Scientific Advertising

A founding father of modern advertising discusses the lure of telling a story, use of headlines and art, the power of specificity, and the value of samples and testing campaigns.

"Nobody should be allowed to have anything to do with advertising until he has read this book seven times. It changed the course of my life." – Advertising legend David OgilvyScientific Advertising begins with a simple declarative statement: "The time has come when advertising has in some hands reached the status of a science. It is based on fixed principles and is reasonably exact. The causes and effects have been analyzed until they are well understood." And in 21 concise chapters, Claude C. Hopkins covers the essence of good advertising. Beyond the points to be made about telling a story using headlines and art, being specific and providing vital information, and using samples and testing campaigns, this book clearly demonstrates why Hopkins was an expert on the best marketing policies. Almost a century after its initial publication, this little volume remains useful to those entering any area of the business world. More than an account of Hopkins's thoughts about good salesmanship, it is a window into a bygone era and the early decades of the American business of advertising. Reprint of the Lord and Thomas, Chicago, 1923 edition.