The first thing one must do to succeed in advertising is to have the attention of the reader.
That means to be interesting.
The next thing is to stick to the truth, and that means rectifying whatever’s wrong in the merchant’s business.
If the truth isn’t tellable, fix it so it is.
That is about all there is to it.
-John E. Powers
John E. Powers has been called “the father of honest ads” and he was also probably one of the first full-time copywriters. His tie copy for John Wanamaker is still effective, funny and, especially, true.
“They’re not as good as they look, but they’re good enough — 25 cents”
There is still lots to learn from John E. Powers.
Source: Winning The Story Wars & http://www.biztactics.com/bullet-john-powers.php
Stand-Up Strategy 