9 secrets Mark Twain taught me about advertising

Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.

Advertising is life made to look larger than life, through images and words that promise a wish fulfilled, a dream come true, a problem solved. Even Viagra follows Mark Twains keen observation about advertising. The worst kind of advertising exaggerates to get your attention, the best, gets your attention without exaggeration. It simply states a fact or reveals an emotional need, then lets you make the leap from small to large. Examples of the worst: before-and-after photos for weight loss products and cosmetic surgeryboth descend to almost comic disbelief. The best: Apples “silhouette” campaign for iPod and the breakthrough ads featuring Eminemboth catapult iPod to instant cool status.

When in doubt, tell the truth.

Todays advertising is full of gimmicks. They relentlessly hang on to a product like a ball and chain, keeping it from moving swiftly ahead of the competition, preventing any real communication of benefits or impetus to buy. The thinking is, if the gimmick is outrageous or silly enough, its got to at least get their attention. Local car dealer ads...