25 years ago, just after I sold my business to O & M, I got a note from David Ogilvy asking me what I thought of a newsletter he had just read.
It was by a man I had never heard of called Gary Halbert – though I had seen some of his work. I said I thought it was excellent; in fact it was so excellent I used an example in it for a book I was writing called “How to write a salesletter that sells.
I am not too good at blowing my own trumpet, but someone I respect told me he thought it is better than The Robert Collier Letter book – which is THE best on the subject. So it must be bloody good.
But that is not the point here.
For one reason or another although Gary wrote about me a couple of times we never connected until he wrote to me and I replied a couple of years ago. But before we could really got to know each other, he died,far too young.
Selfishly I have always deeply regretted this. Gary was a true original, just as funny and perceptive in an utterly different way as another fine writer, Bill Jayme, who launched me on my speaking career, and did become a good friend.
Today the Halbert tradition continues in The Gary Halbert Letter, which I wrote a piece for a while ago. Ever since I have been casting around for something else that would be appropriate, and yesterday I found it lurking in my files in the form of a piece based, of all things, on an article in an Australian aviation magazine about air safety.
I sent it off yesterday to Kevin Halbert saying I thought it would have made his old man laugh – and Kevin wrote back saying he was running it immediately, which he has. I am a rather sentimental old fool, and quite like the idea of old Gary roaring his head off at it.
It’s very short, but here’s one bit:
Is there any lesson in all this? There may be. If and when you read the piece, you may wonder how the hell I managed to link air safety rules with marketing.
Most marketing pieces are dull and samey because they only talk about marketing, which, forgetting the money, is frankly not the world’s most rivetting subject.
If you want to write stuff that fixes itself in the mind and is remembered, you need something relevant – but unexpected. That means you must stock your mind with knowledge of all kinds.
On the matter of relevant surprise, you might find a video I did a while back interesting. It’s not very slick but yesterday a very good writer told me he couldn’t stop watching it.
To see that article go to
http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/newsletters/2010/DraytonBirdWhatAPilot.htm
To see the video, go to http://www.draytonbird.net/surprise/mediaplayer.html
Hi Drayton
Thank you for your, as always, perceptive commments.
I once had a phone conversation with Gary Halbert — interesting, to say the least!
All the best
My heartfelt thanks for writing such an excellent piece on the commonsense of marketing as well as the importance of knowing about its purpose. There is certainly a dearth of such blogs on the Internet except for http://www.karmiccoach.com and http://www.mysticselling.com both of which are considered to be good resources for business information.
-Sunoj
Dear Dear Drayton,
You should not demean yourself so.
You are amongst the Best at 'Blowing Your Own Trumpet'.
You always have been.
The perils of Vainglory and False Modesty have consistently passed you by.
You have always surpassed DO and Wunderman in this arena.
Kind Regards
Shannon O'Hara
PS. Bitch Rehab failed again. Oh Dear!
Wow, Drayton, what an excellent video!
Every time I read one of your posts or
(in this case) watch a video by you I lay
another *solid* stone in the foundation of
my copywriting knowledge.
Also fascinating to go behind the scenes
and discover the stories around copywriting
legends of the past — whom you knew
and worked with!
Please keep these precious nuggets of
copywriting history and wisdom coming,
and… don't even think of retiring.
The info in your video is every bit as
valuable as anything the great Gary
Bencivenga wrote in his *Bencivenga
Bullets*.
But he's retired and, it seems, the
*Bullets* have ceased.
Looking forward to your next video.
How about giving us more headline
ideas, or perhaps what makes a great
P.S.?
One of your fans,
Eldo
P.S. I'm now going to post the link to your
must-see video on the Warrior Forum —
if no one else already has 🙂