The 18 Timeless Direct Response Copy Motivators

Written By Ted Grigg

There are many moneymaking principles that social media, content marketing, or any new fad will not obliterate. These principles survived the crucible of human behavior that will never change.

I contend that knowing and understanding these concepts blow away any new ideas brought on by the growth of the Internet medium.

It's not enough to be technically competent.

Learning how to increase response and create breakthrough copy requires studying the classics written by direct marketing leaders like Victor Schwab who compiled the following in "Mail Order Strategy” (Hoke Communications, 1956). Here's a list of key response motivators by Victor Schwab that great copywriters use every day.

DMCG Results

Many greats borrowed from Swab's thinking including David Ogilvy, John Caples, Bob Stone and other communicators.

But I think John Caples' list of 18 human appeals are more memorable and refined for day to day use. I regularly go through this list when creating direct response offers for any channel.

  1. Make more money

  2. Save money

  3. Retirement security

  4. Better health now

  5. Health care security

  6. Security in old age

  7. Advance in profession or trade

  8. Prestige

  9. Enjoyment

  10. Easier chores

  11. Gain more leisure

  12. Comfort

  13. Reduce fat

  14. Freedom from worry

  15. Be in the “in” group

  16. Desire for bargain

  17. Popularity/attention

  18. Outshine the neighbors

Much talk goes on today discussing "new" thinking such as relevant copy, insights instead of benefits, content marketing and so on that really bring nothing new. 

Such conversationalists who create or propagate such terms rarely understand the discipline earned by the greats after they created content that moved millions to action.

First learn from the past before attempting to predict the future course of marketing.

Ted Grigg

Ted Grigg is a direct response strategist who helps growth-focused companies reduce risk by identifying weak assumptions before they become costly mistakes.

Over the course of his career, Ted has evaluated several hundred million dollars in direct response testing across direct mail, digital, print, television, telephone, and other channels. His work combines direct response strategy, acquisition economics, customer analysis, creative evaluation, offer development, and disciplined testing.

Ted has worked on both the client and agency sides of the business. That experience gives him a practical understanding of the pressures facing executives, marketing teams, agencies, and service providers—and of the problems that arise when activity, media volume, or creative preference replaces a clear economic objective.

His consulting work helps organizations examine such questions as:

  • Are acquisition goals economically realistic?

  • Is the allowable Cost Per Sale supported by customer value?

  • Are targeting, offers, creative, media, and response paths working together?

  • Are tests structured to produce reliable business decisions?

  • Are unproven assumptions being treated as facts?

  • Is the organization measuring sales outcomes rather than convenient proxies?

Ted’s experience includes the development of direct mail and multichannel acquisition programs for insurance, healthcare, financial services, technology, nonprofit, manufacturing, retail, transportation, communications, government, and business-to-business organizations.

For a national direct-to-consumer insurance company, he developed a direct mail format that defeated established controls and helped expand the productive use of compiled prospect lists from less than 10 percent to more than 30 percent of total direct mail circulation within one year. He also planned Medicare lead-generation programs for more than 60 regional and national HMO and PPO organizations, with some programs exceeding sales projections by as much as 60 percent.

Ted founded Wyse Direct, a direct marketing division of Wyse Advertising in Cleveland, where he developed acquisition programs and helped launch a new technology product for Seiko Instruments by generating a predictable flow of qualified sales leads for its national sales organization. As vice president of new business development for the Grizzard Agency, he helped broaden the agency’s strategic capabilities and pursue new commercial and fundraising opportunities.

He is the author of The HMO/PPO Marketing Plan—A Step-by-Step Guide, published by Executive Enterprises, and has written numerous articles and conducted webinars on direct response strategy, testing, creative development, and marketing economics.

Ted earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Abilene Christian University and completed two years of graduate study at Texas Tech University. He is the founder of DMCG, LLC.

http://www.dmcgresults.com
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