 A paragraph from the chapter:
Mail order advertising is always set in small type. It is usually set in smaller type than
ordinary print. That economy of space is universal. So it proves conclusively that larger type
does not pay. Remember that when you double your space by doubling the size of your type.
The ad may still be profitable. But traced returns have proved that you paying a double price
for sales. In mail order advertising there is no waste space.

Critique: Though economy of space might be very important in mail orders, larger fonts
sometimes work wonders in both print and out door advertising. Though the book seriously
looks down on the idea of advertising as a means to put your name infront of the customer,
whether believing the same in modern times as sensible is doubtful.

5. Headlines:
Headlines are directed at target customers and if they are not relevant to them, they will not
notice it. The entire return from an ad depends on attracting the right sort of readers. The
best of salesmanship has no chance whatever unless we get a hearing.

Paragraph from the chapter:

On a soap, for instance, the headline “Keep Clean” might attract a very small percentage. It is
too commonplace. So might the headline, “No animal fat.” People may not care much about
that. The headline, “It floats” might prove interesting. But a headline referring to beauty or
complexion might attract many times as many. An automobile ad might refer in the headline
to a good universal joint. It might fall flat, because so few buyers think of universal joints.
The same ad with a headline, “The
Sportiest of Sport Bodies,” might out pull the other fifty to one.

6. Psychology:
This is one of the most interesting chapters in the book. In the author’s own words, “The
competent advertising man must understand psychology. The more he knows about it the
better. He must learn that certain effects lead to certain reactions, and use that knowledge to
increase results and avoid mistakes.” No one could have said it better.
Some of the insights in the chapter:
 Human being is curious.
 People like value for money, but not cheapness.
 Price sometimes plays a huge part in attracting attention.
 Sometimes, offering to let the customer pay only if he is satisfied with the product
works better than money- back guarantees.
 A little touch of personalization sometimes works wonders.
 People aspire more for those item which seem just out of reach and exclusive.
Following are a few examples quoted in the chapter which are too good not to be mentioned.

- A department store advertised at one Easter time a $1,000 hat, and the floor could not
hold the women who came to see it.
- One great advertising man stated the difference this way: “Two men came to me, each
offering me a horse. Both made equal claims. They were good horses, kind and gentle. A
child could drive them. One man said, “Try the horse for a week. If my claims are not
true, come back for your money.” The other man also said, “Try the horse for a week.”
But he added, “Come and pay me then.” I naturally bought the second man’s horse.”
- Many send out small gifts, like memorandum books, to customers and prospects. They
get very small results. One man sent out a letter to the effect that he had a leather-
covered book with a man’s name on it. It was waiting on him and would be sent on
request. The form of request was enclosed, and it also asked for certain information.
That information indicated lines on which a man might be sold. Nearly all men, it was
found, filled out that request and supplied the information. When a man knows that
something belongs to them — something with his name on — he will make an effort to
get it, even though the thing is a trifle.

7. Being Specific:

Customers expect the marketer to over sell his goods. So they discount his claims. In case of
non-specific claims, it is easier to do so. So the advertiser should try to objectify his claims as far
as possible.

8. Tell your full story:

The prospective customer might not read your advertisement again and you might not get
another chance to tell your full story, so do it the first time. This chapter encourages the
advertiser to write his ads for his prospective customers only and not consider his existing
customers as they have already bought his wares and not look at his ads. So present customers
are irrelevant as far as ads are concerned.

Critique: Present customers look for post purchase confirmation that they have made the right
decision. So they are as important, and sometimes even more important than luring new
customers.

9. Art in advertising:
Pictures should be used only to attract those who may profit you. Use them only when they
form a better selling argument than the same amount of space set in type..frivolous use of
images must be avoided.

Critique: Though this works well in mail orders, in other forms of advertisements, especially
print, outdoor and TVCs, images say what words can’t. Moreover, the customer is hurried
and reading the whole ad might not be an option for him.
10. Things too costly:

Many things are possible in advertising which are too costly to attempt. That is another reason
why every project and method should be weighed and determined by a known scale of cost and
result.

11. Information:

An advertiser has to research extensively and know all aspects of his products. No information
goes waste. Every response from customer should be taken into heed, for in them lie invaluable
feedback.

12. Strategy:

Competitive strategy is of vital importance in advertising. Whether it is the name of the offering,
launching, relaunching, positioning, the problems with dealers, distribution channels etc.
strategy must be in place.

13. Sampling:

Paragraph from the chapter:

A sample gets action. The reader of your ad may not be convinced to the point of buying. But he
is ready to learn more about the product that you offer. So he cuts out a coupon, lays it aside,
and later mails it or presents it. Without that coupon he would soon forget. Then you have the
name and address of an interested prospect. You can start him using your product. You can give
him fuller information. You can follow him up.

CONCLUSION:

Some of the concepts advocated in the book seem outdated. But it should be kept in mind that it
was written in an age where there was no internet and the characteristics of customers were
vastly different. Faster life and scarcity of time means customers have no time to spend on
elaborate advertisement, especially if it is “low on information” good. Also in case of services,
the same advertising strategies might not work. Adding to that, the plethora of choices that the
customer has today means the advertisers have an even greater burden now. “Catching the eye”
and “Out of the box thinking” are often need of time. But the main takeaway of the book is
advertisement should not be left on chance. Results produced should be meticulously measured
to know what works and what doesn’t.