Which of these direct response ads is guilty of bad advertising?

All the previous ads I've reviewed have been full and half page ads for national companies. But the same direct marketing concepts that make those ads successful can be used for tiny direct response ads for local service providers. So today, let's look at ads from two different attorneys.

That's right, Ads That Make Money first Ad Review Face-Off!

And even though these ads are specifically for attorneys, you can easily substitute realtors, accountants, plumbers, dry cleaners, and pretty much any service professional.

The ad on the left is your typical "Look at me!" ad many attorneys (and realtors, and accountants, and plumbers, etc. use. 

You’ve probably seen similar ads thousands of times. But how many times have the ads convinced you to call? I’m guessing a big fat goose egg.

The ad tells you nothing about the service. Nothing about how good the service is. Nothing about how his service is different and superior to his colleagues and competition.

The ad is less about helping his business move forward, and more about pleasing his ego (thus, the HUGE photo of his mug).

Now let’s look at the ad on the right. Wow, what a difference. No photo. TONS of text. And a bold headline…

DUI DEFENSE

This is a BRILLIANT ad that does everything right. So let's compare the two, and see why the ad on the right will ALWAYS get more clients for the attorney than the ad on the left. Continue reading →