Today, unfortunately, many marketers thumb their noses at the timeless and proven strategies used by the legends of direct response marketing like John Caples, David Ogilvy and others in favor of the shiny-object-du-jour.

And while technology and improvements in marketing and advertising a business are always welcome, it should not come at the expense of studying, understanding and applying the strategies that have worked in the past.

One such marketing strategy, often used in the 20^th century, was the use of comics and cartoons to grab attention and increase marketing response.  Many of the most successful brands relied on the attention-grabbing power of cartoons when promoting their products, though it is one of the best ways to advertise.

In his classic book “How to Make Your Advertising Make Money,” the famous copywriter and marketer, John Caples said,

“For more than 50 years readership studies have shown that comic strips are among the best read features in publications.  Making an ad look like a comic strip can greatly increase readership.”

So why aren’t more marketers and those advertising a business using cartoons and comics today?

Is it because they no longer work?

Or, we’ve become too sophisticated?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

I believe there are several reasons, but one of the biggest is that with all the technology advancements we have, we all tend to forget the more basic and fundamental strategies for boosting response (this is the reason all smart marketers and copywriters use CopyDoodles®).

Tapping into the emotional connection of cartoons is an example of this oversight and it leaves the smart marketer with a huge advantage.

Advertising Age magazine had a huge advantage with the success it created with their personalized cartoon campaign back in the early 1990’s.   By using a cartoon with a personalized caption on the envelope, letter and response form, Advertising Age created a super successful marketing campaign.

Now you too can tap into the power of personalized cartoons and I show you exactly how to do it in the 12 minute video on Mike Capuzzi TV.  The techniques I show on this video could be worth thousands of dollars to you when you’re advertising a business, and best of all, anybody can use them to create attention-grabbing marketing.

I have used these strategies successfully and so have many of my students and I believe so much in the power of cartoons and comics, I have created almost 500 (and the number is still growing) customizable CopyComics, which can be found on our CopyDoodles Access Club site.

CopyComics are copyright-free cartoons that you can quickly and easily personalize.  You can use them either for print marketing or Internet marketing and in both cases, when used correctly, they will boost the attention-grabbing power of your marketing when advertising a business!
Want a more in-depth lesson so you can discover how to effectively increase the attention-grabbing power of your copy with comics and cartoons? Check out my Home Study Course and Cd-Rom: How to Boost Response with Cartoons

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Apparently there is some nasty, algae-type stuff floating around the North Pole. As the camera panned the ocean, this goo was floating on the water’s surface, leaving a disfiguring wound on an otherwise pristine natural setting.

Being a copy cosmetics geek, I couldn’t help but make the mental connection of how many people add a similar type of nasty goo to their copywriting and marketing design, in an effort to grab attention or even worse, make a half-hearted attempt to copy somebody else’s work.

The copywriting “goo” I am talking about is a misuse of the copy cosmetic techniques I teach and like the Artic goo, it takes away rather than adds to the effort. Whenever I speak or coach a master mind member, I always go back to what I call “functional design.” This means that every copy cosmetic technique used has a specific and functional purpose in mind. Everything is done with intention and careful thought. Nothing is done haphazardly.

Here’s a perfect example of what I am talking about...

Ever since I created CopyDoodles™, people all over the world have grasped the power of how adding handwritten notes and doodles to your marketing materials can boost response. However way too often I see what I consider a misuse of CopyDoodles, which I believe can result in decreased response rather than a boost!

Here’s the three biggest blunders I see:

1) Using too many CopyDoodles! The big benefit of CopyDoodles is to create “eye stops”, grab attention and cause the reader to pause at particular locations within your copy. However when too many CopyDoodles are used, it only confuses the reader. I always say “overuse = abuse” and when everything is emphasized, nothing stands out.

2) Using too many styles of CopyDoodles at one time! Currently there are five different styles of CopyDoodles found on the CopyDoodles membership site. This means, if one so desired, five different looking handwriting styles could be used on one piece or web site. BIG MISTAKE! Again I go back to one of the reasons I created CopyDoodles, which is to help people create their own “handwritten notes and doodles” quickly and easily and most importantly realistically! This is a key point – realism. If you were actually adding your own handwritten notes the old way, you wouldn’t be writing in different styles and handwriting – would you? This would make it appear like multiple people are adding notes, which doesn’t make sense to me, so why do it with CopyDoodles? I highly suggest you use one style of CopyDoodles within a single marketing piece.

3) Using too many colors! Much like mistake #2, using too many colors is often distracting and unnecessary. It creates the false illusion that you picked up different colored pens to make your notes. I don’t know about you, but the thought of picking up different pens to add notes to a letter to a friend doesn’t make sense. And if it doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t seem real.

Which brings me to my final point. Effective copywriters understand that one of their main missions is to connect with the reader in a personal, 1:1 way. I often teach it’s like writing to a friend. Might you add a doodle here and there to draw her attention to areas within your copy?

Absolutely!

Would you make your letter look like a wall of graffiti, with different handwriting and different colors and way too much goo? I think not.

Keep these principles in mind when you craft your next marketing piece and watch your response rates soar!

To get your own FREE CopyDoodles and discover the power of boosting your marketing response using handwritten fonts, CopyDoodles, visit http://www.copydoodles.com.

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I did a double-take to see if this was one of my CopyDoodles (it wasn’t, but it sure looked close).  But it was gratifying to see a major magazine use this ultra-effective copywriting design technique to grab attention.  For the last 18 months, I have been teaching people how to use this technique to create instant "eye magnets" that literally force your reader to engage with your piece.

Lately, I have been seeing the use of simulated handwriting more and more.  It’s in the Sunday paper, it’s on television and in magazine ads.  As a matter of fact I have seen a number of book covers that use this technique to stand out, including this one.

In my marketing consulting company, I have done a number of split tests and across the boards the materials that contain handwritten notes and doodles always perform better than those without them.  Of course you have to know how and when to use them appropriately (just slapping a bunch of CopyDoodles on your materials without proper thought can be counter-productive).

The use of simulated handwriting goes back a long way in advertising and I have a theory as to why I think simulated handwriting is being used so effectively today.   The use of computers, word processing and laser printers has created “homogenized marketing.”  95% of everything looks the same.

And when you introduce a handwritten or hand-drawn element to the mix, it becomes very different in a simple, human kind of way.  The effectiveness of a simple red handwritten note and doodle can be huge.  Look at the book cover above.  Its power is in its simplicity and human appeal.

I believe the use of simulated handwriting is one of the easiest and fastest ways you can grab attention in your marketing.   My CopyDoodles makes this fast and easy and you don’t need a graphic designer to do it for you.  Check them out!

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