CASHVERTISING – eBook

Multiple experiments by researchers Poffenberger and Strong conclude that, for example, a white-wrapped quarter-page ad will get more attention than a fully fleshed-out half-page ad loaded with text and graphics.

Odd-even pricing theory says that prices ending in odd amounts such as 77, 95, and 99 suggest greater value than prices rounded up to the next whole dollar.

Black & white ads work best when emphasizing end benefits, demonstrating dramatic situations and appealing to the intellect.

The number-one preference for most people tested is blue, with red a close second, then green, violet, orange, and yellow, ranked exactly in that order.

A good ad will get noticed irrespective of its position within the newspaper.

A well-crafted guarantee isn’t an afterthought. It’s a damned powerful sales tool—one of your most important, especially if your competitors’ guarantee is weak by comparison. Show off your guarantee, don’t hide it! Surround it with a fancy certificate border and print your signature under it. Include it in your ads, on brochures, your Website, everywhere. Be proud of it! And watch it perform wonders for you.

Caution: Rapidly flashing elements are annoying. The goal is to attract, not irritate. Consider transitions, wipes, fades, and other similar actions.

Animated ads generate click-through rates at least 15 percent higher than static, motionless ads, and in some cases as much as 40 percent higher. Why? Movement catches attention.

According to Jupiter Research, HTML gets a 200 percent better response than plain text. The catch-22: Some people choose to block HTMLFORMATTED e-mails.

Forrester Research and NFO World Group both reported the identical conclusion that 31 to 35 percent of e-mail recipients prefer one mailing per week;