The Anatomy of Humbug

The Anatomy of Humbug
How to Think Differently About Advertising
BrainJuicer Book Review
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The Anatomy of Humbug: How To Think Differently About Advertising
The Anatomy Of Humbug is a provocative and
fascinating book about key historical players that informed the
modern-day approach to advertising.
Journeying through time, author Paul Feldwick narrates the battle
between two main theories of advertising (Salesmanship and
Seduction), expounds upon other models of advertising (Salience,
Social Connection, Spin and Showmanship) and invites readers to
draw their own conclusions.
In this BrainJuicer Book Review, we provide key takeaways and what
(we think) history tells us about achieving 5-Star advertising.
“This isn’t a book about how
advertising works, but a book
about how people think advertising
works.”
Author Paul Feldwick
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The History of Salesmanship Theory (1904 - )
Salesmanship Theory begins in 1904, during the
age of the mail order ad. Canadian Mountie John E.
Kennedy presents himself at the office of Lord & Thomas
agency in Chicago and ‘educates’ CEO Albert Lasker on how
advertising works. Salesmanship in print is born.
John E. Kennedy
Albert Lasker
Canadian Mountie who
‘educated’ Albert Lasker
that:
Advertising is
‘salesmanship in print’. To
create a sale, all you need
to do is create a ‘reason
why’
“Father of Modern
Advertising”
CEO of Lord &
Thomas agency who
was ‘sold’ on the
salesmanship model
1904
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Salesmanship Theory – 1920s
Lasker later meets Claude Hopkins, whose 1924
book Scientific Advertising expands upon
Salesmanship Theory and translates the
fashionable desire for efficiency and procedure
into a number of rules for advertising.
Hail a few people only
Pictures should only be
used if they give
information more
concisely than words –
they are not for attracting
attention or decoration
1924
The more you tell,
the more you sell
Albert Lasker
Claude Hopkins
“Father of Modern
Advertising”
Advertising pioneer and author of
Scientific Advertising
A good salesman is
serious, gives information,
and does not entertain
(people do not patronize a
clown)
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Salesmanship Theory – 1930s – 1950s
In 1937, Daniel Starch introduces a new model for print
advertising, and embeds the notions of attention and
memory in the advertising world. With the rise of TV in
America, Gallup adds the concepts of recall and
message recall in 1951.
1951
1937
Gallup Poll
Introduces the concepts of
recall and message recall
Daniel Starch
American psychologist & market
researcher known for introducing a new
model for print advertising:
Attention – Interest – Conviction –
Action - Memory
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Salesmanship Theory – 1960s
Ten years later, Russell Colley declares that it’s too difficult to
measure the success of advertising, and introduces the new
DAGMAR model. In 1961, Rosser Reeves introduces the
notion of the USP, despite there being no evidence for it.
Where did we end up?
An alphabet soup of the theories and
assertions belonging to their time and the
channels that existed
Proposition
1961
Message
Reason Why
Impact
Russell Colley
Author of Defining Advertising Goals
for Measured Advertising Results who
introduced the DAGMAR model,
which puts emphasis on awareness,
understanding and believing
Rosser Reeves
American advertising
executive & pioneer of
television advertising who
introduced the notion of
the Unique Selling Point
(USP)
“Questionable assumptions that have
continued to bedevil advertising and ad
research ever since”
Feldwick says:
Attention
Awareness
Recall
Persuasion
Comprehension
Conviction
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The History of Seduction Theory (1953 – )
In 1953, Ernest Dichter sets up the Institute of Motivational
Research, operating under the belief that the motivations
and reasons for our actions are often unknown to us and
that the explanations we give are post-rationalizations. In
many ways, he foreshadowed the psychological theories of
Daniel Kahneman, among others.
1953
Institute of Motivational Research
Ernest Dichter
“Father of Motivational Research”
Austrian-American psychologist and
marketing expert who pioneered
motivational research and introduced
the idea of brand image
Behaviour is guided by:
Security
Status
Sex
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Seduction Theory – Late 1950s
There were other practitioners of Motivational Research, but
the man who brings it into disrepute is James Vicaray, whose
claims regarding the power of subliminal advertising inspires
fear in US and UK governments during the McCarthy era.
Later, Vance Packard causes a big stir with an ethical attack on
the perceived ‘manipulation’ of audiences.
1959
Vance Packard
1956
American social
critic and author of
The Hidden
Persuaders - an
attack on the
advertising
industry and
motivational
research
1957
James Vicaray
Market researcher best known for
pioneering the concept of subliminal
advertising (based on fraudulent
results)
Pierre Martineau
Author of Motivation in Advertising,
which asserted that people are
suggestible, non-rational, and
motivated by emotion, habit and nonconscious choices
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Seduction Theory – Early 1960s
There are no hidden
persuaders. Advertising
works in the bare and
pitiless sunlight.
1961
The death knell for motivational research? The advertising
industry’s response to it. In 1961, Rosser Reeves puts clear
water between advertising and motivational research, and
further advances the cause of the Salesmanship model. From
this point forward, the unconscious is off-limits – it’s now all
about message transmission and attitude change.
Rosser Reeves
Author of
Reality in Advertising
Creative Revolution
Bill Bernbach
Where did we end up?
For those who did not want to
acknowledge the authority of
‘science’ of measurement and
persuasion, there was only one
answer – to take refuge in art,
intuition and judgement
Co-Founder of DDB, who
reframed the debate, opting to
talk about the ‘magic’ of
advertising – allowing advertising
to flourish without opening itself
up to scrutiny
By the mid-1960s, the view of how
advertising works – which still persists
today – is that creativity is justified
because you need it to attract
attention to the ad, convey a message
and ensure memorability
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Other Models of Advertising
There is a connection between Seduction and the final
four areas Feldwick discusses – they all rely on a relatively
new ways of thinking about decision-making known as
System 1 judgement. They all seek to create quick,
associative, metaphorical, emotional decision-making in
favor of the brand they are created for.
Salience
Social Connection
Spin
Showmanship
‘Mental availability’ and
‘meaningless distinctiveness’
Much of communication is
non-verbal, non-rational, and
if you succeed in making
people smile as ‘an amusing
guest in their living room’,
they might like you a bit
better and buy your product
The power of pictures and
emotions rather than words
and logic, and a belief that a
‘product must appear to be
desirable as if without the
prod of salesmanship’
Public attention can be
achieved by creating pure
‘humbug’ – what in modern
terms we might recognize in
advertising as dancing ponies,
singing cats, or a strong man
doing the splits between two
lorries
Byron Sharp
PR Man
Edward
Bernays
P.T. Barnum
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Drawing System 1 Conclusions
Looking back, even the practitioners of Salesmanship
Theory instinctively understood System 1 thinking and
practiced it, whatever theories they espoused, and
Feldwick pointed them out.
Cotosuet
Hathaway Shirts
Anacin
Claude Hopkins had a baker bake the largest
cake in the world using Cotosuet, rather than
butter, and displayed it at Rothschilds dept.
store. Over 100,000 people came to see it, and
police had to hold back the crowds.
David Ogilvy (Rosser Reeves’ brother-inlaw) insisted the model wear an eye patch.
‘The man in the Hathaway shirt’ became
hugely successful, and future ads
dispensed with copy and even brand name
altogether.
Rosser Reeve’s agency created an
ad for painkiller. The headache is
dramatized by a hammer clanging
against a head.
Was this his attempt to ‘hail a few people only’,
to act as a serious salesman, giving information
only, avoiding entertainment? Or was this an
attempt to drive System 1 fame for the brand?
YOU DECIDE.
Is this not the consummate use of System
1 non-verbal, visual communication to
create brand distinctiveness?
YOU DECIDE.
Is this advertising operating in the
‘bare and pitiless sunlight’? Or was
Reeves relying on System 1
association for the success of his
spot?
YOU DECIDE.
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Moving Forward
The evidence that advertising works at a System 1 level keeps
mounting. For example, the creation of the IPA effectiveness
awards (and databank) has allowed us to establish:
1. Advertising Works by ‘keeping your name before the public’: Extra
Share of Voice (over Share of Market) drives Market Share.
2. There are campaigns that drive more growth than you might expect
for their level of Extra Share of Voice – that they have an inherent quality
that is responsible for this greater level of efficiency. And what is that
quality? Emotional response!
In the battle between Salesmanship and Seduction, we believe the wrong side
won – and we’re proud to be leading the charge to rediscover the truths of
emotional advertising.
Let’s embrace System 1 Humbug and
leave all balderdash behind us!
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Turning human understanding
into business advantage
For more about achieving 5-Star
advertising, contact us at:
[email protected]
Visit us online at:
www.brainjuicer.com
View the world’s top emotional ads
at http://feelmore.brainjuicer.com!
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