Here’s an ad for the sequel to the million-copy bestseller Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

The 95 year old Betty Edwards IS the brand.

Frankly, I miss old school print ads like this, especially in the realms of self-help and creative thinking.

“Based on the latest research in dual brain function, this revolutionary new book by the bestselling author of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain shows you —

YES. You can increase your creative power.

“Scientists now know that true creative thought depends on combining the complementary functions of the left and right brain hemispheres. Releasing your creative potential depends on a step-by-step teaching method based directly on science’s new knowledge of both sides of the brain.

That is exactly what Betty Edwards offers in Drawing on the Artist Within. For she believes that we are all capable of genuine creativity, and that there are simple, basic techniques we can use to enhance self-expression and release our true creative potential whether the end result is a work of art, an original idea, a personal insight, or an innovative solution to a business problem.”

If you’ve been a subscriber here for a while…

You surely know who this advertiser is.

While their last newspaper insertion occurred on April 24, 2020 in the Wall Street Journal…

It’s hard to say good-bye to the medium that brought them untold thousands of RED HOT prospects.

This insertion ran in the August 2022 edition of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. It’s hard to think of a better publication for a return to print than Kiplinger’s.

This may be Fisher’s first foray back into print since the early 2020.

It has all the touches of a flush advertiser using the arresting array of colors of the magazine with an elegant layout and clear call to action.

Notice the slick continuity between the print insertion and the landing page.

“7 Ways to Grow Your Wealth in Retirement

Are you retiring or already retired? Learn how you could grow your portfolio and create income! Call 888-886-8552 or visit: FisherIncomeGuide.com/Need for your Guide!

Creating income and growing your wealth in retirement can be stressful and confusing—but they don’t have to be. Call now for your copy of The Definitive Guide to Retirement Income to learn simple ways you can invest for income and growth whether you’re retired or not.”

As I’m typing this, on December 22, 2022, the weather headline of the day in North America reads:

“Bomb cyclone and Arctic blast put 300 million under weather alerts”

It’s cold, dang cold, -24 degrees in Calgary, Alberta.

What better ad to post then:

“The Ultimate in European Goose Down Bedding”

This particular insertion from the now defunct “Comforter Connection” appeared in the ritzy Town & Country in June 1985 and the advertiser was a frequent guest in major market media during mid-1980s.

“Save $216 on the Ultimate in European Goose Down Bedding”

The copy and offer are just right for a semi high-end product where origin marketing plays its role in boosting the desirability of the product:

“The down is European white, taken only from mature northern geese. The unique honeycomb baffles prevent shifting and create pockets of warmth at your natural body temperature. The Egyptian Cambric cotton, woven with a 220 thread count, wears for a lifetime or more.”

The appeal for this product is analogous to selling “snuggling by the fireplace” milked for every drop of warm winter’s milk by both Ben Suarez and his one-time son-in-law, Rodney Napier.

At the Neiman-Marcus regular price of $555, the Karo-Step King Size comforter is worth every dollar you would pay for 1t. At The Comforter Connection’s ‘off season’, mail order price of $340, you’d have to be an insomniac not to buy one.

Simply put, the Karo-Step is without equal: the finest goose down comforter made anywhere in the world. It is the only comforter that comes to you with a lifetime guarantee. Chances are you’ll pass it down from generation to generation (which makes it more of an investment than a purchase.)

Recognize this “swipe?”

I’ve really grown to detest the popular copywriting term, “swipe”… even though I’ve been a decades-long exponent of it.

It’s not that it sounds larcenous, but it suggests someone who’s uncultured, instead of the very opposite.

Would a critic somewhere suggest Gary Bencivenga’s partiality to the storied Sackheim headline is the mark of an amateur?

Advertising blasphemy!

And likewise, I’d say the same of this ad from Dr. Sears, likely written by in-house star, Jeff McGeary.

“Why Some People Over 60 Don’t Need Glasses”

Most copywriters who’ve been around the block will recognize the headline as a tribute to the 1956 ad written for Gerald M. Loeb’s book, The Battle for Investment Survival.

Some sources claim this famous investing tome from G.M. Loeb (a founding partner of E.F. Hutton & Co) was originally published in 1935.

I see no evidence it was in print earlier than 1944.

It’s a good thing Loeb’s lifestyle wasn’t tethered to sales of the book because they were LIGHT.

That is until 1956 rolled around and a proper ad was run.

And this zinger of a contrast — posed as dual questions — opened the body copy:

“WHY DO SOME ‘foolhardy’ people make money in the stock market, while some of the most cautious people ‘lose their shirts?’ What is the basic secret of preserving and multiplying your family nest egg?”

You know these were some formidable copywriters on the case when Simon & Schuster took over.

And this Phoenix rose from the ashes over ten years later!

Later insertions tested this version of the opening and kept the ad in print till 1973.

“WHY DO SOME novice investors manage to extricate themselves from market upsets, while some of the most cautious people suffer big losses? How can you strengthen your present investment situation and profit the most in periods of recovery?”

The truth is, I’m motivated to give this headline a roll myself. Other than some bored copy chief somewhere, no one will notice.

– “Why Some People Over 60 Don’t Need Glasses”
– “Why Some People Almost Always Make Money In The Stock Market”
– “Why some people almost always make money from Race Horses”

This headline template really pulls the reader in because she’s tempted to think the big benefit is:

The purview of a privileged class

…but that’s not the case and the copywriter can easily dispel this right in the opening… AFTER the prospect’s attention has been captured.

And now you know why some copywriters are STILL making bank with this 66-year-old headline!