The Penalty of Leadership.
This is one of the most famous print ads of all time. It was written in 1915.
This ad for Cadillac appeared only once, on January 2nd, 1915, in the Saturday Evening Post. Yet, even into the 1950s, the general public was still requesting copies of it. It is included in the top 100 ads of all time. The copywriting was remarkable.
The ad talked about success.
Clearly, and subtly, it was making the claim that Cadillac was the standard-bearer in the automotive category. But even more important, it was linking the concept of “success” to Cadillac. It was saying that while there were penalties for being successful, a Cadillac was clearly a reward. And that successful men drove Cadillacs. That Cadillac premise resonated for the next 75 years.
But more than anything, this ad set the tone for marketing to men for all time. It was a “story of success.” It celebrated that innate desire in men to be successful. To achieve the fullest ambition.To be a good provider. In the marketing world, it is said that every man is really two men:
The man he is.
And the man he wants to be.
It’s the second man that marketing courts. This marketing insight began to fuel Madison Avenue's marketing to men for the next century.
And it started with this ad.
1 |
The Power Of The Opening Line.
The headline draws the interest, but the first line of copy is the moment a reader decides to go along for the full ride. This line is among the best. |
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2 |
The Intriguing Headline.
Few think of leadership as "penalizing" hence this headline had such stopping power and immediately pulled you into the copy. |
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3 |
Linking leadership to a product.
This sentence is a subtle bit of copywriting. For it is this sentence that the writer uses to link "leadership" to Cadillac, suggesting leadership isn't confined to men, but can be extended to products. |
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4 |
Forked Tongue.
A lovely turn of phrase in an ad full of superb writing. When writing is this pointed, this colourful, when it fuels the imagination to this extent, the result is a fascinating and persuasive read. |
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5 |
Respecting the intelligence of the reader.
When the writer references Whistler and Wagner, he is assuming intelligence on behalf of the reader. Even if readers weren't familiar with these historical citations, they couldn't be insulted. But rather, impressed. |
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6 |
Human Passions.
Madison Avenue itself was just beginning to understand that linking a product to the desires of men could be effective. This is the ad that pioneered that philosophy, by linking Cadillac to the concept of "success." |
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7 |
The power of the last line of copy.
I always say the sign of a great copywriter is an intriguing first line of copy to draw readers in, and an equally powerful last line, to tie the bow on the package. Like you see here. |
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8 |
The second mention of Cadillac.
The second mention of Cadillac, again, outside the copy. It's almost impossible to convince a client today to not mention his product in the copy. I bet it took a masterful writer back in 1915, too. |
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9 |
The Border.
The art direction is interesting. The garland-like border suggests something worth framing. It suggests an historic collection of words. It also suggests luxury, which, of course, Cadillac exemplified. Readers might not even notice the upscale border, but it is felt. |
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10 |
The Type Treatment.
An interesting choice of typeface. Nice drop cap on the first word, and the unusual choice of using paragraph indicators at the start of each sentence. It doesn't seem cluttered, it works. |
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11 |
The Standard of the World.
Remarkably, Cadillac is not mentioned once in the copy. But this logo, placed at the top of the ad (highly unusual) tells us everything. This is an ad about leadership, and Cadillac is the "Standard of the World." |
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