2 Sentence Summary
“Cashvertising” is a well-known resource for those new to digital marketing who want to learn about copywriting. Originally published by Drew Eric Whitman, a veteran print advertiser, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the psychological principles behind marketing and copywriting.
Summary Read Time: Less than 5 minutes
Actual Book Length: 208
First Published in: 2008
Below is the detailed yet quick summary of the book:
Lesson 1 – The key to great advertising is to appeal to your customers core desires.
“Cashvertising” introduces the concept of the Life-Force 8 (LF8), which are eight basic desires that drive human behavior and influence consumer decision making. These desires include survival, enjoyment of food and drink, safety and freedom from pain, sexual companionship, comfortable living conditions, protection of loved ones, approval from others, and striving for excellence.
By understanding and appealing to these desires, marketers can effectively promote their products and services. For example, to sell a cucumber and mouse smoothie for cats, a marketer might appeal to the cat owner’s desire to protect their pet by highlighting the health benefits of the smoothie. The book goes on to explore how marketers can effectively use these triggers to sell their products.
Lesson 2 – Fear-inducing ads have four simple ingredients.
To create effective ads that utilize the fear factor, it’s important to first increase fear in your audience. It need to be take to the point where they feel motivated to take action to avoid a potential threat. However, it’s important not to overdo it, as too much fear can lead to paralysis. You should also provide a specific recommendation for overcoming the threat, and make sure your solution is perceived as effective. Additionally, your audience should believe that they are capable of carrying out the recommended action. By following these steps, you can use fear effectively in your advertising campaigns.
Lesson 3 – People buy to satisfy their egos, something marketers can easily exploit.
People often purchase items in an effort to improve their appearance and be admired by others. This desire to be appreciated is a part of human nature and can be leveraged by marketers. To appeal to this desire, marketers should focus on selling products that convey desirable traits or create an association with those traits in advertising. For example, a high-end sports car can be marketed as exclusive and luxurious. On the other hand, a pair of running shoes can be associated with athleticism through ad imagery featuring a fit runner using the product.
Lesson 4 – Authority boosts your ad’s credibility.
To build trust in your products, you can use endorsements or symbols that convey authority. One way to do this is to get endorsements from trusted institutions or celebrities. That can transfer their credibility to your products. Alternatively, you can use symbols or images associated with authority to suggest that your products are trustworthy. This technique has been used by marketers for many years and has even been scientifically proven to be effective.
Lesson 5 – Different kinds of products require different kinds of ads.
Decision-making processes differ depending on how relevant a purchase is to our personal lives. For example, when considering a major purchase like real estate, we tend to engage in more logical thinking and consider the pros and cons carefully. On the other hand, when making quick decisions about products with lower personal relevance, such as food or trinkets, we tend to rely more on emotion and intuition. This information is important for advertisers to consider when crafting their marketing efforts.
For products with high personal relevance, ads should focus on providing facts and evidence to appeal to the logical part of the consumer’s brain. For products with lower personal relevance, ads should aim to appeal to the emotional side of the brain. That can be done through flashy images, catchy slogans, and celebrity endorsements. However, it is still important to provide some factual information to satisfy the fundamental need for information.
Lesson 6 – Create the perfect headline in just three steps.
In order to create successful advertising, it is important to start with a compelling headline. This means including the biggest benefits of the product, targeting the right audience, and using certain attention-grabbing words like “free” or “new.” About 60% of people who read ads only pay attention to the headline, so it’s crucial to make it effective.
Lesson 7 – Use images in your ads – but not just any images!
In advertising, images of the human face can be effective in adding a personal touch and enhancing credibility, particularly in service businesses. To increase effectiveness, the person in the portrait should be looking directly at the reader and smiling. In general, people tend to look longer at images they like, with children and babies, mothers and babies, and groups of adults ranking the highest in preference. Using pictures of animals can also be effective in engaging the viewer.
Lesson 8 – The right colors can make all the difference.
Color can play a significant role in advertising. Research has shown that most people prefer the colors blue, red, and green, and they also tend to prefer complementary color combinations such as blue and yellow, blue and red, and red and green. Using colors that appeal to the personal taste of the target audience can help to increase attention and trigger a higher rate of close reading. In addition, color can even affect other senses, such as taste. Advertisers should carefully consider the colors they use in their ads and consider the color preferences of their prospective customers.
Lesson 9 – Don’t be afraid of longer copy. It won’t scare your clients away.
It may be commonly believed that people today have little time or inclination to read long copy, but this is not necessarily true. In fact, long copy can be effective in convincing readers to take action. This happens when it is well written and provides detailed information about the product or service being advertised. This is especially true for advertisements for expensive items, such as cars, which often include technical information and crash test results to convince potential buyers.
Studies have even shown that longer copy can be more effective in getting results online, with websites featuring longer pages often seeing a decrease in the number of people leaving the site and an increase in enrollment or sales.
Lesson 10 – There is a science behind the right ad placement.
Placing your ad in the right location can significantly impact its success. But the ad itself is ultimately what matters most. According to research, ads placed on the inside front cover or opposite a table of contents tend to perform the best while those on the back cover or inside back cover also tend to perform better than random placements inside the publication.
If your ad is not getting enough attention, try framing it with white space, as this can increase attention by 76%. Ultimately, the key is to consider both the ad and its location in order to maximize its success.
