This is a very overlooked book which touches on a little bit of everything, from soup-to-nuts, about writing copy and placing ads.

I'm not sure why it isn't mentioned as much as the more well-known classics like the Ogilvy and Hopkins material is, because it should be.

Although the book was written in 1962, it reads like it was written earlier -- perhaps that's why it's often not cited by the greats.

Buy it today. You won't be sorry.

Even if you're already a professional, the book will serve you well to stir up some good ideas -- maybe even for that promotion you're working on right now!

18 of 18 found the following review helpful:


Nice book on the basics  Feb 08, 2004 By G. Maxwell
From headlines to body copy, this little book does a wonderful job of explaining the basics of writing a good advertisement.

Written in 1964, the content is a bit dated in its references but the basics of good copywriting haven't changed. So this book is still relevant for all of us who want to write better ads and apply the techniques necessary to bring in a sale.

Highly recommended.

13 of 13 found the following review helpful:


Classic  Apr 14, 2007 By John Chancellor "Mentor coach"
This book was first published in 1962. But the lessons are still as valuable and as valid today as when first published. This is a great manual on how to write advertisement.

Schwab is considered one on the legends in print advertising. He writing is easy to read, well organized and simple to understand.

This is a how to manual. Mr. Schwab starts with the importance of the headline - if you can't get people to read your ad it has no chance of getting people to buy the product. He gives you step by step instruction for writing good headlines.

From headlines, he goes on to teach about attention getting layout, showing people the advantages of your product, proving your claims, social proof and asking for action.

Schwab talks about the copy length, subheads and AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action).

At the end of each chapter is a quiz on the material presented.

If you want an excellent book on advertising and marketing, this is certainly one. If you have absolutely no experience, you will learn all the basics and concepts from this one book. If you consider yourself knowledgable, this is a great refresher course.

Well worth reading if your job involves advertising and marketing.

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:


One of the Classics  Feb 22, 2006 By claude whitacre "Claude Whitacre - Author"
I've read dozens of books on advertising. This is one of the best. Actual examples of Direct Mail ads, comparisons between 2 test ads, and posted results add to the value. There are even Headlines you can use as Templates for your own Headlines. Books by Victor Schwab & John Caples are the Classics I would recomend. Certainly worth the investment.

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