About This Stock and Bond Business, by Louis H. Engel. The ad is so good that I’m sharing it 76 years after it was first written. Most copy we see nowadays is forgotten within seconds. There’s so much to learn from this amazing ad and copy. Ogilvy was famous for his story telling, saying over and over that “the more
There are a few big-ticket compliance SNAFUs in this ad (the exclusion of the comparison being the most obvious), but usage of the Coat of Arms in a black and white ad designed to emulate a Government document is the focus of this rant. The use of the mark is regulated under federal law, and its use in any advertising
The relevance of the screenshot is because it was taken when our broker attracted 50 leads – the typical number of ‘leads’ delivered by leadgen charlatans at a cost of around 8k. Leads delivered by leadgen crooks convert under 3%, and usually closer to zero. You would literally enjoy more success if you parked your ass at a bus stop
Shad of the Day, 15th November 2024. More of the same nonsense with *multiple* compliance issues. This gem comes to us from ‘Finance Group AU’ (aka ‘Finance Scanner’ among other fake brokerage brands), and it’s operated by a typical leadgen crowd called Biz Focused. If you’re ever in need of some finance humour you simply need to sit yourself down
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I feel like I need to point out the obvious. Far too many legitimate businesses are exposing themselves to a litigious future, and excluding a comparison rate is the most obvious obligation imposed on our ads. If I were to consider quantitative claims, about every broker advert currently showing is illegal….
Had the pleasure of Peter (from ‘Duck Duck Go’) and his family at the farm today. Currently Duck’s product manager, he’s previously worked with Firefox, Blackberry, and others. As far as I’m concerned, his greatest claim to fame is work as the Technical Adviser for the series finale of HBO’s ‘Silicon Valley’. A true genius. Looking forward to next time.
Shad of the Day, 7th November 2024. Just another example of somebody using trickery to bait consumers into a phone call (by failing to disclose a comparison). Note the second comment. The subscription experience celebrates the same commitment to compliance and ethical marketing. It’s probably unfair to point this group out since non-compliance is now the rule rather than the
Pictured are some recent domain name sales, although the big-ticket sales are normally protected by an NDA. The purchasers of these names understood the value of online real estate. I’m selling the website and leadgen facility behind what I believe to be the best domain in the industy. It comes with trust, appeal, socials, and traffic. You’ll take ownership of
Shad of the Day, 3rd November 2024. I’m not going to show you the landing page. It asks a bunch of dumb questions and qualifies me regardless of the nonsense information I provide. Typical ‘Mortgage Magnet’ leadgen finspam. The rate is an unattainable solar rate. The comparson rate (however useless it might be) and disclaimers are required by law, and
You’re going to see a string of brokers refer to the linked study for the next week or so. Data will further fuel the war on trail, but please remember that results are consistent with numbers published in ‘The Conversation’ well over a decade ago, and certainly consistent with a study sanctioned by a steering committee I participated in during
Shad of the Day, 14th October 2024. The guy behind these ads is not particularly savvy, and his technical illiteracy and lack of financial knowledge results is a non-compliant and low-performing experience. It’s not my job to educate competitors but I gave some of my time to this chap – he’s implemented some of my suggestions but ignored most of
The company managing the advertising for the group pictured on the right have simply copied Macquarie’s logo, creative, and general formatting. There’s generally no rule against leaning on recognition, but it will always come at the expense of your own brand. It’s always a shame to see such a lazy advertising effort (the copy, landing page, and everything that comes
