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The Most Successful Single Piece of Advertising in The History of The World

by Mark Andrews Banned
21 replies
Denny Hatch to Paul Bell circulation manager at The Wall Street Journal:

"Paul, one million subscribers per year times $100 equals $100 million times 18 years is $1.8 billion times 55 percent equals $1 billion. If these numbers are correct, the Martin Conroy letter is directly responsible for bringing in $1 billion in revenues to The Wall Street Journal, and is, therefore THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SINGLE PIECE OF ADVERTISING IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD!"

The famous Martin Conroy 'Two Young Men' letter...

To see this sales letter please go to...

View topic - The famous: Martin Conroy 'Two Young Men' letter • MarketTorrent
#advertising #denny hatch #history #martin conroy #piece #single #successful #successful advertising #two young men #wall street journal #world
  • Profile picture of the author ThomasOMalley
    The famous Wall Street Journal Two Men letter is an excellent example of the power of story telling.

    Thanks for the reminder.
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  • Profile picture of the author max5ty
    Originally Posted by Pete Walker View Post

    Denny Hatch to Paul Bell circulation manager at The Wall Street Journal:

    "Paul, one million subscribers per year times $100 equals $100 million times 18 years is $1.8 billion times 55 percent equals $1 billion. If these numbers are correct, the Martin Conroy letter is directly responsible for bringing in $1 billion in revenues to The Wall Street Journal, and is, therefore THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SINGLE PIECE OF ADVERTISING IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD!"

    The famous Martin Conroy 'Two Young Men' letter...

    To see this sales letter please go to...

    View topic - The famous: Martin Conroy 'Two Young Men' letter • MarketTorrent
    Hey Pete, I've often wondered if that letter would still be as successful if it were sent out in this day and age.

    I've read a lot of discussions on it over the years and it seems the argument has opinions on both sides -- it's a good letter, but my personal opinion is that it wouldn't have the same pulling power nowadays.
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    • Profile picture of the author MontelloMarketing
      It's also a good example of a direct swipe of a post civil war "two men" letter.

      That said... the title here is inaccurate.

      The most successful single piece of advertising is the bible.
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      • Profile picture of the author max5ty
        Originally Posted by MontelloMarketing View Post


        The most successful single piece of advertising is the bible.
        You're right about that Vin -- I'd say it's probably had the greatest impact on history -- more so than any other written words.

        I was busy tonight and didn't get to sign up for your webinar -- is that still going to be going on?

        I read some of your stuff on your website about your history in the movie industry and it's pretty impressive.

        Sounds like you've got a lot of information that would be great to learn.
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        • Profile picture of the author MontelloMarketing
          Originally Posted by max5ty View Post

          You're right about that Vin -- I'd say it's probably had the greatest impact on history -- more so than any other written words.

          I was busy tonight and didn't get to sign up for your webinar -- is that still going to be going on?

          I read some of your stuff on your website about your history in the movie industry and it's pretty impressive.

          Sounds like you've got a lot of information that would be great to learn.
          The webinar will be posted up on my clambake site by this weekend. And we do it all again next thursday.
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      • Profile picture of the author Greg Jacobs
        Originally Posted by MontelloMarketing View Post

        It's also a good example of a direct swipe of a post civil war "two men" letter.

        That said... the title here is inaccurate.

        The most successful single piece of advertising is the bible.
        you will actually notice the the setup of the "4 gospels" and essentially the "Same" story being told from 4 different people/persectives goes to very deeply ingrain social proof and acceptance of the story..

        ie.. "if matt, mark, luke and john all agree, then it must be true..."

        my bet is that if there was only 1 gospel published in the book, then it would have a drastically lower conversion rate.

        something to think about for your work....
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        • Profile picture of the author MontelloMarketing
          Originally Posted by Greg Jacobs View Post

          you will actually notice the the setup of the "4 gospels" and essentially the "Same" story being told from 4 different people/persectives goes to very deeply ingrain social proof and acceptance of the story..

          ie.. "if matt, mark, luke and john all agree, then it must be true..."

          my bet is that if there was only 1 gospel published in the book, then it would have a drastically lower conversion rate.

          something to think about for your work....
          Greg... good point. I teach my guys to always repeat the offer over and over in different ways... different ways to "3 dimensionalize" the copy.

          And your mention of the lack of the explicit connection between the journal and the more successful young man... it's a great distinction that will help young copywriters learn to say what they want to say... but can't legally say.

          There's a reason you're so successful, Greg. You ain't no dummy.
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        • Profile picture of the author professorrosado
          Originally Posted by Greg Jacobs View Post

          you will actually notice the the setup of the "4 gospels" and essentially the "Same" story being told from 4 different people/persectives goes to very deeply ingrain social proof and acceptance of the story..

          ie.. "if matt, mark, luke and john all agree, then it must be true..."

          my bet is that if there was only 1 gospel published in the book, then it would have a drastically lower conversion rate.

          something to think about for your work....
          And it was all done without videos! There's another thread dealing with videos and salespages. Great observation!
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  • Profile picture of the author Greg Jacobs
    Originally Posted by Pete Walker View Post


    The famous Martin Conroy 'Two Young Men' letter...

    To see this sales letter please go to...

    View topic - The famous: Martin Conroy 'Two Young Men' letter • MarketTorrent
    intresting enough they dont actually state that one guy read th journal and one didnt.. the only thing I see is

    " The difference lies in what each person knows and how he or she makes use of that knowledge."

    and then they just delve into the pitch...
    any copy hacks care to comment on leaving the readership by the rich guy implied rather than stated....
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    • Profile picture of the author JDArchitecture
      Here's the TV ad version

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    • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
      Originally Posted by Greg Jacobs View Post

      intresting enough they dont actually state that one guy read th journal and one didnt.. the only thing I see is

      " The difference lies in what each person knows and how he or she makes use of that knowledge."

      and then they just delve into the pitch...
      any copy hacks care to comment on leaving the readership by the rich guy implied rather than stated....
      That shows the power of implication. It can be very effective in copy.

      Alex
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  • Profile picture of the author Mr. Subtle
    Originally Posted by Pete Walker View Post

    "Paul, one million subscribers per year times $100 equals $100 million times 18 years is $1.8 billion times 55 percent equals $1 billion. If these numbers are correct, the Martin Conroy letter is directly responsible for bringing in $1 billion in revenues to The Wall Street Journal, and is, therefore THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SINGLE PIECE OF ADVERTISING IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD!"
    Don't believe everything you read.

    Last quarter Apple sold 7.7 million ipad2s off a 30 second commercial called "We believe." That's over $3.85 billion in sales. What Apple did in 3 months is double what the WSJ did in 18 years. The quarter before last Apple sold 7.3 million ipad2s... over $3.65 billion using the "If you asked" commercial. The newest commercial is "We'll always" which will probably ring up another $3.xx billion in sales and then it's the holiday season.
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    • Profile picture of the author max5ty
      Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle View Post

      Don't believe everything you read.

      Last quarter Apple sold 7.7 million ipad2s off a 30 second commercial called "We believe." That's over $3.85 billion in sales. What Apple did in 3 months is double what the WSJ did in 18 years. The quarter before last Apple sold 7.3 million ipad2s... over $3.65 billion using the "If you asked" commercial. The newest commercial is "We'll always" which will probably ring up another $3.xx billion in sales and then it's the holiday season.
      That's some serious

      cash
      dough
      moolah
      bread
      bucks
      greenbacks
      duckets
      bacon
      buckaroos
      smack
      bills
      stash
      jack
      loot

      ...however you want to say it -- that's a lot.
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    • Profile picture of the author kellyburdes
      It's also not accounting for what the dollar was really worth.

      The Wall Street Journal piece is pretty old, and I'd bet $1 then buys you 10 cents today.


      Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle View Post

      Don't believe everything you read.

      Last quarter Apple sold 7.7 million ipad2s off a 30 second commercial called "We believe." That's over $3.85 billion in sales. What Apple did in 3 months is double what the WSJ did in 18 years. The quarter before last Apple sold 7.3 million ipad2s... over $3.65 billion using the "If you asked" commercial. The newest commercial is "We'll always" which will probably ring up another $3.xx billion in sales and then it's the holiday season.
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      • Profile picture of the author fitz10
        Originally Posted by kellyburdes View Post

        It's also not accounting for what the dollar was really worth.

        The Wall Street Journal piece is pretty old, and I'd bet $1 then buys you 10 cents today.
        Well it was used for 30 years, up until 2003 I believe, so it's not that old.

        My mother worked at the WSJ in subscriptions and circulation for 20+ years, most of that time they were utilizing the Conroy letter along with other mail pieces and she claimed that their conversion rate was maybe 1-2% for direct mail overall. I'm not saying that this isn't a great letter and that it doesn't convert but I think the reason it made so much was its very very long run and its sheer reach. This was a letter that was sent to millions of people and most of them probably received it over and over again over a span of 30 years. Just a thought to keep in mind.

        I do know storytelling is a very effective method for copywriting.
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        • Profile picture of the author kellyburdes
          I'm sure that people did get it over and over, but Dow Jones is not stupid. You can bet your bottom dollar they tested other letters against it, and it obviously kept beating them, or it wouldn't have lasted for so long as the control.





          Originally Posted by fitz10 View Post

          Well it was used for 30 years, up until 2003 I believe, so it's not that old.

          My mother worked at the WSJ in subscriptions and circulation for 20+ years, most of that time they were utilizing the Conroy letter along with other mail pieces and she claimed that their conversion rate was maybe 1-2% for direct mail overall. I'm not saying that this isn't a great letter and that it doesn't convert but I think the reason it made so much was its very very long run and its sheer reach. This was a letter that was sent to millions of people and most of them probably received it over and over again over a span of 30 years. Just a thought to keep in mind.

          I do know storytelling is a very effective method for copywriting.
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        • Profile picture of the author ThomasOMalley
          Originally Posted by fitz10 View Post

          Well it was used for 30 years, up until 2003 I believe, so it's not that old.

          My mother worked at the WSJ in subscriptions and circulation for 20+ years, most of that time they were utilizing the Conroy letter along with other mail pieces and she claimed that their conversion rate was maybe 1-2% for direct mail overall. I'm not saying that this isn't a great letter and that it doesn't convert but I think the reason it made so much was its very very long run and its sheer reach. This was a letter that was sent to millions of people and most of them probably received it over and over again over a span of 30 years. Just a thought to keep in mind.

          I do know storytelling is a very effective method for copywriting.
          They kept sending the letter because it worked...LOLOL.
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          • Profile picture of the author fitz10
            Originally Posted by ThomasOMalley View Post

            They kept sending the letter because it worked...LOLOL.
            LOL, yes I agree! I re-read my post and realized it seemed a little negative. This letter is definitely a keeper and I'm sure pulled VERY well.

            Really the only point of my post was to say that I think that the number always quoted along with this letter deserve some context. I think a lot of newbies hear this stuff and think they should give up after sending direct mail or email to a few people if it's not pulling thousands of dollars right off the bat. The key in this case (and in many cases) is persistence and volume.
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    • Profile picture of the author professorrosado
      Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle View Post

      Don't believe everything you read.

      Last quarter Apple sold 7.7 million ipad2s off a 30 second commercial called "We believe." That's over $3.85 billion in sales. What Apple did in 3 months is double what the WSJ did in 18 years. The quarter before last Apple sold 7.3 million ipad2s... over $3.65 billion using the "If you asked" commercial. The newest commercial is "We'll always" which will probably ring up another $3.xx billion in sales and then it's the holiday season.
      Always remember to allow for inflation. Dollars back then are not the same dollars today.
      Oh I just saw Kelly say the same thing!
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
    Originally Posted by Pete Walker View Post

    Denny Hatch to Paul Bell circulation manager at The Wall Street Journal:

    "Paul, one million subscribers per year times $100 equals $100 million times 18 years is $1.8 billion times 55 percent equals $1 billion. If these numbers are correct, the Martin Conroy letter is directly responsible for bringing in $1 billion in revenues to The Wall Street Journal, and is, therefore THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SINGLE PIECE OF ADVERTISING IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD!"

    The famous Martin Conroy 'Two Young Men' letter...

    To see this sales letter please go to...

    View topic - The famous: Martin Conroy 'Two Young Men' letter • MarketTorrent
    If you're into audios, Michael Senoff interviewed Denny Hatch here...

    Denney Hatch Interview

    Pretty good interview.

    (Note To Eugene Schwartz Kool Aid Drinkers: Stop reading now this post now)

    Interestingly, he had some "unkind" things to say about Eugene Schwartz and his work.

    Alex
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    • Profile picture of the author ewenmack
      I know of a 7 million dollar publishing company that uses the 2 people, 2 directions and 2 outcomes approach for all their sales copy.

      Seems to be working fine in this age.

      Best,
      Ewen
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