Hopkins’ Essentials of Advertising (My Life in Advertising: Chapter 17)

After reviewing Hopkins’ accomplishments, we get to the most important chapter of the book, Chapter Seventeen, Scientific Advertising.

Hopkins compares advertisements with salespeople. Each must prove their worth. Track results to know what is effective and what is not. Some techniques won’t work in various industries.

Image "Money bw" by Monochrome, Flickr, CC-By-2.0
Image “Money bw” by Monochrome, Flickr, CC-By-2.0

But some truths are universal. Hopkins lays them out in this essential chapter.

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The Three Interests An Advertisement Must Serve (My Life in Advertising: Chapter 16)

I don’t know about you, but I’m wary of ads that push the status quo. “Everything’s OK,” they say. “We’re the brand you know and trust.” Those brands aren’t working to keep our business.

Advertisements with selfish appeals don’t interest a reader. Advertising great Claude C. Hopkins stresses service in advertisement. It’s a theme throughout his book My Life in Advertising.

Hopkins applied this service outlook in his advertisements and his career. Hopkins’ great success comes from service to others, not to himself.

Chapter 16, “Reasons for Success,” focuses on the business of advertising.

The influential advertising person, you, must serve three interests.

Image "_MG_8515.jpg" by Tibor Kovacs, Flickr, CC-By-2.0
Image “_MG_8515.jpg” by Tibor Kovacs, Flickr, CC-By-2.0

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