Libraries of books, shelves of DVDs and countless websites have spouted on endlessly about what makes a good advert. Only someone who is short-sighted by the dream of awards, or the adulation of their peers, would not adjudge a successful advert to be this: one that sells.

Advertising is, after all, "salesmanship in print".  Get sales, and the rewards will be more valuable to you than any "Best In Show" shiny trinket.

Albert Lasker (1880-1952) was a successful advertising executive during the early 20th century.  He built the 'Lord and Thomas' agency in Chicago into the largest advertising agency in the US over his 40-year reign.  Generally accepted as the father of modern advertising, he coined the term "Salesmanship in Print".

A successful advert is not there to entertain or get laughs.  It should generally have one purpose which should be the over-riding focus.  As Eisenhower said, "we will bend every effort of our minds to the single purpose".  That single purpose is simple - sales.

SALESMANSHIP IN PRINT
So, to salesmanship.  Effectively we can break salesmanship into two separate stages: Opening and Closing.

Opening the sale has become very difficult.  Prospective buyers are bombarded by around 3000 sales messages every day.  As soon as one of our targets recognises our advert as a sales message they're going to do all they can to ignore it - why should it be any different to the thousands they have ignored already?

So how do we get around their resistance, and make them sit up and take notice?  First of all, we should endeavour to make our advertising not look like a marketing message.  In some way, we should make our advertisement VALUABLE.  And being valuable, it will be looked at, read, considered, and acted upon.  Whether this means they call up to order straight away, or file it for later reference, you at least have overcome their resistance to your message.  You have survived being thrown out without a fair hearing.  Your foot is in the door, and is soon to be resting comfortably on the chaise long.

At a basic level, your ad can at least look valuable.  Maybe it's delivered by Recorded Delivery, or in an expensive looking envelope.  Nice - but these options cost us real money to implement.  A cheaper solution for our initial needs is surely sensible.  And this can be achieved with good writing.

GIVE TO RECEIVE
Offer the prospective buyer some valid reason to read your advert.  Be it David Ogilvy's "Guinness Guide To Oysters" (a simple list of oysters with some description of their different flavours and popularity) with hardly a word about the ultimate product - or theRinso "How to take out STAINS" ad - an instructive list and pictures of all the stains (oil, sweat, lipstick etc.) and details on how to use the detergent to remove each of them.  Instructive, informative, valuable.

An example of an ad that looks too valuable to ignore is this one by the master, David Ogilvy.  It's a massive improvement on the usual 'buy this beer' ad in that it is providing the reader with useful information. (Reproduced here in miniature for fair use).

Assuming you've delivered an advert that is in and of itself valuable, you can consider the sale 'opened'.  And having been opened, you can rightly assume that you've offered the prospective customer something they want (or at least something they think they may want sometime in the future).

So now you know what they want, the key to closing the sale is showing them how to get it.  You must make them a promise that you're able to deliver or solve their problem.  But it takes proof to make your claim believable, so that must be considered too.  Then you have to offer them a proposition (perhaps a unique proposition), but at least an attractive offer of some kind.

THE PERSUADER
This combination of steps can be considered to be persuasive.  What else could the prospective buyer possibly want from you if you know what they want, and you have shown them exactly how to get it.  That, dear reader, can be considered 'Sale closed'.  Although no money has as yet changed hands, you have achieved what your advert set out to do.

You can of course turn the heat up with addressing an "urgent problem" or in some way offering unquestionable proof (perhaps a testimonial from a respected previous client) - the options for improvement are there for those who want to put in the extra effort.

Through our approach, we have overcome all levels of resistance from our audience.  They have no reasonable excuse not to buy.

OK, so that's "good print ads" covered.  But what if you're commissioning a radio ad or even a television or poster ad?  Aren't they different, and why not just base it on a zingy memorable slogan?  Well, you could do that and hope for the best.

TESTING TIMES
Or you could take the proven methods outlined above and make your general poster or radio ad scan like a print direct response ad.  Apply all the well-worn but effective techniques such as benefit-driven copy, freephone numbers, coupons, informative subheadings and you can effectively guaranteed that your ad will receive a considerably larger audience of readers.  And by the law of the numbers game it must receive more responses than a run-of-the-mill "all image - no substance" ad you see in every other page in every other magazine.

The only way to ensure your ad is working, is to get some kind of direct response from the reader.  How else can you tell if it is your hard-work that is bringing home the bacon?   We can record who responded to our advert, maybe with a coded coupon, or with a particular keyword the prospect will mention when they telephone their order.  Technicalities to be discussed later.