Tag: advertising

Facebook and the Principal-Agent Problem

Earlier this week, Mark Zuckerberg testified before the US Congress about User Privacy within The Facebook.

Mark Zuckerberg testifies before Congress in April 2018
Mark Zuckerberg testifies before Congress in April 2018

Six months ago, this wasn’t even a conversation. Continue reading “Facebook and the Principal-Agent Problem”

Hopkins’ Essentials of Advertising (My Life in Advertising: Chapter 17)

After reviewing Hopkins’ accomplishments, we get to the most important chapter of the book, Chapter Seventeen, Scientific Advertising.

Hopkins compares advertisements with salespeople. Each must prove their worth. Track results to know what is effective and what is not. Some techniques won’t work in various industries.

Image "Money bw" by Monochrome, Flickr, CC-By-2.0
Image “Money bw” by Monochrome, Flickr, CC-By-2.0

But some truths are universal. Hopkins lays them out in this essential chapter.

Continue reading “Hopkins’ Essentials of Advertising (My Life in Advertising: Chapter 17)”

The Three Interests An Advertisement Must Serve (My Life in Advertising: Chapter 16)

I don’t know about you, but I’m wary of ads that push the status quo. “Everything’s OK,” they say. “We’re the brand you know and trust.” Those brands aren’t working to keep our business.

Advertisements with selfish appeals don’t interest a reader. Advertising great Claude C. Hopkins stresses service in advertisement. It’s a theme throughout his book My Life in Advertising.

Hopkins applied this service outlook in his advertisements and his career. Hopkins’ great success comes from service to others, not to himself.

Chapter 16, “Reasons for Success,” focuses on the business of advertising.

The influential advertising person, you, must serve three interests.

Image "_MG_8515.jpg" by Tibor Kovacs, Flickr, CC-By-2.0
Image “_MG_8515.jpg” by Tibor Kovacs, Flickr, CC-By-2.0

Continue reading “The Three Interests An Advertisement Must Serve (My Life in Advertising: Chapter 16)”