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The Anatomy of Humbug

BrainJuicer Book Review

How to Think Differently About Advertising

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The Anatomy of Humbug: How To Think Differently About Advertising

“This isn’t a book about how advertising works, but a book about

how people think advertising works.”

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.

Author Paul Feldwick

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1904

The History of Salesmanship Theory (1904 - )

Pt. 1 – Salesmanship TheoryIntroducing the key players who believed that ads work

by giving us information and persuading us to act on it.

Albert Lasker“Father of Modern

Advertising”CEO of Lord &

Thomas agency who was ‘sold’ on the

salesmanship model

John E. KennedyCanadian 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’

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.

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Salesmanship Theory – 1920s

Albert Lasker“Father of Modern

Advertising”

Claude HopkinsAdvertising pioneer and author of

Scientific Advertising

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

1924

Pictures should only be used if they give

information more concisely than words –

they are not for attracting attention or decoration

A good salesman is serious, gives information,

and does not entertain (people do not patronize a

clown)

The more you tell, the more you sell

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1937

Salesmanship Theory – 1930s – 1950s

Daniel StarchAmerican psychologist & market

researcher known for introducing a new model for print advertising:

Gallup PollIntroduces the concepts of recall and message recall

1951

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.

Attention – Interest – Conviction – Action - Memory

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1961

Salesmanship Theory – 1960s

Russell ColleyAuthor of Defining Advertising Goals

for Measured Advertising Results who introduced the DAGMAR model,

which puts emphasis on awareness, understanding and believing

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.

“Questionable assumptions that have continued to bedevil advertising and ad

research ever since”

Rosser ReevesAmerican advertising

executive & pioneer of television advertising who introduced the notion of the Unique Selling Point

(USP)

Proposition

Message

Impact

Reason Why

Attention

Awareness

Recall

Where did we end up?An alphabet soup of the theories and

assertions belonging to their time and the channels that existed

Persuasion

Comprehension

Conviction

Feldwick says:

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The History of Seduction Theory (1953 – )

Pt. 1 – Seduction Theory

Introducing the key players who introduced the notion that

ads play on our subconscious motivations and emotions.

Ernest Dichter“Father of Motivational Research” Austrian-American psychologist and

marketing expert who pioneered motivational research and introduced

the idea of brand image

1953

Institute of Motivational Research

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.

Behaviour is guided by: SecurityStatus

Sex

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Seduction Theory – Late 1950s

James VicarayMarket researcher best known for

pioneering the concept of subliminal advertising (based on fraudulent

results)

1956

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.

Pierre MartineauAuthor of Motivation in Advertising,

which asserted that people are suggestible, non-rational, and

motivated by emotion, habit and non-conscious choices

1957

Vance PackardAmerican social

critic and author of The Hidden

Persuaders - an attack on the advertising

industry and motivational

research

1959

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Seduction Theory – Early 1960s

Rosser ReevesAuthor of

Reality in Advertising

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.

Creative RevolutionFor 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

Bill BernbachCo-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

1961

Where did we end up?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

There are no hidden persuaders. Advertising works in the bare and

pitiless sunlight.

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Other Models of Advertising

Pt. 3 – Other Models of Advertising

Examining key proponents of other advertising model

Salience‘Mental availability’ and

‘meaningless distinctiveness’

Social ConnectionMuch 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

SpinThe 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’

ShowmanshipPublic 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 SharpPR Man Edward Bernays

P.T. Barnum

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.

1111

Drawing System 1 Conclusions

Drawing Conclusions

The mounting evidence that advertising works at a

System 1 level.

Cotosuet 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.

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.

Hathaway ShirtsDavid Ogilvy (Rosser Reeves’ brother-in-

law) 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.

Is this not the consummate use of System 1 non-verbal, visual communication to

create brand distinctiveness? YOU DECIDE.

AnacinRosser Reeve’s agency created an ad for painkiller. The headache is dramatized by a hammer clanging

against a head.

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.

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.

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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

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